Bearskin - by James A McLaughlin (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

WINNER OF THE 2019 EDGAR FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL

"Bearskin is visceral, raw, and compelling--filled with sights, smells, and sounds truly observed. It's a powerful debut and an absolute showcase of exceptional prose. There are very few first novels when I feel compelled to circle brilliant passages, but James McLaughlin's writing had me doing just that." --C.J. Box, #1 NYT bestselling author of The Disappeared

Rice Moore is just beginning to think his troubles are behind him. He's found a job protecting a remote forest preserve in Virginian Appalachia where his main responsibilities include tracking wildlife and refurbishing cabins. It's hard work, and totally solitary--perfect to hide away from the Mexican drug cartels he betrayed back in Arizona. But when Rice finds the carcass of a bear killed on the grounds, the quiet solitude he's so desperately sought is suddenly at risk.

More bears are killed on the preserve and Rice's obsession with catching the poachers escalates, leading to hostile altercations with the locals and attention from both the law and Rice's employers. Partnering with his predecessor, a scientist who hopes to continue her research on the preserve, Rice puts into motion a plan that could expose the poachers but risks revealing his own whereabouts to the dangerous people he was running from in the first place.

James McLaughlin expertly brings the beauty and danger of Appalachia to life. The result is an elemental, slow burn of a novel--one that will haunt you long after you turn the final page.

From the Back Cover

Rice Moore is just beginning to think his troubles are behind him. He's taken a job as a caretaker for a remote forest preserve in Virginia, hoping that the solitude is a perfect hideaway from the Mexican drug cartels he betrayed back in Arizona. But when Rice finds the carcass of a bear killed on the grounds, he becomes obsessed with catching the poachers before more bears are harmed. Descending deep into the Appalachian wilderness, he finds the undertaking far more dangerous than he anticipated--he has hostile altercations with the locals, his employers, and even the law. His past is catching up to him in terrifying ways and he's running out of ideas for how to escape it. . . .

Review Quotes

"A secret past, old foes, bloodthirsty locals, and the destruction of the natural world converge in McLaughlin's debut novel. An intricately written thriller that explores the darkest parts of human nature against the beauty of unspoiled American wilds." - Ace Atkins, New York Times bestselling author of Robert B. Parker's Old Black Magic and The Sinners

"Bearskin is visceral, raw, and compelling--filled with sights, smells, and sounds truly observed. It's a powerful debut and an absolute showcase of exceptional prose. There are very few first novels when I feel compelled to circle brilliant passages, but James McLaughlin's writing had me doing just that." - C.J. Box, #1 NYT bestselling author of The Disappeared

"One of the year's most buzzy, fascinating thrillers. . . . A suspenseful, emotionally resonant journey into one man's dark past." - Entertainment Weekly

"A journey into the wilds of Appalachia. . . . Tightly plotted and beautifully written, Bearskin marks an auspicious debut." - Nylon Magazine

"Bearskin--a gripping tale written in spare, beautiful prose--tells the tale of Rice Moore, a reluctant hero, competent, resilient, and utterly engaging. McLaughlin is a gifted storyteller, and Bearskin is a remarkable debut." - Scott Smith, NYT Bestselling author of A Simple Plan and The Ruins

"At once brutal and beautiful, Bearskin is a tense, haunting thriller brought to life by McLaughlin's deft and vivid rendering of the rugged mountain landscape and the beasts that dwell within. A powerful debut." - Laura McHugh, author of The Weight of Blood and Arrowood

"One of the year's most buzzy, fascinating thrillers. . . . A suspenseful, emotionally resonant journey into one man's dark past." - Entertainment Weekly

"Taut as a crossbow and as sharp as an arrowhead. . . . Smoothly orchestrated. . . . A thrilling, thoroughly satisfying debut." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"[A] hard-edged thriller. . . . An intense, visceral debut equal to the best that country noir has to offer." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"[A] twisty, knuckle-gnawing thriller. . . . Remarkable. . . . Terrifying." - Jonathan Segura, Publishers Weekly (Staff Pick--Best of Summer 2018)

"Haunting. . . . Rendered in remarkable prose. . . . [An] edgy tale, with human greed and wildlife exploitation at its heart." - Booklist

"Explored in vivid and often dreamlike prose. . . . Successfully [straddles] the line between the evocative erudition of Gabriel Tallent's My Absolute Darling, Tom Franklin's Poachers, and page-turning suspense of C.J. Box." - Library Journal

"Fast-paced and evocative. . . . A genuine page-turner. . . . [Bearskin] emerges from some darker place, a creature of undeniable power." - New York Journal of Books

"Gruesomely gorgeous. . . . McLaughlin writes about the natural world with a casual lyricism and un-self-conscious joy. . . . Remarkable. . . . The kind of writing that makes me shiver." - New York Times Book Review

"Exciting. . . . McLaughlin skillfully breaks down the actions of hunter and hunted into their constituent parts. . . . Some of the best action writing in recent fiction." - Washington Post

"A powerful and often profound debut. . . . Bearskin constructs a riveting narrative, set within a natural world that, should it vanish, McLaughlin suggests, might take part of us with it." - USA Today

"Part thriller, part crime novel, part dreamscape, James A. McLaughlin's Bearskin refuses to be contained. . . . Smart and sophisticated, with animals both wild and domestic acting as metaphors, [it] is a gritty, down-home tale told with brute force." - BookPage

"[A] near-perfect first novel. . . . [A] carefully crafted tale of mystery, ecology, backwoods mysticism and downright evil." - Shelf Awareness