The Dead Ringer - by Dane Bahr (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This haunting Western story features a man brought back from the dead to exact revenge upon those who have wronged him, only to discover that the world is capable of good--from the author of The Houseboat and Stag

Montana, 1935. Bludgeoned and buried alive by his bank-robbing partner and half brother, Benjamin Kilt should have been a corpse. But now very much on this side of heaven, Kilt's quest for revenge will be unlike anything the West has ever seen.

Kilt is joined on his journey by Bonnie, a thirteen-year-old Indigenous girl he somewhat reluctantly rescues from her abusive "keeper." It is through Bonnie's recollections in old age of Kilt's thorny quest for justice that Dane Bahr's masterful tale unwinds, showcasing the tragic, complicated history of the two brothers and leading to a showdown at the very ranch where they were raised.

For readers of Charles Portis, Elmore Leonard, and Annie Proulx, The Dead Ringer explores the slippery justification of questionable deeds done for honorable ends, a bold and haunting novel featuring a man brought back from the dead to exact revenge, only to discover that the world is capable of good no matter how tragic the end may be.

Review Quotes

"The Dead Ringer is as fast as a bullet. I can't remember the last time a book took me on such a wild non-stop breathtaking ride. Kilt and Bonnie are two classic orphans on the road in a world of violence, madness, and surprising kindness." --Willy Vlautin, author of The Horse

"Henry Miller said that in art, if you start with the drums, you have to end with the dynamite. In The Dead Ringer, Dane Bahr's opening percussion leads masterfully to the inevitable explosion. An immensely satisfying, powderkeg of a novel." --Callan Wink author of Beartooth: A Novel

"Dane Bahr has poured lines of gasoline to a single point of ignition, struck a match, and sent fires racing down trails of past, present, and future. The Dead Ringer is an epic of the American West." --David Joy, author of Those We Thought We Knew

"The Dead Ringer offers a fresh take on the classic western genre. Dane Bahr's prose is damn near biblical. Same goes for his Lazarus-like protagonist, but the story is all True Grit. It's good to know there are books like this still out there." --Eli Cranor, Edgar Award winning author of Mississippi Blue 42

About the Author

DANE BAHR was born in Minnesota. He is the author of The Houseboat and Stag. He lives in Washington state with his wife and sons.