Kelly J. Ford, Cottonmouths (2017)

This was Drear’s Bluff, nothing bad happened here. People didn’t disappear.

Kelly J. Ford’s novel, Cottonmouths, explores the return home to the small, Southern town of Drear’s Bluff, Arkansas, through the eyes of college dropout Emily Skinner. While bearing the pressure of her community’s expectations, she reconnects with her childhood friend and unrequited first love, Jody, whose new life is full of secrets and lies. As Emily’s life becomes intertwined with Jody’s, she must make decisions on who to trust, what to believe, and how much of herself she is willing to give away for someone she loves.

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Patricia Cornwell, Post-Mortem (1990)

Trigger Warnings: Sexual Violence, Violence Against Women

Plot Summary:

Post-Mortem is the first novel in Patricia Cornwell’s twenty-eight-book series. Protagonist Dr. Kay Scarpetta, the chief medical examiner in Richmond, Virginia, has seen an influx of clients with a serial killer on the loose and an incompetent police department. The only link between the murdered women is their manner of death. Scarpetta takes it upon herself to find the missing link and stop the killings. If the case wasn’t difficult enough, somebody is out to sabotage Dr. Scarpetta, but she can’t stop until she knows the truth. After all, the murdered women were just like her – something that haunts her more than the ice-cold bodies in the morgue. Continue reading “Patricia Cornwell, Post-Mortem (1990)” →

Donald Ray Pollock, The Devil All the Time

Good people rarely have happy endings.

The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock is a deliciously repulsive collection of stories that showcases what truly desperate people do at their lowest point. Pollock’s historical thriller is constructed in seven separate parts, each with its own characters and decade, all taking place in rural Ohio. This novel is filled with horror, gore, and depravity, making it unsuitable for those with a weak stomach. The characters span from a serial-killing couple to a psychotic, sacrificial preacher, and while the book does bounce from person to person, it also follows one main character. Pollock loosely traces the life of Arvin, the traumatized protagonist, from birth to adulthood, detailing the horrors he witnesses and endures.
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Amy Greene, Long Man

Welcome to Yuneetah, Tennessee. This rural, hardscrabble community set in the 1930s in East Tennessee holds tightly to their rich history through a deep connection to the land. When the Tennessee Valley Authority plans to dam the river and flood the town of Yuneetah, the inhabitants are forced to relocate. Some go willingly, eager to aid East Tennessee’s promise of “progression.” Others, such as Annie Clyde Dodson, are not willing to part with their land so easily.

Annie’s connection to the farm and desire to pass it down to her daughter, Gracie, makes her unwilling to desert her beloved land. When Gracie disappears, the Dodson family must grapple with the truth of the people around them in order to find their child. Continue reading “Amy Greene, Long Man” →