Bearskin

WINNER OF THE 2019 EDGAR FOR BEST FIRST NOVELBearskin is visceral, raw, and compellingfilled with sights, smells, and sounds truly observed. Its 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 McLaughlins writing had me doing just that. C.J. Box, #1 NYT bestselling author of The DisappearedRice Moore is just beginning to think his troubles are behind him. Hes found a job protecting a remote forest preserve in Virginian Appalachia where his main responsibilities include tracking wildlife and refurbishing cabins.Its hard work, and totally solitaryperfect 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 hes so desperately sought is suddenly at risk.More bears are killed on the preserve and Rices obsession with catching the poachers escalates, leading to hostile altercations with the locals and attention from both the law and Rices 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 novelone that will haunt you long after you turn the final page.