Lucian Wing is the sheriff of a backwoods county in Vermont, a hardscrabble place far from the picture-postcard gaze. He is also a man with a problem.
Multiple problems, in fact, including a threatening superior; a wandering wife; a hard-drinking father-in-law; a demented mother; a squad of deputies variously overzealous and moronic; a mysterious vigilante band operating in his jurisdiction; and a formidably bloodthirsty local carnivore...
Wing needs to draw on all his patience, knowledge, and (especially) humor to resolve things. Not least, to honour what one ambiguous ally refers to as Old Number Five.
Book details
- Format
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781788422475
- Published
- 5 March 2020
- Pages
- 192
- Duration
- Dimensions
- 129 x 198 mm
- Genre
- Cosy Crime
- Imprint
- Farrago
Reviews
Praise for Castle Freeman's novels:
‘A small miracle – sharp, sly, moving and full of heart'
‘Part comic romp and part nail-biting thriller ... Castle Freeman writes with both wit and a deep understanding of the human psyche, and he does not cheat us out of a dramatic climax’
‘Shares many small-town, big-crime themes with Cormac McCarthy... it is impossible not to appreciate this’
'Wonderful... every paragraph a gem. Freeman – like Cormac McCarthy, like Annie Proulx – shows us the awkward realness of lives, and does it with humour, with wry perception, with great style'
‘Extremely funny... streamlined storytelling, dead-on dialogue and lyrical descriptions of the bleak, woodsy landscape. This is a meticulous New England miniature, with not a word wasted’
‘A fast, memorable read gooey with atmosphere … a gem that sparkles with sly insight and cuts like a knife’
‘Freeman has a flawless ear for dialogue and a sharp eye for quirky detail … Superb’
‘A brilliant book – laconic, spare, stylish and exciting’
‘A small masterpiece of black comedy and suspense … If all novels were this good, Americans would read more’
