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Vendor
Fritz Agency
Christian Dittus
Original language
English

DRY COUNTY

Jake Hinkson

A dark vision of American religion and politics, DRY COUNTY is a portrait of a man willing to do anything to hold on to his power—including murder.

Richard Weatherford is a small-town preacher in the Arkansas Ozarks, a husband, father, and respected member of his community. But while Weatherford is a man of influence and power—and a big force in local politics—he's also a man with secrets.

In the lead up to the 2016 Presidential election, Weatherford's world is threatened when he's blackmailed by a former lover. Collecting the money the blackmailer demands will be a nearly impossible feat, especially over Easter weekend, when all eyes are on him. So Weatherford will have to turn to the darkest corners for aid in a desperate attempt to keep his world from falling apart.

Exploring a divided country and a cracked façade through the alternating perspectives of Weatherford, his wife, his lover, and other town residents, DRY COUNTY is a powerful story about how far some will go to keep hold of all they know—and all that others think them to be.

Jake Hinkson teaches creative writing at The Chicago Academy for the Arts. He has published a handful of crime novels on small presses, and his books have been translated into French and Italian. His work has received the two most prestigious awards that are granted to literary crime fiction in France: Hell on Church Street (L'Enfer de Church Street) was awarded the Prix Mystère de la Critique in 2016, No Tomorrow (Sans Lendemain) was awarded the Grand Prix des Littératures Policières in 2018.

VERDORRTES LAND
Deutsch von Juergen Buerger
[TB Polar 10/2021]
Available products
Book

Published 2019-10-01 by Pegasus Books

Comments

“Desire, desperation, and despair collide in Jake Hinkson's bleakly imagined and perfectly rendered vision of small-town Arkansas. Religion, respectability, hope for the future?virtue is the flip side of vice and Hinkson drives that truth sharply home.” - S. J. Rozan, bestselling author of 'Ghost Hero'

“Set against the backdrop of the 2016 election, Hinkson's darkly satirical take on power and hypocrisy closes with a shocking but fitting twist.”

“From its gripping first pages, the reader knows he or she is in the hands of an expert storyteller. Dry County is a dark, noir-ish tale that weaves religion, politics, family betrayals, and violence, all centered around the forgotten small towns of rural Arkansas. Jake Hinkson spins a story that just holds onto you and doesn't let go. Highly recommended.” - Brendan DuBois, three-time Shamus Award winner and bestselling author

"Hinkson puts his foot on your throat on the first page and doesn't let up. DRY COUNTY is the kind of book you sit down with and finish in one big gulp; it's a masterpiece of economy and tension. Set against the backdrop of an Arkansas county's wet/dry vote and the 2016 presidential election, this story's got it all: blackmail, brutality, and desperate people doing desperate thigns. An instant noir classic." —William Boyle, author of GRAVESEND, THE LONELY WITNESS, and A FRIEND IS A GIFT YOU GIVE YOURSELF

“Powered by raw emotional intensity this story is unforgettable.” (starred review)

France: Gallmeister;