Lone Creek: A Novel (Hugh Davoren Series, 1) - Softcover

McMahon, Neil

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060792221 ISBN 13: 9780060792220

Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2008

Synopsis

After a failed career and marriage in California, Hugh Davoren is back in Helena, Montana, as a construction hand at the old Pettyjohn Ranch, home of many childhood memories—including the seemingly accidental death of his teenaged first love, Celia.

Hugh is just trying to get through another long workday on the ranch when he discovers two dead stallions. A further probe into the matter only pushes Hugh into dangerous corners, as he finds that the ranch's slick new owner, his beautiful wife, and even old Mr. Pettyjohn have terrible secrets to keep.

About this title

From the Publisher:

What authors are already saying about Neil McMahon's LONE CREEK.

"This is the McMahon book I've been waiting for. Told with a voice that is both clean and edgy, Lone Creek interweaves the stories of an old mystery unfolding in the midst of a new one. Hugh Davoren, a handyman on the ranch he grew up on, finds himself on the run, betrayed, and in danger of falling in love with the ghost of a young girl he once loved. When he elicits the help of his compatriot Madbird, they make for a pair of unlikely heroes who couldn't be more likable." --Claire Davis

"Put dirty jeans and a carpenter's tool belt on Raymond Chandler's private eye Philip Marlowe, stick him on a ranch in Montana's back country around Helena, and you'll get a notion of Neil McMahon's Hugh Davoren." -- Annick Smith

"Besides being one heck of a blood-pumping read, Neil McMahon's LONE CREEK is a heartfelt meditation on love and memory, and on the powerful forces that shape both our past and our future. If you've ever loved a person or a place, and especially if you've ever lost one or the other, this bittersweet, angry, beautifully written novel will resonate with you." -- Jenny Siler

"LONE CREEK is post-modern contemporary western noir ... a good hard ride through real Montana, punctuated by heinous crimes and dry good humor." -- C.J. Box

"Neil McMahon is lifetime expert in the tranquilities and bloody-handed twists and brutalities of working class life in the northern Rockies. And he's one of our finest fast-action storytellers. LONE CREEK will keep you up and dodging through the night, and send you to sleep with a sense of relief and pleasure. Sure worked for me." -- William Kittredge

"LONE CREEK is a Montana writer's soaring tribute to the people, sorrows, and great beauty of that state. It's also a riveting crime story, an elegy to a passing era, and an exploration of the nature of long friendship. In taut and graceful language, Neil McMahon gives us all that and makes us sorry when it's over. A terrific read." -- Deirdre McNamer

"Tight, taut, a place where bad money kills and the dead reach out of their graves to scar the living - McMahon's Montana is a place Ross MacDonald's Lew Archer would have felt right at home in." -- Peter Bowen

"In prose as smooth as worn saddle leather, LONE CREEK, captures the old Montana verities: the days when a man's word was his bond; the time when neighbors stood together against the forces of weather and outsiders; and when a man was judged by his good work, his bravery, and his moral character. When faced with the lies of the modern world, a man with these qualities doesn't just endure, he triumphs. This is a lovely novel, smart and exciting, set in a landscape that throbs with beauty. I loved it." - James Crumley

About the Author:

Neil McMahon holds a degree in psychology from Stanford and was a Stegner fellow. He has published ten novels, in addition to the bestselling thriller Toys, coauthored with James Patterson. He lives in Missoula, Montana, where his wife directs the annual Montana Festival of the Book.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0060792221
• ISBN 13: 9780060792220
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352