“With Black Mountain, Barron’s second novel featuring Isaiah Coleridge, we see the story becoming darker and more horrific while still maintaining a powerful sense of character.”

A headless, handless corpse found in the Ashokan reservoir has the local mob guys worried. It’s not too uncommon for a small-potatoes criminal like Harold Lee to turn up dead, but since this is the second grisly murder in a short span of time, the boys wonder if there’s some kind of connection.

What seems like a case of revenge begins to take on a different and dangerous shape after private investigator Isaiah Coleridge starts digging around. This case is much, much larger than he expects, spanning decades, and darker than what appears on the surface. There’s a powerful corporation with connections at the highest level, a cabaret dancer who’s worth a fortune, and a serial killer on the loose who’s been practicing his craft since the Vietnam war.

Coleridge will be facing his most dangerous enemy ever.

Why we’re excited about this book:

Laird Barron (The Croning, Man with no Name, Occultation and Other Stories, Swift to Chase, Blood Standard) cut his teeth on the crime and mystery fiction of John D. MacDonald and Martin Cruz Smith in addition to the masters of horror. With Black Mountain, Barron’s second novel featuring Isaiah Coleridge, we see the story becoming darker and more horrific while still maintaining a powerful sense of character. Publishers Weekly says: “Barron’s second novel featuring retired mob strongman Isaiah Coleridge is as nasty as a cornered pit viper—and its plot is about as sinuous. . . . Barron peppers the text with literary references and philosophical reflections that provide rich counterpoint to the violent bashing and bloodletting. Fans of hardboiled crime fiction and wiseguy vernacular will be well satisfied.” Black Mountain by Laird Barron is forthcoming from G.P. Putnam’s Sons 7 May 2019 and is available for pre-order now.

BOB PASTORELLA

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