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Lane Hollar's seen little of the world beyond West Virginia--Parris Island and Vietnam--but that was enough. Now, thirty years later, he's estranged from his only son, Frank, and from society at large. Lane has his grandson, Toby; his daughter-in-law, Darlene; his bait shop; and his banjo, and he desires or needs nothing else. But then one day, he and Toby are out fishing when they witness a drug-related murder. Suddenly, the boundaries of his world are no longer his to define. An investigation rules the drowning accidental but reveals the witnesses to the perpetrators, and without preamble, Lane is fighting for his life. Caught between inept--or corrupt--lawmen and a stone-cold killer, Lane finds that his long-neglected survival skills are, like Lane himself, obsolete and ludicrous in a world gone mad. In a rolling war through Appalachia's forests and towns, Lane must fight not only for his life, but for all the things that it has lacked: love, family, and peace.… (altro)
This book was recommended by a library patron who was familiar with the author, who lives in nearby Western Maryland. My enjoyment of the story was enhanced by familiar terrain, as he described some familiar places, including a few roads I drive on a somewhat regular basis.
That said, I feel the story stands on its own merits. Lane Hollar, a curmudgeonly Vietnam War vet, is fishing with his grandson when something happens on the "reservoy" (reservoir) near their fishing spot. A man, Billy Bean, winds up dead. Was it murder, as Lane suspects?
Skipper skillfully evokes the changing world of Appalachia, and creates multi-dimensional characters who fit the story and setting. Relationships are complex. Motives are cloudy. The book has a hard edge, but does not contain an excess of graphic violence. There is humor, love, anger, and suspense.
Skipper does dispense with some conventions of punctuation, specifically quotation marks. (I've encountered this before, in some work by Cormac McCarthy, for instance.) It requires some thought on the reader's part to discern who is actually saying what. Sometimes it's not altogether clear what is spoken and what is internal dialog. Sometimes, I think that vagueness is intentional.
That vagueness extends to the ending, where one major loose end is left somewhat untidy. It left me wanting to know more about what is going on in the mind of one character -- but, then, life is full of unanswered questions like that.
The Baptism of Billy Bean is more than a mystery/suspense tale. It's a slice of Appalachian life. I plan to read more books by this author. Message edited by its author, Today, 10:52am. ( )
Lane Hollar's seen little of the world beyond West Virginia--Parris Island and Vietnam--but that was enough. Now, thirty years later, he's estranged from his only son, Frank, and from society at large. Lane has his grandson, Toby; his daughter-in-law, Darlene; his bait shop; and his banjo, and he desires or needs nothing else. But then one day, he and Toby are out fishing when they witness a drug-related murder. Suddenly, the boundaries of his world are no longer his to define. An investigation rules the drowning accidental but reveals the witnesses to the perpetrators, and without preamble, Lane is fighting for his life. Caught between inept--or corrupt--lawmen and a stone-cold killer, Lane finds that his long-neglected survival skills are, like Lane himself, obsolete and ludicrous in a world gone mad. In a rolling war through Appalachia's forests and towns, Lane must fight not only for his life, but for all the things that it has lacked: love, family, and peace.
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(3.38)
2
That said, I feel the story stands on its own merits. Lane Hollar, a curmudgeonly Vietnam War vet, is fishing with his grandson when something happens on the "reservoy" (reservoir) near their fishing spot. A man, Billy Bean, winds up dead. Was it murder, as Lane suspects?
Skipper skillfully evokes the changing world of Appalachia, and creates multi-dimensional characters who fit the story and setting. Relationships are complex. Motives are cloudy. The book has a hard edge, but does not contain an excess of graphic violence. There is humor, love, anger, and suspense.
Skipper does dispense with some conventions of punctuation, specifically quotation marks. (I've encountered this before, in some work by Cormac McCarthy, for instance.) It requires some thought on the reader's part to discern who is actually saying what. Sometimes it's not altogether clear what is spoken and what is internal dialog. Sometimes, I think that vagueness is intentional.
That vagueness extends to the ending, where one major loose end is left somewhat untidy. It left me wanting to know more about what is going on in the mind of one character -- but, then, life is full of unanswered questions like that.
The Baptism of Billy Bean is more than a mystery/suspense tale. It's a slice of Appalachian life. I plan to read more books by this author.
Message edited by its author, Today, 10:52am. (