Gregory Hill grew up on the eastern edge of the American west, on a wheat farm near a tiny Colorado town called Joes. His relationship with that anarchic, windswept region in the heart of America continues to this day; and his novels are saturated in the area's wildlife, language, and gleeful insanity. Relying extensively on desperate characters in barren landscapes, his work is a relentlessly adventurous, unapologeticaly literate antidote to the myth of the wholesome, God-fearing heartland.
Hill is a dialogue artist, sculpting his characters with depth and
the pitfalls of humanity...The Lonesome Trials of Johnny Riles is a
rich and complex western that crosses over into the shady depths of
noir fiction. It's a stunning read.
--Sarah Reichert The Writing Bug
Like Hill's superb debut, East of Denver, The Lonesome Trials of
Johnny Riles surely is a damn fine, if distinctly peculiar, country
noir.--Booklist
A wild, weird, fun ride.
--Yuma Pioneer
Crazy novel. And I mean that in the very best sense. Absolutely
loved it.
-- Mike Keefe, political cartoonist
Impressively well written from beginning to end, The Lonesome
Trials of Johnny Riles is a terrifically entertaining read and
showcases extraordinary and imaginative storytelling abilities.
--Midwest Book Review
Filled with the same easy energy and bright style that earned
praise and awards for East of Denver, The Lonesome Trials of Johnny
Riles will take you to places you didn't know existed--both on the
hard plains of eastern Colorado and deep inside the soul of an
unforgettable man who knows the world is a mean place. He knows the
perfect song and the perfect drink to get him through the day, but
even Johnny Riles can't predict what the world, or his brother,
might throw his way. After a sip or two of this richly-told novel,
you'll want to glug the whole thing down.
--Mark Stevens, author of the Allison Coil Mystery Series
The Lonesome Trials of Johnny Riles renders Eastern Colorado/High
Plains life as it really has always been: down-to-earth,
matter-of-fact, and always on the brink of psychedelia. This is an
unapologetic triumph of contemporary Rural American Realism.
--Zach Boddicker, author of The Essential Carl Mahogany
Reading Gregory Hill's marvelous page-turner of a second novel is
like hunkering down in a psychedelic cave, buried by a flatland
Colorado blizzard--with a knife at your throat. Expertly wrought
weirdness abounds--you won't want it to end. Think, a poodle with
no name meets Stephen King.
--Barry Wightman, author of Pepperland
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