A fast-paced, sharply observed novel of rural suspense.

Sheriff Lucian Wing goes to the aid of a pair of young runaways, Duncan and Pamela, who have fled to his backwoods county jurisdiction in Vermont. The girl’s powerful stepfather New York has set a smoothly menacing lawyer and well-armed thugs on their trail.

At the same time Wing must deal with his wayward wife’s chronic infidelity; the snobbery of Pamela’s cosmopolitan mother; the dubious assistance of a demented World War Two enthusiast – and even the climactic, chaotic onset of a prodigious specimen of the local wildlife.

Amidst it all, can Wing bring Duncan and Pamela to safety?

‘A small miracle – sharp, sly, moving and full of heart.' Nick Cave

‘Part comic romp and part nail-biting thriller ... Castle Freeman writes with both wit and a deep understanding of the human psyche, and he does not cheat us out of a dramatic climax.’ Guardian

‘Shares many small-town, big-crime themes with Cormac McCarthy... it is impossible not to appreciate this.’ The Times

'Wonderful... every paragraph a gem. Freeman – like Cormac McCarthy, like Annie Proulx – shows us the awkward realness of lives, and does it with humour, with wry perception, with great style.' R. J. Ellory

‘Extremely funny... streamlined storytelling, dead-on dialogue and lyrical descriptions of the bleak, woodsy landscape. This is a meticulous New England miniature, with not a word wasted.’ Oprah Magazine

‘A fast, memorable read gooey with atmosphere ... a gem that sparkles with sly insight and cuts like a knife.’ Boston Globe

‘Freeman has a flawless ear for dialogue and a sharp eye for quirky detail ... Superb.’ People Magazine

‘A brilliant book – laconic, spare, stylish and exciting.’ Al Alvarez

‘A small masterpiece of black comedy and suspense ... If all novels were this good, Americans would read more.’ Kirkus Reviews