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Cold Quiet Country
On his last day in power, with a blizzard threatening 18 inches of snow, Sheriff BittersmithOCOs is called to the scene of a crime. A farmer has been stabbed clean through the neck with a pitchfork. Two sets of tracks lead from the barn, and the dead manOCOs frantic wife exclaims her daughter is missing. Convinced it was Gale GOCOWain, the orphan who worked at the farm, Bittersmith follows the vanishing footprints into the storm.
Three miles away, Gale GOCOWain is alone and close to dead. HeOCOs holed up in an empty farmhouse, half-dressed and nearly dead after falling through lake ice. Innocent, but unlikely to ever stand trial in a town as corrupt as Bittersmith, he loads his gun and prepares to defend himself against the dead manOCOs bloodthirsty sons and the SheriffOCOs Department.
Set in small town Wyoming in the 70s and unfolding in a single day, Clayton Lindemuth's debut novel, "Cold Quiet Country," explores small-town corruption and the lengths some people will go to exact revenge.
"
Three miles away, Gale GOCOWain is alone and close to dead. HeOCOs holed up in an empty farmhouse, half-dressed and nearly dead after falling through lake ice. Innocent, but unlikely to ever stand trial in a town as corrupt as Bittersmith, he loads his gun and prepares to defend himself against the dead manOCOs bloodthirsty sons and the SheriffOCOs Department.
Set in small town Wyoming in the 70s and unfolding in a single day, Clayton Lindemuth's debut novel, "Cold Quiet Country," explores small-town corruption and the lengths some people will go to exact revenge.
"
223 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 13, 2012
141 people are currently reading
538 people want to read
About the author
Clayton Lindemuth
37 books126 followersAm I right? You're smarter than most, embrace old fashioned morals, love your country, dogs, and guns... and dig ruthless fiction...
Hi! I'm Clayton Lindemuth, and my novels embrace rural noir truth. Mind your own business, be slow to anger. But don't ever back down to evil. Justice happens when the wicked die.
If we're tracking so far, I wrote My Brother's Destroyer, and all the rest, just for you.
You'll stay awake too late, underline fun new ways to cuss, muse about new philosophies and read random passages to strangers to make the world a better place.
Literary depth. Thriller pace. If you've got the stomach to watch evil men die, dress for the woods and grab a lamp. We've work to do.
Hi! I'm Clayton Lindemuth, and my novels embrace rural noir truth. Mind your own business, be slow to anger. But don't ever back down to evil. Justice happens when the wicked die.
If we're tracking so far, I wrote My Brother's Destroyer, and all the rest, just for you.
You'll stay awake too late, underline fun new ways to cuss, muse about new philosophies and read random passages to strangers to make the world a better place.
Literary depth. Thriller pace. If you've got the stomach to watch evil men die, dress for the woods and grab a lamp. We've work to do.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
January 17, 2025
God Help Me...
COLD QUIET COUNTRY
by Clayton Lindemuth
No spoilers. 5 stars. Gale G'Wain grew up in an orphanage in Monroe, WY. He's a grown man now and looking to make his own way in life in the town of Bittersmith, WY...
He became the hired hand for the Haudesert family and fell in love with their daughter...
God help him...
Gwen is old man Haudesert's pretty redheaded daughter. She is sixteen years old, and her father has nightly incestuous relations with her...
Gwen has a gift...
She hears bullfrog music, and then someone's face comes into her mind. That someone will die...
God help her...
Josephus Bittersmith is the town's sheriff. He is 72 years old and has a bad ticker...
Still..
he likes him some sexual encounters of the oral kind with the town's females... willing or unwilling...
Today is his last day on the job. The town's committee has decided to replace him...
God help him...
Many people will lose their life before the sun sets in Bittersmith. Gale G'Wain's prayer is...
God help me...
This is an extraordinary 5 star novel noir. It was gritty but compelling, and it has a surprisingly good ending. Try this one if you're not too squeamish. I couldn't put it down.
COLD QUIET COUNTRY
by Clayton Lindemuth
No spoilers. 5 stars. Gale G'Wain grew up in an orphanage in Monroe, WY. He's a grown man now and looking to make his own way in life in the town of Bittersmith, WY...
He became the hired hand for the Haudesert family and fell in love with their daughter...
God help him...
Gwen is old man Haudesert's pretty redheaded daughter. She is sixteen years old, and her father has nightly incestuous relations with her...
Gwen has a gift...
She hears bullfrog music, and then someone's face comes into her mind. That someone will die...
God help her...
Josephus Bittersmith is the town's sheriff. He is 72 years old and has a bad ticker...
Still..
he likes him some sexual encounters of the oral kind with the town's females... willing or unwilling...
Today is his last day on the job. The town's committee has decided to replace him...
God help him...
Many people will lose their life before the sun sets in Bittersmith. Gale G'Wain's prayer is...
God help me...
This is an extraordinary 5 star novel noir. It was gritty but compelling, and it has a surprisingly good ending. Try this one if you're not too squeamish. I couldn't put it down.
December 6, 2012
This novel was GRUESOME but the ending totally made it worth my time. Not for the feint of heart. There were several times that I almost put it down because the violence (implied and actual) was too much. But I'm glad I stuck with it. Recommended to those who loved The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock.
September 22, 2014
[mild spoilers]
Cold Quiet Country is the first book I am reviewing for authors who follow me on social media. I decided to review at least one book by every published author who follows me on twitter, wordpress, goodreads and facebook. If you are an author, let me know where I can find your books to review them
Anyway, Cold Quiet Country. This was a hard book to read. Not hard in the sense that it was poorly written, but rather in the difficulty of the subject matter. Lindemuth examines the impact and ramifications of rape, incest and revenge. His writing is not graphic but it is effective.
I went into this book with no knowledge of the subject matter. As a first impression, therefore, I was not sure if I would be able to make it through the book. In the first chapter a woman is blackmailed by the sheriff into performing sexual favors. The sheriff was the p.o.v. character, which made me think he may be the protagonist. Happily for my sanity this wasn’t the case. The protagonist is instead the murder suspect.
There are actually three p.o.v. characters: the 70-odd year old sheriff, a 20 year old young man, and a 16 year old girl. Here lies my main criticism of the whole book. Each of these characters have vastly different viewpoints and personalities but I could not tell them apart from the style of writing. They had next to no differentiation. I had to rely on contextual clues to figure out who the speaker was. The book is written in first person singular. You would think that the internal monologue of an abused teenage girl would be different than a lecherous septuagenarian man. The sameness to the writing may have been an intentional choice on the part of the author to aid in the overall tone of the book, but I personally think it was a poor one. The main place where this fell short was with the girl, Gwen. Gwen didn’t sound or feel like any girl I’ve ever met. I’ve known girls who’ve been abused, and they do not sound like Gwen. This was one place I thought the author could have done better.
The protagonist was an interesting character in that he was, in a word, a good man. Nearly everyone in the book has serious flaws, but not Gale. He stands alone as a good man in the face of the evil surrounding him. Of course, he’s wanted for murder at the beginning of the story and he does do some pretty awful things in the name of justice, so you have to consider what the definition of a good man really is. Lindemuth brings up some important things to ponder in the course of reading this book.
Overall, I would recommend this book to people. Be warned, though. It’s not a “fun” read. It will make you uncomfortable, and it should. Wickedness should always make you uncomfortable.
Cold Quiet Country is the first book I am reviewing for authors who follow me on social media. I decided to review at least one book by every published author who follows me on twitter, wordpress, goodreads and facebook. If you are an author, let me know where I can find your books to review them
Anyway, Cold Quiet Country. This was a hard book to read. Not hard in the sense that it was poorly written, but rather in the difficulty of the subject matter. Lindemuth examines the impact and ramifications of rape, incest and revenge. His writing is not graphic but it is effective.
I went into this book with no knowledge of the subject matter. As a first impression, therefore, I was not sure if I would be able to make it through the book. In the first chapter a woman is blackmailed by the sheriff into performing sexual favors. The sheriff was the p.o.v. character, which made me think he may be the protagonist. Happily for my sanity this wasn’t the case. The protagonist is instead the murder suspect.
There are actually three p.o.v. characters: the 70-odd year old sheriff, a 20 year old young man, and a 16 year old girl. Here lies my main criticism of the whole book. Each of these characters have vastly different viewpoints and personalities but I could not tell them apart from the style of writing. They had next to no differentiation. I had to rely on contextual clues to figure out who the speaker was. The book is written in first person singular. You would think that the internal monologue of an abused teenage girl would be different than a lecherous septuagenarian man. The sameness to the writing may have been an intentional choice on the part of the author to aid in the overall tone of the book, but I personally think it was a poor one. The main place where this fell short was with the girl, Gwen. Gwen didn’t sound or feel like any girl I’ve ever met. I’ve known girls who’ve been abused, and they do not sound like Gwen. This was one place I thought the author could have done better.
The protagonist was an interesting character in that he was, in a word, a good man. Nearly everyone in the book has serious flaws, but not Gale. He stands alone as a good man in the face of the evil surrounding him. Of course, he’s wanted for murder at the beginning of the story and he does do some pretty awful things in the name of justice, so you have to consider what the definition of a good man really is. Lindemuth brings up some important things to ponder in the course of reading this book.
Overall, I would recommend this book to people. Be warned, though. It’s not a “fun” read. It will make you uncomfortable, and it should. Wickedness should always make you uncomfortable.
December 17, 2012
Although fiction is not my typical preferred genre, I decided to give Cold Quiet Country a shot. I'm quite glad I did. I can envision all of these scenes quite vividly through the clever descriptiveness of the scenes that the author brought forth. However, it doesn't come off as trying to be annoyingly intellectual thanks to its moments of humor and the peppering of vulgarity throughout. This is not just for some cheap shock value, the profanity serves the purpose of impacting the story line, to give an accurate and poignant view of the story's antagonist.
The book has the occasional word that may make the reader run for a dictionary, but if you are a wordophile like I am, you will enjoy the added stimulation provided. The only discomfort I felt with this book was the graphic detail describing the way in which animals were being slaughtered for butchering, which is a concept I am sensitive to, so I passed up those paragraphs but it in no way hampered my comprehension of the story and actually enhanced the effect of the sometimes brutal undertones of the story.
This book was incredibly well thought out and intelligently written. I am looking forward to seeing what Clayton Lindemuth comes up with next.
The book has the occasional word that may make the reader run for a dictionary, but if you are a wordophile like I am, you will enjoy the added stimulation provided. The only discomfort I felt with this book was the graphic detail describing the way in which animals were being slaughtered for butchering, which is a concept I am sensitive to, so I passed up those paragraphs but it in no way hampered my comprehension of the story and actually enhanced the effect of the sometimes brutal undertones of the story.
This book was incredibly well thought out and intelligently written. I am looking forward to seeing what Clayton Lindemuth comes up with next.
February 14, 2013
I couldn't put this book down - read it in a day. It is quite gruesome and disturbing, with some characters that are truly dispicable creatures - I nearly stopped reading after just a few pages, but was quickly drawn in...
April 14, 2013
One of the finest thrillers I've ever read. I was on the edge of my seat for the final 150 pages and could not put it down. Read this if you like a damn good crime yarn OR damn good character pieces.
August 18, 2014
I almost put down the book after the first few pages, which I read twice to make sure I had not misunderstood them. These so surprised and shocked me I wondered if I had simply just picked up an extremely trashy book. I am still not sure what to think of a book in which characters are so...well caricature like. Sexually perverted, violent men, subdued, victimized women of all ages... it is hard to understand if there is something profound and psychologically insightful in these characters, so extreme and violent and repetitive is the plot and so heavy handed is their description.
I gave the rating I did because of the descriptions away from the main story line. I am not a hunter and only shoot things with my camera. I have only driven through Wyoming twice long ago and have read few books set in Wyoming but from its landscape and a chance encounter on a dirt road off the beaten path with a local rancher, I can imagine it being a place where hunters and militia exist and where people's interactions and relations with each other and with a harsh nature could perhaps exist in similar fashion as described in the book. for this reason, I found of interest the scenes relating to farm work, hunting and activities derived from these, and can imagine that the author is not speaking purely theoretically. As for the plot and the characters employed in acting it out, I think a comic book and a Hollywood b cast would better express the subtleties of rape, incest, and generally gratuitous violence and stereotypes included between the covers of this book.
I gave the rating I did because of the descriptions away from the main story line. I am not a hunter and only shoot things with my camera. I have only driven through Wyoming twice long ago and have read few books set in Wyoming but from its landscape and a chance encounter on a dirt road off the beaten path with a local rancher, I can imagine it being a place where hunters and militia exist and where people's interactions and relations with each other and with a harsh nature could perhaps exist in similar fashion as described in the book. for this reason, I found of interest the scenes relating to farm work, hunting and activities derived from these, and can imagine that the author is not speaking purely theoretically. As for the plot and the characters employed in acting it out, I think a comic book and a Hollywood b cast would better express the subtleties of rape, incest, and generally gratuitous violence and stereotypes included between the covers of this book.
September 24, 2019
Lindemuth creates a version of Hell called Bittersmith and visits upon it the wrath of a slow-acting God; if Clay Allison never killed a man that did not need it, he would have been busy with these characters: primordial ooze in human skin. The author’s writing take us on a dark journey but protects us from some of the absolute darkest moments - but by no means all. Captivating, if evoking despair.
June 21, 2019
"There’s no way to make death mechanical yet beautiful. It is always ugly, and those about to die see it."
It is 1971. Young Gale grew up in an orphanage after his mother left him there and he had an okay life. But he's older now and he asks the head of the orphanage for details of his birth. All the man is willing to tell him is that his mother was raped by someone in power in the small Wyoming town of Bittersmith. So that is where he heads.
What he finds is a town full of corruption and evil men plus one girl...a girl that he wants to rescue.
This is the author's debut novel and I was impressed. I just got finished reading the author's four book series about Baer Creighton (also excellent BTW) and, yes, he's grown as an author but you can see his burgeoning talent in this first book.
This was not an easy book to read. It was full of men I wanted to spit on. Be warned there are some definite triggers here - rape, incest, and violence. But it's definitely a book well worth reading.
I've had some of Lindemuth's book in my library to read for a long time now and something always got in the way. I finally decided to start reading them and I'm so glad I did. I actually purchased more and am on a binge. I'm now off to read STRONG AT THE BROKEN PLACES.
It is 1971. Young Gale grew up in an orphanage after his mother left him there and he had an okay life. But he's older now and he asks the head of the orphanage for details of his birth. All the man is willing to tell him is that his mother was raped by someone in power in the small Wyoming town of Bittersmith. So that is where he heads.
What he finds is a town full of corruption and evil men plus one girl...a girl that he wants to rescue.
This is the author's debut novel and I was impressed. I just got finished reading the author's four book series about Baer Creighton (also excellent BTW) and, yes, he's grown as an author but you can see his burgeoning talent in this first book.
This was not an easy book to read. It was full of men I wanted to spit on. Be warned there are some definite triggers here - rape, incest, and violence. But it's definitely a book well worth reading.
I've had some of Lindemuth's book in my library to read for a long time now and something always got in the way. I finally decided to start reading them and I'm so glad I did. I actually purchased more and am on a binge. I'm now off to read STRONG AT THE BROKEN PLACES.
April 3, 2021
Now that was a tale. I knew as soon as Sherriff Bittersmith introduced himself, a mean 70 year old due to leave office the next day, that this was going to be good. The second chapter, also in first person, is told by Gale, a young man on the run from some kind of trouble, almost freezing to death in deep snow. When the third chapter started with Gwen, told in third person, I began to wonder if it was going to work. I needn't have worried. Lindemuth paints his characters so vividly that there was never any possibility of getting confused.
Cold Quiet Country is the sort of novel that leaves you feeling a bit grubby. It's dark and dirty and everyone you meet is damaged in one way or another. Bittersmith is a terrible man, running the town for his own end and taking advantage whenever and wherever he can. Gale is a masterclass of youthful angst. If he walked up and said boo to Holden Caulfield, the miserable drip from The Catcher in the Rye, Caulfield would have run wailing to his mummy. Gwen is a paradox, always difficult to pin down. Two other characters, Burt and Liz, don't get their own chapters but have important parts to play. Burt is Gwen's despicable father, and Liz her equally troubled buddy.
Lindemuth doesn't waste a word in his desperate tale, keeping the reader hanging on to every sentence, clinging for a bit of hope that is never there. Its a tortuous journey that never lets up in its grim telling, jumping back and forth to keep the reader hanging, weaving in the backstory so you get to know without noticing. For anyone who wants a masterclass in gritty and disturbing, this is pretty much faultless.
Cold Quiet Country is the sort of novel that leaves you feeling a bit grubby. It's dark and dirty and everyone you meet is damaged in one way or another. Bittersmith is a terrible man, running the town for his own end and taking advantage whenever and wherever he can. Gale is a masterclass of youthful angst. If he walked up and said boo to Holden Caulfield, the miserable drip from The Catcher in the Rye, Caulfield would have run wailing to his mummy. Gwen is a paradox, always difficult to pin down. Two other characters, Burt and Liz, don't get their own chapters but have important parts to play. Burt is Gwen's despicable father, and Liz her equally troubled buddy.
Lindemuth doesn't waste a word in his desperate tale, keeping the reader hanging on to every sentence, clinging for a bit of hope that is never there. Its a tortuous journey that never lets up in its grim telling, jumping back and forth to keep the reader hanging, weaving in the backstory so you get to know without noticing. For anyone who wants a masterclass in gritty and disturbing, this is pretty much faultless.
August 20, 2012
Clayton Lindemuth's novel Cold Quiet Country is not for the faint of heart. It's a novel of vengeance and violence in a small Wyoming town on a winter day in 1971, full of flawed people. The revelation of the characters and their back stories and the plot's twists and turns will keep you reading, even if you don't like the characters, perhaps because the reader senses the author "wrote it to make evil men fear their victims." I prefer the author to make clear the point of view and position in the time line at the beginning of each break but you'll catch on after a couple of chapters.
May 4, 2017
Best read in a long long time!
This man whom I've never heard of in literary pursuits has written three books. I read the most recent one first then discovered the other two. I purchased both of those prior t finishing the first one! That wasn't even a week ago and I have read all three. I wish he had written one hundred. They are all great and in my humble opinion, well written. I have never done this before with ANY authors's work. This guy is good. Now where do I go to find another great book? Please write more!!!!!!
This man whom I've never heard of in literary pursuits has written three books. I read the most recent one first then discovered the other two. I purchased both of those prior t finishing the first one! That wasn't even a week ago and I have read all three. I wish he had written one hundred. They are all great and in my humble opinion, well written. I have never done this before with ANY authors's work. This guy is good. Now where do I go to find another great book? Please write more!!!!!!
December 10, 2012
A great dark southern classic.
May 9, 2022
Cold Quiet Country is an OK read, but it’s a stretch of all the rave reviews online. Gale G’Wain and Guinevere are in love after Gale, a wayward orphan, found work on her father’s farm in rural Wyoming. The year is 1970. But Gale didn’t take heed to her father’s warning about keeping his hands off his daughter. Sound a bit film noir? From there it takes a dark, nasty turn that sends this book into an environment of rape, incest and authoritative corruption by multiple residents of this town. In the first few pages the local sheriff, Bittersmith, blackmails the local waitress into coming to the police station and give him his retirement gift, oral sex against her will.
From there, the book gets more disgusting and outrageous. Guinevere’s daddy periodically rapes his daughter in the night. Everyone in the house knows, but succumbs to his domination by ignoring it, thus allowing it to continue. The neighbor in the next farm over does the same to his daughter, Liz. This atmosphere of domination by any means, by everyone, saturates the book. It soon stretches believability. There are no good people in this town. All the women are hapless victims. All the men are power and control freaks that will stoop to any level to get what they want. Even murder. Even Gale.
The writing is all over the place. Multiple POVs in multiple time lines in multiple chapters. Action scenes are sometimes vague, and I had trouble following events. Other times the writing and story are better, clearer. Those parts are much more enjoyable. Gale’s ramblings about life’s hardships and his justifications for his actions become tiresome. But Sheriff Bittersmith, the antagonist, is evil incarnate. The ending is good, when all the POVs finally come together and some cohesion appears, but it doesn’t last and the results are also vague, leaving the reader satisfied in the short term but clueless in the long run.
From there, the book gets more disgusting and outrageous. Guinevere’s daddy periodically rapes his daughter in the night. Everyone in the house knows, but succumbs to his domination by ignoring it, thus allowing it to continue. The neighbor in the next farm over does the same to his daughter, Liz. This atmosphere of domination by any means, by everyone, saturates the book. It soon stretches believability. There are no good people in this town. All the women are hapless victims. All the men are power and control freaks that will stoop to any level to get what they want. Even murder. Even Gale.
The writing is all over the place. Multiple POVs in multiple time lines in multiple chapters. Action scenes are sometimes vague, and I had trouble following events. Other times the writing and story are better, clearer. Those parts are much more enjoyable. Gale’s ramblings about life’s hardships and his justifications for his actions become tiresome. But Sheriff Bittersmith, the antagonist, is evil incarnate. The ending is good, when all the POVs finally come together and some cohesion appears, but it doesn’t last and the results are also vague, leaving the reader satisfied in the short term but clueless in the long run.
November 12, 2020
UPDATE I just realized what’s bothering me about this book. The author chose a reality where the main female victims had to pay the ultimate price for their suffering. That was a choice he made and I am not happy with it.
Even realizing that’s what bothered me, I still almost let it pass! Then I realized it contributes to the tolerance of rape culture in our society. So I thought, how many stars should I deduct? It won’t effect his overall rating. But he could have let Liz survive.
Previously....
I give it a 4 but I wouldn’t read it again. The writing is excellent and the story is well told.
I have been reading almost 50 years and this parallels so many others I’ve read before. It’s full of the bogeymen in my nightmares: Old white males who feel justified in their abusive ways.
One white youth thinks he can save the world by delivering “justice” to the worst one in the pack. He does get the “save the world” idea beat out of him, but he’s still wrestling with a hero complex. I’m still not sure there’s a difference between justice and vengeance but I do agree that “evil” must be stopped.
Even realizing that’s what bothered me, I still almost let it pass! Then I realized it contributes to the tolerance of rape culture in our society. So I thought, how many stars should I deduct? It won’t effect his overall rating. But he could have let Liz survive.
Previously....
I give it a 4 but I wouldn’t read it again. The writing is excellent and the story is well told.
I have been reading almost 50 years and this parallels so many others I’ve read before. It’s full of the bogeymen in my nightmares: Old white males who feel justified in their abusive ways.
One white youth thinks he can save the world by delivering “justice” to the worst one in the pack. He does get the “save the world” idea beat out of him, but he’s still wrestling with a hero complex. I’m still not sure there’s a difference between justice and vengeance but I do agree that “evil” must be stopped.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2019
Wow
This is probably the fifth or sixth book that I've read by Clayton Lindemuth. Each time I close one at the end, I say "this is the best one yet. He can't possibly top this". Then I read the next one. Which is the best one? I have no idea, Mr. Lindemuth creates characters, worlds and stories that draw you in, you mourn the ending. They're ALL good, each and every one. As long as he continues to write, I'll continue to read, and at the end of each one I will swear that it can't get any better than that.
This is probably the fifth or sixth book that I've read by Clayton Lindemuth. Each time I close one at the end, I say "this is the best one yet. He can't possibly top this". Then I read the next one. Which is the best one? I have no idea, Mr. Lindemuth creates characters, worlds and stories that draw you in, you mourn the ending. They're ALL good, each and every one. As long as he continues to write, I'll continue to read, and at the end of each one I will swear that it can't get any better than that.
June 26, 2020
Gripping story!
I started reading this book late evening and here I am submitting a review at midnight. I read it straight through because I needed the ending. I have read 6 other books by Clay Lindemuth and perhaps I have grown accustomed to the language and violence which some readers do not like. However, I am a 75 year old woman and those things no longer bother me if the storyline holds and the characters come alive. This, of all books authored by Lindemuth, is his best so far in my opinion.
I started reading this book late evening and here I am submitting a review at midnight. I read it straight through because I needed the ending. I have read 6 other books by Clay Lindemuth and perhaps I have grown accustomed to the language and violence which some readers do not like. However, I am a 75 year old woman and those things no longer bother me if the storyline holds and the characters come alive. This, of all books authored by Lindemuth, is his best so far in my opinion.
September 21, 2022
What can I say about Clayton Lindenmuth‘s short revenge thriller Cold Quiet Country? It was surely a page-turner as thoughtfully penned and quickly moving as any I’ve read. It had a fair amount of smut in it when seen through the eyes of the antagonist, a crooked, womanizing sheriff who’d fathered, assaulted, or impregnated half the county. There were two distressed damsels, each abused by their fathers, one a communist, the other a violent right wing militiaman and a Mason, and yet in my opinion, this western noir could still safely be called a Christian novel, as the protagonist demonstrated a profound respect for the Lord, operating under a clear set of morals that he didn’t violate, even as his body count grew and his life was on the line. It had a great number of hard punching one-liners like, “…so useless that if he had a third hand he’d need a third pocket to put it in.” Set in 1971, on one wintry Wyoming day, it was so well described, I had to turn off my air conditioning. Download it on kindle or get you a paperback copy of this gritty little novel today. Sadly, no audible option was available.
February 16, 2020
Clayton Lindemuth is a new Author for me and I have now read the Baer Creighton series and just finished Cold Quiet Country. This guy is going places! The books grab you from the first few pages up until the very end. He writes from the heart and the books are gritty, at times brutal, at times gentle. I will be reading all of what Lindemuth puts out and can't wait to see this rising star climb to the heights he desires!
February 9, 2022
Cold Quiet Country review
It was cold. It was country. It was anything but quiet. When Clayton Lindemuth weaves a story you can bet some mayhem is afoot. And not the kind you get from Alstate. Bittersmith, Wyoming is a town so screwed up from its namesake Sheriff down to two innocent (at least for their part) young girl. An orphan comes to town to make things right and to find out about his roots. If you've read any of Clayton's books before you'll love Cold Quiet Country.
It was cold. It was country. It was anything but quiet. When Clayton Lindemuth weaves a story you can bet some mayhem is afoot. And not the kind you get from Alstate. Bittersmith, Wyoming is a town so screwed up from its namesake Sheriff down to two innocent (at least for their part) young girl. An orphan comes to town to make things right and to find out about his roots. If you've read any of Clayton's books before you'll love Cold Quiet Country.
July 3, 2017
Only took me 2 pages to realize I didn't want to read this book. A book that starts off with a woman barely making a fuss when blackmailed into giving the old town sheriff a blowjob after he's been having stalkerish fantasies about her for 2 years? No thanks. Will spend my time reading books that don't make me feel gross.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2018
Rural noir is a favorite genre of mine. I can't explain it, I just enjoy it. For my money, right now, Donald Ray Pollock is the current master. But wait, there is a challenger! "Cold Quiet Country" is Clayton Lindemuth's debut and the first of his books I've read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. So much that I am now reading "My Brother's Destroyer". I'll be reading much more of this author.
April 17, 2020
This was an odd book. Held my attention but wasn’t a great read. Story was a little vulgar but those are the characters the author was trying to portray. And the scene seemed like an ugly place to live with a sheriff that’s just a horrible person. Just a so so story about some bad people in authority and some poor people that suffer at the hands of those people.
July 25, 2020
My new fav author!
If you haven’t read any of his books yet, you definitely should..I started with the Baer Creighton stories and a month later, reading every single day, I’ve read every book he’s written and they’re all awesome! I loved them all and they all have a distinctive twist to them..Shirley f’n Lyle was excellent but it’s hard to not love all his stories!!
If you haven’t read any of his books yet, you definitely should..I started with the Baer Creighton stories and a month later, reading every single day, I’ve read every book he’s written and they’re all awesome! I loved them all and they all have a distinctive twist to them..Shirley f’n Lyle was excellent but it’s hard to not love all his stories!!
October 24, 2018
Hard to title without giving something away
This book w a s so good ! I know there a re people who still live like this , so sad . The stories behind the story were so detailed and explicit , they were heartbreaking !
This book w a s so good ! I know there a re people who still live like this , so sad . The stories behind the story were so detailed and explicit , they were heartbreaking !
September 8, 2019
Excellent read.
Action. Thought. Who are we, really? Maybe not the people think they know, maybe someone else entirely. Maybe we know, maybe we're just fiding out. On the surface an enjoyable thriller that will.keep.you.turning.pages. But a lot more.
Action. Thought. Who are we, really? Maybe not the people think they know, maybe someone else entirely. Maybe we know, maybe we're just fiding out. On the surface an enjoyable thriller that will.keep.you.turning.pages. But a lot more.
September 28, 2020
So Good . I am on the edge of my seat in anticipation for the next part of this story.
The story, with its twists and turns, kept you all the way to full attention
The whole time. I couldnt put the story down
The story, with its twists and turns, kept you all the way to full attention
The whole time. I couldnt put the story down
November 9, 2020
Wonderfully thought provoking
As a woman it makes you think about the hidden things that happened to you and others you knew, about family and people you could or couldn't trust. About the secret thoughts you had about revenge. Very good book, maybe movie quality. I'd watch it.
As a woman it makes you think about the hidden things that happened to you and others you knew, about family and people you could or couldn't trust. About the secret thoughts you had about revenge. Very good book, maybe movie quality. I'd watch it.
November 23, 2020
This was a really well written book. Very dark subject matter, and graphic violence but fantastic atmospheric storytelling.
The book takes place in Wyoming, in Winter as a blizzard gets started and there is a lot of back story that is told from various viewpoints.
The book takes place in Wyoming, in Winter as a blizzard gets started and there is a lot of back story that is told from various viewpoints.
November 25, 2020
Evil or justice
Book is very well written and believable. People in certain circumstances can be pure evil and that is this sheriff. Gale is caught in a situation he can't understand d but he manages to survive.
Book is very well written and believable. People in certain circumstances can be pure evil and that is this sheriff. Gale is caught in a situation he can't understand d but he manages to survive.
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