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Bearskin
Rice Moore is just beginning to think his troubles are behind him. He’s found a job protecting a remote forest preserve in Virginian Appalachia where his main responsibilities include tracking wildlife and refurbishing cabins. It’s hard work, and totally solitary—perfect to hide away from the Mexican drug cartels he betrayed back in Arizona. But when Rice finds the carcass of a bear killed on the grounds, the quiet solitude he’s so desperately sought is suddenly at risk.
More bears are killed on the preserve and Rice’s obsession with catching the poachers escalates, leading to hostile altercations with the locals and attention from both the law and Rice’s employers. Partnering with his predecessor, a scientist who hopes to continue her research on the preserve, Rice puts into motion a plan that could expose the poachers but risks revealing his own whereabouts to the dangerous people he was running from in the first place.
James McLaughlin expertly brings the beauty and danger of Appalachia to life. The result is an elemental, slow burn of a novel—one that will haunt you long after you turn the final page.
More bears are killed on the preserve and Rice’s obsession with catching the poachers escalates, leading to hostile altercations with the locals and attention from both the law and Rice’s employers. Partnering with his predecessor, a scientist who hopes to continue her research on the preserve, Rice puts into motion a plan that could expose the poachers but risks revealing his own whereabouts to the dangerous people he was running from in the first place.
James McLaughlin expertly brings the beauty and danger of Appalachia to life. The result is an elemental, slow burn of a novel—one that will haunt you long after you turn the final page.
352 pages, ebook
First published June 12, 2018
1050 people are currently reading
8449 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,035 reviews
March 27, 2020
”The giant trees were like dormant gods, vibrating with something he couldn’t name, not quite sentience, each one different from the others, each telling its own centuries-long story. On the forest floor, chestnut logs dead since the blight had rotted into chest-high berms soft with thick mosses, whispering quietly. Something called out and he turned to face a looming tulip tree, gnarled and bent like an old man, hollowed out by rot, lightning, ancient fires.
His skin tingled.”
Rice Moore felt the pain of parting from a dear friend when he left the desert around Tucson. He could see those thousands of saguaro cactuses in his rearview mirror and wondered when he would be able to see them again. Circumstances were against him ever see that gorgeous desert again because he had gotten himself on the wrong side of a Mexican drug cartel.
”While Apryl crouched beside him with her .22 in her hand, cursing, Rice experienced a sensation of detachment, thinking here he was in his first firefight, and that instead of a scientist he’d become some kind of ridiculous desert outlaw--a dilettante Clyde to Apryl’s only slightly more credible Bonnie, and that the bullets going by sounded sibilant, like insects.”
Any romanticism he might have felt about locking horns with the cartels was quickly dispelled when he found himself in a Mexican jail, and Apryl...well, there are things worse than a Mexican jail.
He took a job in Virginia as a caretaker of a nature preserve. He used the name Rick Morton, which slid around on his skin like an ill fitting suit. The previous caretaker had been viciously attacked, so the theory in hiring Rice was that any gringo who could stay alive in a Mexican jail might be able to handle himself with bear poachers and biker gangs.
Rice started spending so much time in the woods, laying in wait for poachers, that he had trouble returning to the meager civilization of his cabin. He began having hallucinations and hearing forest voices talking to him. He was certainly a man who threw himself into his work. He became part of the woods he was protecting. He even went beyond that. ”He tried to fit the cow pelvis over his head to wear it like a ceremonial Pleistocene headdress, but several fused vertebrae at the sacrum got in the way. He laid it on the ground and broke off part of the sacrum with a a rock, and this time it fit, resting on his crown, and he could see through the holes.”
Rice’s father gave him some great advice that could almost be my creed.
”When you slack off, what you’re really doing is choosing to fail because you didn’t try hard enough. It was a rational choice, his father had said, for people who would rather fail on purpose than risk finding out they’re not good enough, but if you made that choice you should at least be honest with yourself about what you are doing.”
When people write me and ask me how I’ve done so well on GR, they always seem disappointed when I say hard, consistent work. They were hoping I had a trick of some kind that would help them be successful without having to do the heavy lifting.
Read. Write. Repeat.
This is a slow burn of a novel with mystery elements, but really James A. McLaughlin wrote a book that ventures more into the realm of a literary novel. The lyrical prose, of which I’ve shared some in this review, are to be savored like biting off hunks of wild honeycomb. Your tongue will tingle with the resonance of the words. There is plenty of action, but it is low key, more personal, and more like real life than the explosive action flicks that fill movie theaters. Between pissed off local bikers, aggressive bear poachers, a DEA agent with an unnatural interest in Rice, and a Cartel assassin, people are having to wait in line for a chance to try and take him down. One thing I can assure them all about is that Rice ain’t going anywhere...bring it on.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
His skin tingled.”
Rice Moore felt the pain of parting from a dear friend when he left the desert around Tucson. He could see those thousands of saguaro cactuses in his rearview mirror and wondered when he would be able to see them again. Circumstances were against him ever see that gorgeous desert again because he had gotten himself on the wrong side of a Mexican drug cartel.
”While Apryl crouched beside him with her .22 in her hand, cursing, Rice experienced a sensation of detachment, thinking here he was in his first firefight, and that instead of a scientist he’d become some kind of ridiculous desert outlaw--a dilettante Clyde to Apryl’s only slightly more credible Bonnie, and that the bullets going by sounded sibilant, like insects.”
Any romanticism he might have felt about locking horns with the cartels was quickly dispelled when he found himself in a Mexican jail, and Apryl...well, there are things worse than a Mexican jail.
He took a job in Virginia as a caretaker of a nature preserve. He used the name Rick Morton, which slid around on his skin like an ill fitting suit. The previous caretaker had been viciously attacked, so the theory in hiring Rice was that any gringo who could stay alive in a Mexican jail might be able to handle himself with bear poachers and biker gangs.
Rice started spending so much time in the woods, laying in wait for poachers, that he had trouble returning to the meager civilization of his cabin. He began having hallucinations and hearing forest voices talking to him. He was certainly a man who threw himself into his work. He became part of the woods he was protecting. He even went beyond that. ”He tried to fit the cow pelvis over his head to wear it like a ceremonial Pleistocene headdress, but several fused vertebrae at the sacrum got in the way. He laid it on the ground and broke off part of the sacrum with a a rock, and this time it fit, resting on his crown, and he could see through the holes.”
Rice’s father gave him some great advice that could almost be my creed.
”When you slack off, what you’re really doing is choosing to fail because you didn’t try hard enough. It was a rational choice, his father had said, for people who would rather fail on purpose than risk finding out they’re not good enough, but if you made that choice you should at least be honest with yourself about what you are doing.”
When people write me and ask me how I’ve done so well on GR, they always seem disappointed when I say hard, consistent work. They were hoping I had a trick of some kind that would help them be successful without having to do the heavy lifting.
Read. Write. Repeat.
This is a slow burn of a novel with mystery elements, but really James A. McLaughlin wrote a book that ventures more into the realm of a literary novel. The lyrical prose, of which I’ve shared some in this review, are to be savored like biting off hunks of wild honeycomb. Your tongue will tingle with the resonance of the words. There is plenty of action, but it is low key, more personal, and more like real life than the explosive action flicks that fill movie theaters. Between pissed off local bikers, aggressive bear poachers, a DEA agent with an unnatural interest in Rice, and a Cartel assassin, people are having to wait in line for a chance to try and take him down. One thing I can assure them all about is that Rice ain’t going anywhere...bring it on.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
August 24, 2018
This is a literary humdinger of a thriller. Set in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia, Rice Moore is a man with a dangerous past. As the caretaker of a nature preserve he seems to have found the perfect place to hide. Living an isolated and almost hermetic existence with his past seemingly behind him, Moore becomes involved in trying to stop a bear poaching ring that is operating on the preserve. Sounds straightforward doesn’t it? It isn’t.
The writing is absolutely sublime...atmospheric, evocative and at times phantasmagorical. McLaughlin beautifully renders the the violence found in nature as well as the violence the man commits. This novel burns, excites and ultimately satisfies. A rare jewel that is, astonishingly, a debut. Bearskin releases in June and is a must-read.
The writing is absolutely sublime...atmospheric, evocative and at times phantasmagorical. McLaughlin beautifully renders the the violence found in nature as well as the violence the man commits. This novel burns, excites and ultimately satisfies. A rare jewel that is, astonishingly, a debut. Bearskin releases in June and is a must-read.
January 28, 2020
Edgar Award for Best First Novel 2019
Everything about this book sounded like it was perfect for a good read. A new Ranger in the forest protecting bears that were being hunted for their paws and gallbladders. So similar to what goes on in Africa and other countries. The selling of parts as delicacies for the rich and famous. Just to make a buck. Profit is all that is thought about...not the lovely animals...
Bearskins started out well for me. Half way through, however, I lost interest. Too repetitive? Too verbose? The hard part is the prose is so terrific. Loved McLaughlin’s words. Some real poetry here. Beautiful words bring such joy to me...but the book just couldn’t get me engaged.
3.5 out of 5 stars
Everything about this book sounded like it was perfect for a good read. A new Ranger in the forest protecting bears that were being hunted for their paws and gallbladders. So similar to what goes on in Africa and other countries. The selling of parts as delicacies for the rich and famous. Just to make a buck. Profit is all that is thought about...not the lovely animals...
Bearskins started out well for me. Half way through, however, I lost interest. Too repetitive? Too verbose? The hard part is the prose is so terrific. Loved McLaughlin’s words. Some real poetry here. Beautiful words bring such joy to me...but the book just couldn’t get me engaged.
3.5 out of 5 stars
June 12, 2018
NOW AVAILABLE!!!
this is a fine, meaty debut. it’s grit lit literary enough to drop words like “extispicy,” but gritty enough to include an anecdote* that made me, long leatherskinned against book violence, wince.
it takes place deep in the virginia part of the appalachians, where a man named rice moore has been working for six months, appreciating the seclusion of his new home:
the isolation of the location was one of the perks, after all - not only does rice have a record, but he’s also using an assumed name, hiding out from the members of the mexican drug cartel who want him dead after previous entanglements have left a heap of dead and wounded on both sides.
cautiously optimistic that they’ve lost his trail, rice immerses himself in his work, giving himself over to the wildness that surrounds him; not in a starry-eyed tree-hugging way, but in a way that studies the movements of the creatures around him, that prowls the forest at night, occasionally sleeping under the stars. and in the way that gets really pissed off by finding the bodies of bears poached on the protected land, baited and stripped of galls, paws, skin, left to rot.
time for the caretaker to take care...of business.
oh, you know you love me.
it's man and nature and crime and protection, as rice begins his own unauthorized investigation into who is responsible for the poaching, making friends and enemies along the way, ultimately risking exposure to the people he most needs to avoid.
there are some pretty intense, well-placed scenes.
in between those more confrontational scenes, there are quietly meditative ones, building an atmosphere in which there's a great deal of blurring between natural and civilized spaces; rice ventures into nature, but nature ventures right back, encroaching upon what little of the preserve has been allotted to its humans. all the nooks and crannies of rice’s new home are explored by bees, snakes, mice, squirrels, chipmunks, opossums, insects, toads, birds, spiders and even a bear.
The bear’s intrusion wasn’t a surprise, exactly. This was nothing more than a new level of permeability in the boundary between wild and domestic, something he had come to accept while living up here.
this phenomenon of nature, or wildness, taking back the domestic spaces claimed by humans as civilized is a recurring theme throughout the novel, and it becomes a metaphor for what is to come - rice’s past catching up with him, bringing violence, infecting his new life.
The lodge had been assimilated into the meadow over the past hundred years, and despite his efforts to keep the place up, an irresistible osmosis was always at work, the life outside inevitably forcing its way in.
change is gradual, but inevitable.
the descriptions of the natural world are beautifully written, and although it is not a pretty book, it falls on the “nicer” side of the grit lit divide, in the vein of Fourth of July Creek or Above the Waterfall. there’s ample violence, but it’s neither gratuitous nor gleefully descriptive, and there’s an effort made towards the redemptive; opportunities for rice to retain his conscience and his humanity even in the midst of all this roaring ungovernable nature.
a very strong debut with an equally magnificent cover.
also, these endpapers:
* the part where they proved “they could do whatever they wanted,” that “nobody could imagine what else they might do.”
that freaking part.
come to my blog!
this is a fine, meaty debut. it’s grit lit literary enough to drop words like “extispicy,” but gritty enough to include an anecdote* that made me, long leatherskinned against book violence, wince.
it takes place deep in the virginia part of the appalachians, where a man named rice moore has been working for six months, appreciating the seclusion of his new home:
No other human being lived within miles. Rice presided alone over seven thousand acres of private nature preserve: he was the caretaker, the science tech. He drove the John Deere tractor. He’d exaggerated his construction experience on the job application, probably one reason they’d hired a guy with his record. That and the fact he was a qualified biological science technician who looked like he could take care of himself. He’d agreed to do the work on the cabin so the owners wouldn’t hire a bunch of carpenters to drive up in the morning and ruin his solitude.
the isolation of the location was one of the perks, after all - not only does rice have a record, but he’s also using an assumed name, hiding out from the members of the mexican drug cartel who want him dead after previous entanglements have left a heap of dead and wounded on both sides.
cautiously optimistic that they’ve lost his trail, rice immerses himself in his work, giving himself over to the wildness that surrounds him; not in a starry-eyed tree-hugging way, but in a way that studies the movements of the creatures around him, that prowls the forest at night, occasionally sleeping under the stars. and in the way that gets really pissed off by finding the bodies of bears poached on the protected land, baited and stripped of galls, paws, skin, left to rot.
time for the caretaker to take care...of business.
oh, you know you love me.
it's man and nature and crime and protection, as rice begins his own unauthorized investigation into who is responsible for the poaching, making friends and enemies along the way, ultimately risking exposure to the people he most needs to avoid.
there are some pretty intense, well-placed scenes.
in between those more confrontational scenes, there are quietly meditative ones, building an atmosphere in which there's a great deal of blurring between natural and civilized spaces; rice ventures into nature, but nature ventures right back, encroaching upon what little of the preserve has been allotted to its humans. all the nooks and crannies of rice’s new home are explored by bees, snakes, mice, squirrels, chipmunks, opossums, insects, toads, birds, spiders and even a bear.
The bear’s intrusion wasn’t a surprise, exactly. This was nothing more than a new level of permeability in the boundary between wild and domestic, something he had come to accept while living up here.
this phenomenon of nature, or wildness, taking back the domestic spaces claimed by humans as civilized is a recurring theme throughout the novel, and it becomes a metaphor for what is to come - rice’s past catching up with him, bringing violence, infecting his new life.
The lodge had been assimilated into the meadow over the past hundred years, and despite his efforts to keep the place up, an irresistible osmosis was always at work, the life outside inevitably forcing its way in.
change is gradual, but inevitable.
the descriptions of the natural world are beautifully written, and although it is not a pretty book, it falls on the “nicer” side of the grit lit divide, in the vein of Fourth of July Creek or Above the Waterfall. there’s ample violence, but it’s neither gratuitous nor gleefully descriptive, and there’s an effort made towards the redemptive; opportunities for rice to retain his conscience and his humanity even in the midst of all this roaring ungovernable nature.
a very strong debut with an equally magnificent cover.
also, these endpapers:
* the part where they proved “they could do whatever they wanted,” that “nobody could imagine what else they might do.”
that freaking part.
come to my blog!
Read
December 18, 2018I went into this sucker as a buddy read with the high hopes of getting out of my book slump-working all the hours-holiday hecticness. It ain't happening.
No, I can't really have it all.
What I read of this is damn boring. I ain't got time for that.
This is old school frigging Captain Planet trying to sit down and do a grit lit book and it's just boring as hell.
We get you Captain...we really do. (If you are not old enough to know who Captain Planet is..then I just will go to my old corner and silently hate you)
Anyways...my lovely buddy readers 2.0 and Kelly both actually finished this mess and wrote the bestest reviews. They probably figured I would flake out on this one. It's what I do lately. Don't worry though...coming soon we are going to all read another one..that I actually might read!
PreRead:
I'm going in for a buddy read with Kelly and 2.0. They know it takes me 15 years to read a book.
Get ready..it's gonna go like this. Kelly will finish it in 2 hours. Dan 2.0 will take a month and then never post a review. I'll take 6 months and then review it. It's gonna be goooooood.
No, I can't really have it all.
What I read of this is damn boring. I ain't got time for that.
This is old school frigging Captain Planet trying to sit down and do a grit lit book and it's just boring as hell.
We get you Captain...we really do. (If you are not old enough to know who Captain Planet is..then I just will go to my old corner and silently hate you)
Anyways...my lovely buddy readers 2.0 and Kelly both actually finished this mess and wrote the bestest reviews. They probably figured I would flake out on this one. It's what I do lately. Don't worry though...coming soon we are going to all read another one..that I actually might read!
PreRead:
I'm going in for a buddy read with Kelly and 2.0. They know it takes me 15 years to read a book.
Get ready..it's gonna go like this. Kelly will finish it in 2 hours. Dan 2.0 will take a month and then never post a review. I'll take 6 months and then review it. It's gonna be goooooood.
August 8, 2023
At first I began to despair that this novel was going nowhere, but I'm glad I stuck with it for the tour-de-force ending. Rice Moore is the last of the Mohicans, a man's man. One of the ones, who like an old west hero, knows how to use violence if it's called for, but tends to he discounted by criminals and the law, as a dilettante.
He kind of meanders through life though, so I wouldn't want to be his significant other, until danger rears it's ugly head, then I would want him right next to me.
He kind of meanders through life though, so I wouldn't want to be his significant other, until danger rears it's ugly head, then I would want him right next to me.
August 14, 2018
3/5 🐻🐻🐻
A rural, raw slow burn eco-thriller taking place in the Appalachian Mountains...
Rice Moore has left his past behind to become a caretaker at the Turk Mountain Preserve deep in the Appalachian Mountains. The locals are skeptical of him as he works for what they call “wealthy outsiders”. His predecessor, a woman, was raped while on the job, leaving him consciously aware and skittish of any movements around his living quarters and property. Not to mention his prior assignment to infiltrate a drug cartel at the Arizona-Mexican border, that still haunts his thoughts and every move.
Rice is a loner but he takes his job seriously. He enjoys nature and spends lots of time out there and one day he finds a bear carcass, mutilated and missing body parts. As the locals seem to think of bears a nuisance anyway, he will be the only one trying to find these poachers.
Unfortunately as with so many species, bears are hunted for certain body parts to be sold on the Asian market for a huge profit. Rice is getting pretty close to the ring or network of these illegal and atrocious dealings, but not without the occasional leisure of getting high on mushrooms and haunting flashbacks of his past.
Will the Mexican cartel find him and come after him here in the Appalachian Mountains? Or will he get too close to the poachers, jeopardizing his life and future?
***
I picked this book up while I was staying in the Appalachian Mountains this summer, and read it upon my next trip back there that I was fortunate to take. The atmosphere was definitely perfect for it and I had my eye on this read since the time I composed my anticipated titles list for 2018 earlier in the year.
To fully enjoy this book you would probably be a person that likes nature, wildlife and the outdoors. This story just takes place in a very rural setting, reminiscent of simpler or old times. I had envisioned my experience of reading this book would be one full of nature, but I wasn’t quite ready for it to be so outdoor-man like (for lack of being able to describe it). The tone in the writing was a very consistent, slightly a monotonous one, yet the prose was epic in certain parts. Especially the ones where Rice did the occasional ‘shroom’ psychedelics and is intensely taking in the world around him. Now we are talking about some seriously beautiful prose!
I had hoped I would love this book more than I did. Part of it was the seriousness of it all, part was the disconnect I had with fully relating to this world of hunting and loneliness. I know it is the perfect read for many. I fit somewhere in the middle lane. I am curious about upcoming other reviews. It may just be a love it or hate it sort of book.
For more of my reviews visit here: https://scarlettreadzandrunz.com/
A rural, raw slow burn eco-thriller taking place in the Appalachian Mountains...
Rice Moore has left his past behind to become a caretaker at the Turk Mountain Preserve deep in the Appalachian Mountains. The locals are skeptical of him as he works for what they call “wealthy outsiders”. His predecessor, a woman, was raped while on the job, leaving him consciously aware and skittish of any movements around his living quarters and property. Not to mention his prior assignment to infiltrate a drug cartel at the Arizona-Mexican border, that still haunts his thoughts and every move.
Rice is a loner but he takes his job seriously. He enjoys nature and spends lots of time out there and one day he finds a bear carcass, mutilated and missing body parts. As the locals seem to think of bears a nuisance anyway, he will be the only one trying to find these poachers.
Unfortunately as with so many species, bears are hunted for certain body parts to be sold on the Asian market for a huge profit. Rice is getting pretty close to the ring or network of these illegal and atrocious dealings, but not without the occasional leisure of getting high on mushrooms and haunting flashbacks of his past.
Will the Mexican cartel find him and come after him here in the Appalachian Mountains? Or will he get too close to the poachers, jeopardizing his life and future?
***
I picked this book up while I was staying in the Appalachian Mountains this summer, and read it upon my next trip back there that I was fortunate to take. The atmosphere was definitely perfect for it and I had my eye on this read since the time I composed my anticipated titles list for 2018 earlier in the year.
To fully enjoy this book you would probably be a person that likes nature, wildlife and the outdoors. This story just takes place in a very rural setting, reminiscent of simpler or old times. I had envisioned my experience of reading this book would be one full of nature, but I wasn’t quite ready for it to be so outdoor-man like (for lack of being able to describe it). The tone in the writing was a very consistent, slightly a monotonous one, yet the prose was epic in certain parts. Especially the ones where Rice did the occasional ‘shroom’ psychedelics and is intensely taking in the world around him. Now we are talking about some seriously beautiful prose!
I had hoped I would love this book more than I did. Part of it was the seriousness of it all, part was the disconnect I had with fully relating to this world of hunting and loneliness. I know it is the perfect read for many. I fit somewhere in the middle lane. I am curious about upcoming other reviews. It may just be a love it or hate it sort of book.
For more of my reviews visit here: https://scarlettreadzandrunz.com/
January 31, 2019
★★☆☆☆½
Whatever is a reader to do when finding oneself with a thriller bereft of thrills? A resonating call of the wild that fails to resonate? A Grit Lit story without a whole heck of a lotta grit? Say it ain’t so, Joe!
Well, it wouldn’t surprise me if my frenemies who joined me for this buddy read, the GIF twins, simply throw in the towel. Time will tell. But I’ve always prided myself on my can-do attitude, my stick-to-it-iveness; my certain je ne sais quoi. So you better believe that I read every part and participle.
Hey, I’m not judging!
But enough about me, this is Rice Moore’s tale—a biologist from Arizona, currently working as a caretaker for a remote forest preserve in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia. His role is to survey the land—keeping a detailed record of the species he encounters, noting their locations and tracking their movements—and to refurbish one of the cabins into a guest house for future residential fellowships. But he puts all that on the back burner after a cryptic fellow materializes out of the woods and leads him to the site of a bear poaching. A senseless killing, not for sport or meat, but to harvest the gallbladder and paws for the surging Asian black market.
Rice refocuses his efforts to try and to catch the perpetrator(s) and put a stop to the slaughter. But that proves challenging when he decides to fly solo. He flatly refuses to notify the game warden or sheriff’s office, and doesn’t have a friend to rely on or local he trusts. As his backstory is slowly unspooled, and his dealing with a Mexican drug cartel are brought to light, the reasoning behind his reluctance to bring in any outside assistance suddenly doesn’t seem so shortsighted. But, in the end, can you ever really escape your past?
Okay, so . . . this was a beautifully written book, with a plethora of creative descriptions of flora and fauna that’s sure to tickle the fancy of any naturalist or outdoor enthusiast. But, sadly, all that verbosity came at the expense of pacing, and I felt like the plot never really built any momentum or found its footing until its third act. Oddly coinciding with the point at which Rice began to lose his grip on reality due to his prolonged sleep deprivation. Where he began to hallucinate and slip into fugue states and had trouble distinguishing the past from the present. And ultimately where he began to lose himself in nature and stripped off the thin veneer of civilization to allow his inner savage to emerge.
Good stuff, no doubt, but a little too late in the game to salvage things for me.
Bottom line: A gorgeous cover and stirring passages are no guarantee of great things to follow. Although many of the passages spoke to my soul and had me yearning to venture out into my own backwoods, I require a bit more of a plot to keep me fully engaged. And, sadly, the narrative wasn’t all that compelling and thus much of its beauty, in the end, was only skin-deep.
Ah, but those scenes he painted in my imagination were oh so lovingly rendered:
The neurotic pulse and whirr of dog-day cicadas, along the edge of the woods, gave way to chittering birdsong as Rice made his way deeper into the heart of the primeval forest. The sounds carried on a misty breeze across a clear mountain stream, while the dappled light filtered through the cathedral-like canopy of the old-growth forest. “Rice sat and listened to the current rush and thrum over the cobblestone bed, watched the light come slowly onto the rippling surface, flat metal light from an overcast sky . . . The energy coming off that forest, so close now, thrummed in Rice’s chest, like he was standing next to a pipe organ.”
Whatever is a reader to do when finding oneself with a thriller bereft of thrills? A resonating call of the wild that fails to resonate? A Grit Lit story without a whole heck of a lotta grit? Say it ain’t so, Joe!
Well, it wouldn’t surprise me if my frenemies who joined me for this buddy read, the GIF twins, simply throw in the towel. Time will tell. But I’ve always prided myself on my can-do attitude, my stick-to-it-iveness; my certain je ne sais quoi. So you better believe that I read every part and participle.
Hey, I’m not judging!
But enough about me, this is Rice Moore’s tale—a biologist from Arizona, currently working as a caretaker for a remote forest preserve in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia. His role is to survey the land—keeping a detailed record of the species he encounters, noting their locations and tracking their movements—and to refurbish one of the cabins into a guest house for future residential fellowships. But he puts all that on the back burner after a cryptic fellow materializes out of the woods and leads him to the site of a bear poaching. A senseless killing, not for sport or meat, but to harvest the gallbladder and paws for the surging Asian black market.
Rice refocuses his efforts to try and to catch the perpetrator(s) and put a stop to the slaughter. But that proves challenging when he decides to fly solo. He flatly refuses to notify the game warden or sheriff’s office, and doesn’t have a friend to rely on or local he trusts. As his backstory is slowly unspooled, and his dealing with a Mexican drug cartel are brought to light, the reasoning behind his reluctance to bring in any outside assistance suddenly doesn’t seem so shortsighted. But, in the end, can you ever really escape your past?
Okay, so . . . this was a beautifully written book, with a plethora of creative descriptions of flora and fauna that’s sure to tickle the fancy of any naturalist or outdoor enthusiast. But, sadly, all that verbosity came at the expense of pacing, and I felt like the plot never really built any momentum or found its footing until its third act. Oddly coinciding with the point at which Rice began to lose his grip on reality due to his prolonged sleep deprivation. Where he began to hallucinate and slip into fugue states and had trouble distinguishing the past from the present. And ultimately where he began to lose himself in nature and stripped off the thin veneer of civilization to allow his inner savage to emerge.
Good stuff, no doubt, but a little too late in the game to salvage things for me.
Bottom line: A gorgeous cover and stirring passages are no guarantee of great things to follow. Although many of the passages spoke to my soul and had me yearning to venture out into my own backwoods, I require a bit more of a plot to keep me fully engaged. And, sadly, the narrative wasn’t all that compelling and thus much of its beauty, in the end, was only skin-deep.
Ah, but those scenes he painted in my imagination were oh so lovingly rendered:
The neurotic pulse and whirr of dog-day cicadas, along the edge of the woods, gave way to chittering birdsong as Rice made his way deeper into the heart of the primeval forest. The sounds carried on a misty breeze across a clear mountain stream, while the dappled light filtered through the cathedral-like canopy of the old-growth forest. “Rice sat and listened to the current rush and thrum over the cobblestone bed, watched the light come slowly onto the rippling surface, flat metal light from an overcast sky . . . The energy coming off that forest, so close now, thrummed in Rice’s chest, like he was standing next to a pipe organ.”
December 18, 2018
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
2.5 Stars
Upon realizing the buddy read of Bear Skin wasn’t going to be a winner for me, I was fully prepared to . . . .
But then a miracle of all miracles happened and our fearlessful leader Ron 2.0 not only finished this book but managed to write a review nearly instantly rather than his usual 18 month turnaround time. And then we agreed on it . . . . .
Ron points out in his review (go read it, he’s way gooder at the word thing than I am) how this is grit lit without the grit and that is spot on. From the title, cover and blurb I think we were all expecting a little more David Joy and a lot less Barbara Kingsolver, but the oh-so-very- eco-warrior-y undercurrent was pretty hard to ignore.
I think the easiest way to differentiate between this story and our usual reads about the potentially shady underbelly of Appallachia is that while all of the writers may have resided in the mountains at one point or another – they haven’t all lived in them. It seems to seep out of Joy and Brian Panowich’s pores onto the page while this selection delivers information in a nearly textbook type of detail that paints a clear picture, but does so without a whole lot of feeling.
If you are a fan of descriptions of the land rather than action involving the people who live there, this may be a winner for you. I, on the other hand, really channeled my inner Ron the entire time I was reading. Perhaps because the pace was so slow the issues pretty much jumped off the page, or perhaps because a scientist somehow not only finding himself banging what he thought was another scientist who just so happened to be a mule on the side AND ending up in the pokey AND somehow ending up miraculously turning into a real Billy Badass and doing a superbadawful making some scurrrrrry guys real mad so he has to hide AND then thinking maybe said bad guys were maybe in the business of stealing bear paws and gallbladders for a couple hundie a pop despite the fact that their general line of work dealt with millions AND even though he was like HBIC in asswhooping when he was in the joint gets concussed immediately the first time he even talks to a redneck AND being an outdoorsy science man in his previous life but having no idea what a ghillie suit even is but somehow being able to make a homemade one – well, all that had me saying . . . .
But don’t be dissuaded, Ron . . . .
Especially with Like Lions just around the corner : )
ORIGINAL "REVIEW:"
Coming soon to a Goodreads near you – a Ron 2.0, Shelby and Kelly buddy-up. Who will read it right? Who will read it wrong? Who doesn’t really have time to read it at all (*cough Shelby cough*)? These questions and more will be answered on this upcoming episode of . . . .
(Oh, and note to all: I’m totally calling this thing Foreskin and saying it’s a porny the entire time we read it to see if I can make Ron’s head explode.)
2.5 Stars
Upon realizing the buddy read of Bear Skin wasn’t going to be a winner for me, I was fully prepared to . . . .
But then a miracle of all miracles happened and our fear
Ron points out in his review (go read it, he’s way gooder at the word thing than I am) how this is grit lit without the grit and that is spot on. From the title, cover and blurb I think we were all expecting a little more David Joy and a lot less Barbara Kingsolver, but the oh-so-very- eco-warrior-y undercurrent was pretty hard to ignore.
I think the easiest way to differentiate between this story and our usual reads about the potentially shady underbelly of Appallachia is that while all of the writers may have resided in the mountains at one point or another – they haven’t all lived in them. It seems to seep out of Joy and Brian Panowich’s pores onto the page while this selection delivers information in a nearly textbook type of detail that paints a clear picture, but does so without a whole lot of feeling.
If you are a fan of descriptions of the land rather than action involving the people who live there, this may be a winner for you. I, on the other hand, really channeled my inner Ron the entire time I was reading. Perhaps because the pace was so slow the issues pretty much jumped off the page, or perhaps because a scientist somehow not only finding himself banging what he thought was another scientist who just so happened to be a mule on the side AND ending up in the pokey AND somehow ending up miraculously turning into a real Billy Badass and doing a superbadawful making some scurrrrrry guys real mad so he has to hide AND then thinking maybe said bad guys were maybe in the business of stealing bear paws and gallbladders for a couple hundie a pop despite the fact that their general line of work dealt with millions AND even though he was like HBIC in asswhooping when he was in the joint gets concussed immediately the first time he even talks to a redneck AND being an outdoorsy science man in his previous life but having no idea what a ghillie suit even is but somehow being able to make a homemade one – well, all that had me saying . . . .
But don’t be dissuaded, Ron . . . .
Especially with Like Lions just around the corner : )
ORIGINAL "REVIEW:"
Coming soon to a Goodreads near you – a Ron 2.0, Shelby and Kelly buddy-up. Who will read it right? Who will read it wrong? Who doesn’t really have time to read it at all (*cough Shelby cough*)? These questions and more will be answered on this upcoming episode of . . . .
(Oh, and note to all: I’m totally calling this thing Foreskin and saying it’s a porny the entire time we read it to see if I can make Ron’s head explode.)
January 6, 2018
This is a literary humdinger of a thriller. Set in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia, Rice Moore is a man with a dangerous past. As the caretaker of a nature preserve he seems to have found the perfect place to hide from a drug cartel. Living an isolated and almost hermetic existence, Moore becomes a vigilante as he tries to stop a bear poaching ring operating on the preserve. Sounds straightforward, doesn’t it? It isn’t.
The writing is absolutely sublime....atmospheric, evocative and, at times, phantasmagorical. McLaughlin beautifully renders the violence found in nature as well as the violence that man commits. This novel burns, excites and ultimately satisfies. A rare jewel that is, astonishingly, a debut. Bearskin releases in June 2018 and is a must-read.
The writing is absolutely sublime....atmospheric, evocative and, at times, phantasmagorical. McLaughlin beautifully renders the violence found in nature as well as the violence that man commits. This novel burns, excites and ultimately satisfies. A rare jewel that is, astonishingly, a debut. Bearskin releases in June 2018 and is a must-read.
March 21, 2019
“What amazed Rice was how you could spend your whole life physically immersed in a particular ecological system and yet remain blinded to it by superstition, tradition, prejudice.”
A prominent theme in ‘Bearskin’ by James A. McLaughlin is the necessity of violence. Others are our disappearing world of nature, reality versus nonreality, and science versus superstition. The prologue opens with the protagonist, Rice Moore, in a prison in Mexico. It’s a violent scene for survival and the picture of how and why Moore came to be in prison will only become clear later in the story. Chapter one opens with Rice Moore as a caretaker for Turk Mountain Preserve, a remote forest land that is privately owned. With his biology background and tough physical appearance, the owner has hired him, hoping he can forestall trouble; the last caretaker, a female, was unable to do so. It doesn’t hurt that he has some construction experience and can work on remodeling the lodge. Here, Rice hopes to hide out, escape from the troubles that landed him in the Mexican prison and the violence that occurred there and after his exit. Local folks are angry that the preserve is off limits for hunting. When Rice finds bear carcasses, he investigates the locals for evidence of bear poaching, causing even more animosity. McLaughlin threads violence through the novel like a skein of scarlet, but I did not think it gratuitous. At times, with poetic brilliance, the author’s prose depicts the natural world, beautiful old growth forests, a primordial world where wildlife abounds, and creeks rush over a landscape undisturbed by man. But make no mistake. This novel has sharp teeth.
Since his time in prison, Rice has suffered from fugue states. Reality and time don’t function for him as they did previously. When a mushroom picker with a short arm comes to lead Rice through the forest to the dead bears, Rice tells the man, “I don’t think you’re real.” While Rice is hunting the bear poachers, he will make himself a ghillie camouflage suit, hiding in the forest at night. Blending into the forest, he takes on the nature of a wild animal. Exploring astral projection and out of body experiences, McLaughlin challenges the reader on what it means to be a part of nature.
A man of science, Rice has accepted the reality of climate change. Throughout the novel, we see the world of nature as he sees it, a disappearing act, a vision of catastrophic future variations. When the previous caretaker, Sara, returns, she offers a more optimistic viewpoint. Although grounded in science, Sara is more about the here and now. Sara knows there is something magical about the protected space of the preserve. While holding a rare snake, she says, “We want to think we’re exceptional, ensouled, angel fairies or God’s special children. The magic of being animate matter isn’t enough.” That statement gives me pause, makes me think about what a miracle it is that we move around and think and are aware of our world.
Nominated for the 2019 Edgar Award and the Barry Award, ‘Bearskin’ is an excellent work to be considered. Many of us are far removed from nature. I’m close to nature but seldom immersed in it. I am like the people in the story who fear snakes because they don’t know enough about them. However, even I know that the quiet of a forest walk, or a stroll by a stream or creek is the best remedy for frayed nerves and worldly anxieties. The novel has prompted me to search for old growth forest near where I live in North Carolina.
A prominent theme in ‘Bearskin’ by James A. McLaughlin is the necessity of violence. Others are our disappearing world of nature, reality versus nonreality, and science versus superstition. The prologue opens with the protagonist, Rice Moore, in a prison in Mexico. It’s a violent scene for survival and the picture of how and why Moore came to be in prison will only become clear later in the story. Chapter one opens with Rice Moore as a caretaker for Turk Mountain Preserve, a remote forest land that is privately owned. With his biology background and tough physical appearance, the owner has hired him, hoping he can forestall trouble; the last caretaker, a female, was unable to do so. It doesn’t hurt that he has some construction experience and can work on remodeling the lodge. Here, Rice hopes to hide out, escape from the troubles that landed him in the Mexican prison and the violence that occurred there and after his exit. Local folks are angry that the preserve is off limits for hunting. When Rice finds bear carcasses, he investigates the locals for evidence of bear poaching, causing even more animosity. McLaughlin threads violence through the novel like a skein of scarlet, but I did not think it gratuitous. At times, with poetic brilliance, the author’s prose depicts the natural world, beautiful old growth forests, a primordial world where wildlife abounds, and creeks rush over a landscape undisturbed by man. But make no mistake. This novel has sharp teeth.
Since his time in prison, Rice has suffered from fugue states. Reality and time don’t function for him as they did previously. When a mushroom picker with a short arm comes to lead Rice through the forest to the dead bears, Rice tells the man, “I don’t think you’re real.” While Rice is hunting the bear poachers, he will make himself a ghillie camouflage suit, hiding in the forest at night. Blending into the forest, he takes on the nature of a wild animal. Exploring astral projection and out of body experiences, McLaughlin challenges the reader on what it means to be a part of nature.
A man of science, Rice has accepted the reality of climate change. Throughout the novel, we see the world of nature as he sees it, a disappearing act, a vision of catastrophic future variations. When the previous caretaker, Sara, returns, she offers a more optimistic viewpoint. Although grounded in science, Sara is more about the here and now. Sara knows there is something magical about the protected space of the preserve. While holding a rare snake, she says, “We want to think we’re exceptional, ensouled, angel fairies or God’s special children. The magic of being animate matter isn’t enough.” That statement gives me pause, makes me think about what a miracle it is that we move around and think and are aware of our world.
Nominated for the 2019 Edgar Award and the Barry Award, ‘Bearskin’ is an excellent work to be considered. Many of us are far removed from nature. I’m close to nature but seldom immersed in it. I am like the people in the story who fear snakes because they don’t know enough about them. However, even I know that the quiet of a forest walk, or a stroll by a stream or creek is the best remedy for frayed nerves and worldly anxieties. The novel has prompted me to search for old growth forest near where I live in North Carolina.
March 26, 2019
5 🤤 🤤 🤤 🤤 🤤
Lovely, dark, violent, and entertaining — a suspenseful poetic eco thriller tailor made for my guilty pleasures palate. I’m a respectful borrower so somehow managed to keep my saliva from dripping DNA all over the pages. Another Hot Damn! read.
Thank you James McLaughlin. I very much look forward to your next offering.
Lovely, dark, violent, and entertaining — a suspenseful poetic eco thriller tailor made for my guilty pleasures palate. I’m a respectful borrower so somehow managed to keep my saliva from dripping DNA all over the pages. Another Hot Damn! read.
Thank you James McLaughlin. I very much look forward to your next offering.
January 25, 2020
This book provides a wonderful combination of observations on the natural world, a flawed but likeable main character, a complex plot, and erudite writing. It contains a diverse assortment of topics that the author skillfully weaves together into a cohesive story: old growth forests, ecology, herpetology, bear behavior, hunting dogs, federal and local law enforcement, drug cartels, even ghillie suits!
Rice, the main character, originally a biologist from the desert southwest, has become caretaker of a wilderness preserve in the Appalachians. He is trying to start a new life under a pseudonym to elude a Mexican drug cartel. When he discovers carcasses of black bears on the preserve, paws severed, and gallbladders removed, he attempts to entrap the poachers, putting him up against a black-market ring. Rice is edgy, easily startled by the animals that surround him, but has a wry sense of humor about it. He develops an affection for the natural habitat and comes to appreciate the solitude, though it occasionally affects his state of mind.
“The giant trees were like dormant gods, vibrating with something he couldn’t name, not quite sentience, each one different from the others, each telling its own centuries-long story. On the forest floor, chestnut logs dead since the blight had rotted into chest-high berms soft with thick mosses, whispering quietly. Something called out and he turned to face a looming tulip tree, gnarled and bent like an old man, hollowed out by rot, lightning, ancient fires. His skin tingled.”
The people of the area are much more nuanced than the usual stereotypes. The contrasts between wealthy and impoverished people add another dimension to the story. For example, the preserve is owned by a family’s charitable foundation, and some locals resent that the natural resources cannot be used to support the regional economy.
I found this book entertaining and educational. It will appeal to readers of mysteries and thrillers that like a complex storyline, appreciate richly detailed writing, and have an affinity for the natural world. If you want non-stop action and lots of twists and turns, look elsewhere.
Rice, the main character, originally a biologist from the desert southwest, has become caretaker of a wilderness preserve in the Appalachians. He is trying to start a new life under a pseudonym to elude a Mexican drug cartel. When he discovers carcasses of black bears on the preserve, paws severed, and gallbladders removed, he attempts to entrap the poachers, putting him up against a black-market ring. Rice is edgy, easily startled by the animals that surround him, but has a wry sense of humor about it. He develops an affection for the natural habitat and comes to appreciate the solitude, though it occasionally affects his state of mind.
“The giant trees were like dormant gods, vibrating with something he couldn’t name, not quite sentience, each one different from the others, each telling its own centuries-long story. On the forest floor, chestnut logs dead since the blight had rotted into chest-high berms soft with thick mosses, whispering quietly. Something called out and he turned to face a looming tulip tree, gnarled and bent like an old man, hollowed out by rot, lightning, ancient fires. His skin tingled.”
The people of the area are much more nuanced than the usual stereotypes. The contrasts between wealthy and impoverished people add another dimension to the story. For example, the preserve is owned by a family’s charitable foundation, and some locals resent that the natural resources cannot be used to support the regional economy.
I found this book entertaining and educational. It will appeal to readers of mysteries and thrillers that like a complex storyline, appreciate richly detailed writing, and have an affinity for the natural world. If you want non-stop action and lots of twists and turns, look elsewhere.
January 30, 2019
How often do you hike the autumn woods, paddle a burbling creek, or shrink inside when you hear about big game hunters slaughtering beasts for no good reason? I am a geologist by education, vocation, but most importantly mindset. As they say in Steel Magnolias, I am "the outdoorsy type."
This gorgeous debut, written by a Virginia-born conservation attorney, was 20 years in the making, and that is why, I suppose, it feels like a life's work. The story, with a cathedral ceiling of tree canopy and choir of birdsong, is ultimately a thriller but feels far more literary. Certain readers, maybe tidy in their urban leather lounges reading under stylized chrome floor lamps, are not going to relate to McLaughlin's writing. And that's okay. Because those who might dream of opening this book in front of a blazing fieldstone fireplace, exposed timbers overhead, are gonna go gaga for it. I did. Here's a typical excerpt:
“A shrill, clattering call burst from the forest nearby. He stopped to watch, thinking pileated woodpecker, but the bird didn’t appear. He knew most of the bird species now. His first log entries from back in March and April said things like big-ass black woodpecker w/ red crest. While he watched, a fresh breeze brushed against the big tulip trees, red oaks, sugar maples. Heavy branches rose and fell in slow motion, and a million leaves twisted on their stems, showing silver underneath.
The forest was eerily animate, a gigantic green beast dreaming, its skin twitching and rippling. Not quite threatening, but powerful. Watchful.”
Stunning imagery aside, this tale of the caretaker of a thousand-acre nature preserve - smack dab in the middle of black bear country - eventually shows itself to be a riveting story of revenge, violent at times, and of defending that which does not deserve mutilation from bad men. You will hear of the bizarre reason - absolutely true - that bears are being slaughtered. The ugly, offscreen violation of women will also come to light. Yes, this is woodsy, but don't be expecting Snow White to show up with bluebirds doing the laundry or squirrels sweeping the lodge floor.
There are dreamscapes in here, drowsy bees, and the smearing of lines of reality... just a small scent of magical realism, little mushrooms raising out of leaf litter after heavy rain. Merely a touch, but just enough.
Other pluses? Strong female characters. And for those who love Southern grit lit, a dead mule AND several snakes make appearances. I absolutely loved this and eagerly anticipate the prequel to this story. Five stars and on my Favorites shelf.
This gorgeous debut, written by a Virginia-born conservation attorney, was 20 years in the making, and that is why, I suppose, it feels like a life's work. The story, with a cathedral ceiling of tree canopy and choir of birdsong, is ultimately a thriller but feels far more literary. Certain readers, maybe tidy in their urban leather lounges reading under stylized chrome floor lamps, are not going to relate to McLaughlin's writing. And that's okay. Because those who might dream of opening this book in front of a blazing fieldstone fireplace, exposed timbers overhead, are gonna go gaga for it. I did. Here's a typical excerpt:
“A shrill, clattering call burst from the forest nearby. He stopped to watch, thinking pileated woodpecker, but the bird didn’t appear. He knew most of the bird species now. His first log entries from back in March and April said things like big-ass black woodpecker w/ red crest. While he watched, a fresh breeze brushed against the big tulip trees, red oaks, sugar maples. Heavy branches rose and fell in slow motion, and a million leaves twisted on their stems, showing silver underneath.
The forest was eerily animate, a gigantic green beast dreaming, its skin twitching and rippling. Not quite threatening, but powerful. Watchful.”
Stunning imagery aside, this tale of the caretaker of a thousand-acre nature preserve - smack dab in the middle of black bear country - eventually shows itself to be a riveting story of revenge, violent at times, and of defending that which does not deserve mutilation from bad men. You will hear of the bizarre reason - absolutely true - that bears are being slaughtered. The ugly, offscreen violation of women will also come to light. Yes, this is woodsy, but don't be expecting Snow White to show up with bluebirds doing the laundry or squirrels sweeping the lodge floor.
There are dreamscapes in here, drowsy bees, and the smearing of lines of reality... just a small scent of magical realism, little mushrooms raising out of leaf litter after heavy rain. Merely a touch, but just enough.
Other pluses? Strong female characters. And for those who love Southern grit lit, a dead mule AND several snakes make appearances. I absolutely loved this and eagerly anticipate the prequel to this story. Five stars and on my Favorites shelf.
July 10, 2018
This was an awesome read. I live in Virginia so I had the added bonus that a good part of the book takes place there. I have had an odd fascination with bears. I actually self research interaction between bears and humans in my spare time because they fascinate me (I’m a research psychologist so I like to do research even in my spare time). So the bear aspect of the book was sad to read about (the hunting dogs also) but the different plots going on in Rice’s life really make this book. It was an entertaining read with a good array of characters.
My quick and simple overall: entertaining, quick read that makes you want to go explore the wilderness....cautiously.
My quick and simple overall: entertaining, quick read that makes you want to go explore the wilderness....cautiously.
February 5, 2019
2.5 - 3
I am always on the lookout for a new author to take me on a journey similar to Ian McGuire's The North Water . The synopsis of Bearskin made me think I was getting a modern day The Revenant crossed with some episodes of Narcos-Mexico. This was idealistic as Bearskin is more Powers The Overstory crossed with an ecology textbook by way of a few pages torn from Don Winslow.
Even though I wanted a literary / eco-thriller experience by the end of the novel I came to the conclusion I liked McLaughlin's writing best when he is writing about the Appalachians. The main character in Bearskin is not in fact a bear but a "troubled loner" called Rice Moore ( played by Viggo Mortensen if this is ever filmed). He is the caretaker of a remote reserve and can be found wandering about the hills in a ghillie suit in a fugue state brought about by his "troubled past" (or magic mushrooms). Rice's backstory is told in intermittent flashbacks but this left me with several questions which seem likely to be addressed in a prequel.
This novel has an odd and excruciatingly slow setup for readers expecting a more typical thriller. Patience is rewarded with some sublime passages of writing particular about old-growth forests and towards the end with a high tension and very cinematic action sequence. I am not sure if that payoff was worth it in the end for me and ultimately Bearskin promised way more than was delivered.
I am always on the lookout for a new author to take me on a journey similar to Ian McGuire's The North Water . The synopsis of Bearskin made me think I was getting a modern day The Revenant crossed with some episodes of Narcos-Mexico. This was idealistic as Bearskin is more Powers The Overstory crossed with an ecology textbook by way of a few pages torn from Don Winslow.
Even though I wanted a literary / eco-thriller experience by the end of the novel I came to the conclusion I liked McLaughlin's writing best when he is writing about the Appalachians. The main character in Bearskin is not in fact a bear but a "troubled loner" called Rice Moore ( played by Viggo Mortensen if this is ever filmed). He is the caretaker of a remote reserve and can be found wandering about the hills in a ghillie suit in a fugue state brought about by his "troubled past" (or magic mushrooms). Rice's backstory is told in intermittent flashbacks but this left me with several questions which seem likely to be addressed in a prequel.
This novel has an odd and excruciatingly slow setup for readers expecting a more typical thriller. Patience is rewarded with some sublime passages of writing particular about old-growth forests and towards the end with a high tension and very cinematic action sequence. I am not sure if that payoff was worth it in the end for me and ultimately Bearskin promised way more than was delivered.
Read
June 22, 2018DNF at 35% Writing is good just having trouble connecting.
January 20, 2021
I liked the premise of this book better than I liked it’s execution. It wasn't a bad book, it just wasn’t all that good. It never really managed to grab me.
Rice Moore is hiding out from the Mexican drug cartel he betrayed back in Arizona, so he takes a job as a caretaker for a forest preserve in the Appalachian mountains. But when he starts finding bear carcasses, he begins to get obsessed with catching the poachers. Rice is a weird character. He suffers from fugue states and I really didn’t know what to make of him. But I did feel he was fully fleshed out
The book’s description calls it a slow burn and it's an apt description. It never moves at a very fast pace until the very end. I appreciated the descriptions of the mountains and the wildlife.
For those looking for a really worthy thriller that takes place in the mountains, I would recommend Brian Panowich’s Bull Mountain series.
I listened to this and the narrator comes on a little thick with the mountain accents, to the point that I struggled to understand him at times.
Rice Moore is hiding out from the Mexican drug cartel he betrayed back in Arizona, so he takes a job as a caretaker for a forest preserve in the Appalachian mountains. But when he starts finding bear carcasses, he begins to get obsessed with catching the poachers. Rice is a weird character. He suffers from fugue states and I really didn’t know what to make of him. But I did feel he was fully fleshed out
The book’s description calls it a slow burn and it's an apt description. It never moves at a very fast pace until the very end. I appreciated the descriptions of the mountains and the wildlife.
For those looking for a really worthy thriller that takes place in the mountains, I would recommend Brian Panowich’s Bull Mountain series.
I listened to this and the narrator comes on a little thick with the mountain accents, to the point that I struggled to understand him at times.
September 18, 2019
This is not quite what I'd expected.
It's a genre blend of drug cartel thriller, Appalachian grit-lit with some paranormal/folkloric realism, and redemption tale but it's not mixed so well as to create a single, seamless story; there are definite chunks of genre floating throughout. Choking hazards abound.
Rice Moore/Rick Morton, 34, is on the run from Mexican drug cartels and is hiding as a caretaker for a large private preserve in the backwoods of Virginia.
The story entertained me nicely and I liked it, in general. I don't know that it made any sort of impact, I won't remember it for long. However, I will recommend it to readers who like violent suspense novels, dogs, and nature preserves.
It's a genre blend of drug cartel thriller, Appalachian grit-lit with some paranormal/folkloric realism, and redemption tale but it's not mixed so well as to create a single, seamless story; there are definite chunks of genre floating throughout. Choking hazards abound.
Rice Moore/Rick Morton, 34, is on the run from Mexican drug cartels and is hiding as a caretaker for a large private preserve in the backwoods of Virginia.
The story entertained me nicely and I liked it, in general. I don't know that it made any sort of impact, I won't remember it for long. However, I will recommend it to readers who like violent suspense novels, dogs, and nature preserves.
June 29, 2018
A debut book. The storyline contained a great idea for a book. Rice worked for one of the Mexican cartels, turned on the cartel and staged his own disappearance to a remote game preserve to save himself. He finds peace in the preserve but that is interrupted when poachers begin killing bears.
Now, that is a simplified summary of the book, far more complex and yes, there is violence which is what I wanted. I wanted something like 'Sicario' to happen with the poachers! Some did, yes, but also a lot of 'spiritual thinking' and self evaluation. Sorry, but I like my bad guys to be crazy about what they do and not reflect on it!
Now, that is a simplified summary of the book, far more complex and yes, there is violence which is what I wanted. I wanted something like 'Sicario' to happen with the poachers! Some did, yes, but also a lot of 'spiritual thinking' and self evaluation. Sorry, but I like my bad guys to be crazy about what they do and not reflect on it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2022
Gritty, Cormac McCarthy-esq ecological noir. It’s very slow burn, not a thriller, and not even really a vigilante story like I thought it would be, but I enjoyed it!!
I couldn’t help but think that I’d love the story if it was written from Sara’s POV though. Rice was an interesting character, but I really really liked her.
I couldn’t help but think that I’d love the story if it was written from Sara’s POV though. Rice was an interesting character, but I really really liked her.
December 31, 2018
Starts off with some possibility and a guy called Rice, with a back story of betraying Mexican drug cartels in Arizona. He wants to be off the grid and stay off the radar so he takes an obscure job as a tracker/caretaker/maintenance man deep in a private wilderness preserve in Virginia.
A mutilated bear is found on the property, hands cut off and gallbladder removed and hence it begins. He is so obsessed with catching the poachers and the various ways he sets traps and tracks activities is commendable. He deals with some backwoods tough guys and the law, who mostly all have some sort of stake in not being revealed or harassed. Of course, being a new face in a small town makes you stand out in a negative way.
I enjoyed the authors descriptive details of the back country. There were cat and mouse games played between Rice and the others, but it was not to the point where it was exciting. The former female caretaker/inhabitant joins forces with Rice, which is kind of weird considering she was harassed and raped while doing her work there. Her return to the town of her crime and her partnership with Rice makes no sense at all and she acts like nothing happened after her traumatic experience. I didn’t get it.
All in all, it was just an okay read. Nothing to get too excited about.
A mutilated bear is found on the property, hands cut off and gallbladder removed and hence it begins. He is so obsessed with catching the poachers and the various ways he sets traps and tracks activities is commendable. He deals with some backwoods tough guys and the law, who mostly all have some sort of stake in not being revealed or harassed. Of course, being a new face in a small town makes you stand out in a negative way.
I enjoyed the authors descriptive details of the back country. There were cat and mouse games played between Rice and the others, but it was not to the point where it was exciting. The former female caretaker/inhabitant joins forces with Rice, which is kind of weird considering she was harassed and raped while doing her work there. Her return to the town of her crime and her partnership with Rice makes no sense at all and she acts like nothing happened after her traumatic experience. I didn’t get it.
All in all, it was just an okay read. Nothing to get too excited about.
August 31, 2018
This was an incredible read! I wasn't sure what I would end up thinking of it but the last 100 pages or so sealed the deal for me. "Bearskin" is an intense thriller and the author does an amazing job transporting the reader to the Appalachian mountains of Virginia. Truly a unique novel of suspense and I highly recommend it. All I can say is stick with it until the end-you'll be glad you did!
June 29, 2022
Part mystery, part thriller, slightly romancer, “Bearskin” chronicles the plight of Rice Moore, former smuggler and hermit-in-hiding as he assumes the position of caretaker in a private estate dedicated to the preservation of a large old-growth forest patch in Virginia’s Appalachia.
Rice Moore is on the run. He has left Arizona and Mexico behind and found employment in the East in a secluded private estate as its manager. However, his new location is not tranquil either. There are bears in the estate, and illegal bear hunters, seeking bear paws and galls to sell to eager and wealthy Chinese, with whom he must deal without breaking cover. Local yokels seem to be the hunters, but there are rumors they are backed up by big-city mobster enforcers with international connections.
Rice is also tasked with preparing the partially-finished estate buildings to shelter a resident scientist, probably Sara Birkland, Rice’s predecessor at the estate, who was brutally kidnapped, raped and beaten senseless by persons unknown. Thus, Rice is faced with fighting on at least two, perhaps more, fronts to keep his identity and location unknown to avengers from his previous life, and now with different sets of bear poachers with firepower no less effective than his western enemies. All along the way author McLaughlin beautifully sings the praises of the wild estate with paeans to the magnificence of the (relatively) undisturbed Appalachian forest. He also provides sketches of rural neighbors as part of the ongoing story.
It is a very enjoyable read, if possibly a bit longer than necessary, but with plenty of action and violence if that is something attractive for you. I look forward to McLaughlin’s next book!
Rice Moore is on the run. He has left Arizona and Mexico behind and found employment in the East in a secluded private estate as its manager. However, his new location is not tranquil either. There are bears in the estate, and illegal bear hunters, seeking bear paws and galls to sell to eager and wealthy Chinese, with whom he must deal without breaking cover. Local yokels seem to be the hunters, but there are rumors they are backed up by big-city mobster enforcers with international connections.
Rice is also tasked with preparing the partially-finished estate buildings to shelter a resident scientist, probably Sara Birkland, Rice’s predecessor at the estate, who was brutally kidnapped, raped and beaten senseless by persons unknown. Thus, Rice is faced with fighting on at least two, perhaps more, fronts to keep his identity and location unknown to avengers from his previous life, and now with different sets of bear poachers with firepower no less effective than his western enemies. All along the way author McLaughlin beautifully sings the praises of the wild estate with paeans to the magnificence of the (relatively) undisturbed Appalachian forest. He also provides sketches of rural neighbors as part of the ongoing story.
It is a very enjoyable read, if possibly a bit longer than necessary, but with plenty of action and violence if that is something attractive for you. I look forward to McLaughlin’s next book!
July 30, 2018
Bearskin by James McLaughlin features a main character named Rice Moore as a caretaker of a private wildlife preserve in the Virginia Appalachian mountains. Rice is not native to the area and has taken over duties once carried out by a woman that was violently chased out by locals.
Locals in the area are offended people they consider outsiders have carved out the preserve in lands felt to belong to them, even though the preserve has been owned by the same people for many generations.
The story is told with partial flashbacks that explain how Rice has become the new caretaker of the property. Soon, Rice runs afoul of locals that have chosen to ignore the private land boundaries and have resorted to hunting bears for financial reasons.
McLaughlin throws in angry locals, an apparently disinterested sheriff, Mexican drug cartels and dangerous assassins, Asian customers and other interesting characters that make the novel work while avoiding unbelievable circumstances and cliches. He even adds a bit of mythical layering that enhances the tale.
The thing, though, that is the true glue of this novel is McLaughlin's word selection and usage. His words build both visual pictures and smells of the nature of the area and overall story. Often, McLaughlin wonderfully utilizes infrequently used words that perfectly fit as descriptive tools just where they are needed, without being pretentious and bloated.
Highly recommended, especially for those that enjoy the writing of the huge crop of excellent, modern Southern writers working today.
Locals in the area are offended people they consider outsiders have carved out the preserve in lands felt to belong to them, even though the preserve has been owned by the same people for many generations.
The story is told with partial flashbacks that explain how Rice has become the new caretaker of the property. Soon, Rice runs afoul of locals that have chosen to ignore the private land boundaries and have resorted to hunting bears for financial reasons.
McLaughlin throws in angry locals, an apparently disinterested sheriff, Mexican drug cartels and dangerous assassins, Asian customers and other interesting characters that make the novel work while avoiding unbelievable circumstances and cliches. He even adds a bit of mythical layering that enhances the tale.
The thing, though, that is the true glue of this novel is McLaughlin's word selection and usage. His words build both visual pictures and smells of the nature of the area and overall story. Often, McLaughlin wonderfully utilizes infrequently used words that perfectly fit as descriptive tools just where they are needed, without being pretentious and bloated.
Highly recommended, especially for those that enjoy the writing of the huge crop of excellent, modern Southern writers working today.
March 5, 2019
This is my first book by McLaughlin and I really enjoyed it. Part literary/part thriller, it is the story of Rice, on the run from the Mexican cartels and taking refuge as the caretaker of a private nature preserve in Virginia. His tranquility is shattered though when he learns that poachers have been sneaking onto the property he is supposed to be protecting and killing and mutilating wild bears on the property.
I look forward to reading more books by James A. McLaughlin.
My thanks to the folks at the On the Southern Literary Trail group for giving me the opportunity to read and discuss this and many other fine books.
I look forward to reading more books by James A. McLaughlin.
My thanks to the folks at the On the Southern Literary Trail group for giving me the opportunity to read and discuss this and many other fine books.
January 24, 2019
4.5 stars
This is a really excellent debut literary thriller. There's enough excitement to be properly thrilling but it's also coupled with some really wonderful and evocative nature writing. I listened to the audiobook, which was very well narrated by MacLeod Andrews, so I would recommend that format.
This is a really excellent debut literary thriller. There's enough excitement to be properly thrilling but it's also coupled with some really wonderful and evocative nature writing. I listened to the audiobook, which was very well narrated by MacLeod Andrews, so I would recommend that format.
October 27, 2018
3/5
Just fine. It dragged ,the end was too convenient ,actually the whole story was a bit unbelievable. After the 50% mark my interest in reading this took a hard hit and it never recovered. It was an achievement that I read the whole thing, to be fair.
Just fine. It dragged ,the end was too convenient ,actually the whole story was a bit unbelievable. After the 50% mark my interest in reading this took a hard hit and it never recovered. It was an achievement that I read the whole thing, to be fair.
June 26, 2018
Bearskin by James A. McLauglin
Rice Monroe is the caretaker at a privately funded nature preserve in the Virginia Appalachian mountains. He is taking over the job previously held by a Virginia Tech biology professor, Sara Birkeland. Rice has changed his name, and wants to remain below the radar because of his recent incarceration in Arizona. He was caught trafficking unlawful substances between Mexico and the US. The drug cartel tried unsuccessfully to silence him in his cell to prevent him from giving the authorities names of his drug running associates. Rice does not want to have his true identity known in Virginia to anyone other than his employer. God forbid the cartel learning of his whereabouts.
After taking over the job he discovers bear carcasses on the property with only their paws and gallbladders removed. He also learns that Sara was run off the job by locals terrorizing and raping her. She made the mistake of calling the game warden on some locals illegally hunting on the property. It turns out there is a highly lucrative market for the bear parts in Asia, and the tough locals and biker gangs will not be denied access to the preserve and its abundant bears.
Rice is a tough guy, and although the author does not hint about his background or training, he and Jason Bourne would have a lot in common. This is a raw and fast paced thriller keeping the reader, moving through the novel, page after nail biting page. I have not read anything recently that compares to the ever building suspense. Beautiful mountain landscape and primordial forest, adds to the ever changing threat against Rice and his partner Sara.
This is James A. McLaughlin’s debut novel and it is fantastic. The author has a law degree from the University of Virginia. Highly recommended.
Rice Monroe is the caretaker at a privately funded nature preserve in the Virginia Appalachian mountains. He is taking over the job previously held by a Virginia Tech biology professor, Sara Birkeland. Rice has changed his name, and wants to remain below the radar because of his recent incarceration in Arizona. He was caught trafficking unlawful substances between Mexico and the US. The drug cartel tried unsuccessfully to silence him in his cell to prevent him from giving the authorities names of his drug running associates. Rice does not want to have his true identity known in Virginia to anyone other than his employer. God forbid the cartel learning of his whereabouts.
After taking over the job he discovers bear carcasses on the property with only their paws and gallbladders removed. He also learns that Sara was run off the job by locals terrorizing and raping her. She made the mistake of calling the game warden on some locals illegally hunting on the property. It turns out there is a highly lucrative market for the bear parts in Asia, and the tough locals and biker gangs will not be denied access to the preserve and its abundant bears.
Rice is a tough guy, and although the author does not hint about his background or training, he and Jason Bourne would have a lot in common. This is a raw and fast paced thriller keeping the reader, moving through the novel, page after nail biting page. I have not read anything recently that compares to the ever building suspense. Beautiful mountain landscape and primordial forest, adds to the ever changing threat against Rice and his partner Sara.
This is James A. McLaughlin’s debut novel and it is fantastic. The author has a law degree from the University of Virginia. Highly recommended.
June 27, 2020
I enjoyed this book. It was high on the manly scale. We had action, we had fun fights, we had the lone ranger badass.
I have read a few thrillers where I enjoyed the plot more. That being said looking at this book at face value. It is a great book if you wanna sit down and watch an action film play out on paper. The writing is spectacular.
The flashbacks in the book were a nice touch but kind of pulled me out of the story. That may be just a personal preference.
Overall I enjoyed this as a summer read. Video coming soon on my channel.
I have read a few thrillers where I enjoyed the plot more. That being said looking at this book at face value. It is a great book if you wanna sit down and watch an action film play out on paper. The writing is spectacular.
The flashbacks in the book were a nice touch but kind of pulled me out of the story. That may be just a personal preference.
Overall I enjoyed this as a summer read. Video coming soon on my channel.
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