The Lonesome Trials of Johnny Riles
Gregory Hill
(Author)
Description
It's 1975. Johnny Riles leads a lonesome, whiskey-soaked existence on Colorado's high prairie. Abandoned by his parents, who moved away after Johnny accidentally shot his father, and absent his buffoonish younger brother, who has left home to star in the American Basketball Association, Johnny is an uncommonly unhappy man.
Johnny is awoken from a depressive stupor after an autumn snowstorm leads him to cross paths with a brutal killer. Thus do his trials begin. The hunt for the killer splinters Johnny's psyche into dangerous and bizarre shards, driving him to beneath the stark western landscape--both literally and figuratively--to unearth the truths behind his nightmares, to search for vengeance, to bargain for his brother's soul, and to plead for a sober reason to live.
Product Details
| Publisher | Daisy Dog Press |
| Publish Date | November 14, 2019 |
| Pages | 336 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Paperback / softback |
| EAN/UPC | 9781087801827 |
| Dimensions | 8.0 X 5.3 X 0.8 inches | 0.8 pounds |
About the Author
Reviews
Hill is a dialogue artist, sculpting his characters with depth and the pitfalls of humanity...The Lonesome Trials of Johnny Riles is a rich and complex western that crosses over into the shady depths of noir fiction. It's a stunning read.
--Sarah Reichert The Writing Bug
Like Hill's superb debut, East of Denver, The Lonesome Trials of Johnny Riles surely is a damn fine, if distinctly peculiar, country noir.--Booklist
A wild, weird, fun ride.
--Yuma Pioneer
Crazy novel. And I mean that in the very best sense. Absolutely loved it.
-- Mike Keefe, political cartoonist
Impressively well written from beginning to end, The Lonesome Trials of Johnny Riles is a terrifically entertaining read and showcases extraordinary and imaginative storytelling abilities.
--Midwest Book Review
Filled with the same easy energy and bright style that earned praise and awards for East of Denver, The Lonesome Trials of Johnny Riles will take you to places you didn't know existed--both on the hard plains of eastern Colorado and deep inside the soul of an unforgettable man who knows the world is a mean place. He knows the perfect song and the perfect drink to get him through the day, but even Johnny Riles can't predict what the world, or his brother, might throw his way. After a sip or two of this richly-told novel, you'll want to glug the whole thing down.
--Mark Stevens, author of the Allison Coil Mystery Series
The Lonesome Trials of Johnny Riles renders Eastern Colorado/High Plains life as it really has always been: down-to-earth, matter-of-fact, and always on the brink of psychedelia. This is an unapologetic triumph of contemporary Rural American Realism.
--Zach Boddicker, author of The Essential Carl Mahogany
Reading Gregory Hill's marvelous page-turner of a second novel is like hunkering down in a psychedelic cave, buried by a flatland Colorado blizzard--with a knife at your throat. Expertly wrought weirdness abounds--you won't want it to end. Think, a poodle with no name meets Stephen King.
--Barry Wightman, author of Pepperland
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