BACKLANDS by Michael McGarrity - SIGNED FIRST EDITION BOOK
See all titles by Michael McGarrity.
Hard Country,
the first novel in the Kerney family trilogy and the debut prequel to
his national bestselling Kevin Kerney crime novels, was critically
acclaimed for its authentic, gritty realism; its sprawling, engrossing
story; and its compelling, engaging characters. An instant hit on
several national bestseller lists, Hard Country continues to attract an overwhelmingly positive response from critics, booksellers, and readers.
Backlands
advances the story of Patrick Kerney; his ex-wife, Emma; and their
young son, Matthew, shortly after the tragic battlefield death of their
eldest son, CJ, at the end of World War I. Scarred by the loss of an
older brother he idolized, estranged from a father he barely knows, and
deeply troubled by the failing health of a mother he adores,
eight-year-old Matthew is suddenly and irrevocably forced to set aside
his childhood and take on responsibilities far beyond his years. When
the world spirals into the Great Depression and drought settles like a
plague over the nation, Matt must abandon his own dreams to salvage the
Kerney ranch. Plunged into a deep trough of dark family secrets, hidden
crimes, broken promises, and lies, Matt must struggle to survive on the
unforgiving, sun-blasted, drought-stricken Tularosa Basin.
An expansive, epic tale like Philipp Meyer’s The Son, and in the wonderful storyteller vein of Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove, McGarrity’s Backlands
showcases his keen eye for historical detail, awe-inspiring scenery,
and the bitter harshness of life on the last vestiges of the
twentieth-century frontier West.