Pick up this book and you’ll be transported straight to the dark, mosquito-bitten swamps of Jackknife, Louisiana. The secrets that unravel throughout its pages lurk just below the surface, much like the alligators in those waters. It’s a hot, heady read, the humidity practically rises off the page, such is the power of Anna Bailey’s writing.
Hear me out: if you’re a fan of Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, you’re likely going to love this. It blends the lyrical beauty of Crawdads with the grit of All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whittaker. But despite the comparisons, this is very much its own novel. Anna Bailey has a rare gift for atmosphere, and their ability to explore the darkest corners of human nature through storytelling is nothing short of stunning. If Southern Gothic were a genre, this would be the defining novel.
The very best and worst of humanity are laid bare here. Oppressive heat, poverty, small-town decay, politics, societal flaws, and the aching, raw pain of trying to hold your life together, it’s all here, captured with intensity and grace.
About the Book
The Labasques aren’t like other families.
Living in a shack out in the swamps, they scrape a living hunting down alligators just to get by. To the good people of Jacknife, Louisiana, they are trouble-makers, outcasts, the kind of people you wouldn’t want living on your doorstep.
So when Cutter Labasque is found face down in the muddy swamp, no one seems to care, not even her two rough-cut brothers. The only person who questions the official verdict of suicide is Cutter’s childhood friend, Loyal May, who has just returned home to care for her ageing mother.
Loyal left town at the age of 18, having betrayed everything she valued most. Now, there may be no way for her to find forgiveness, but there may be restitution, if she can find out what really did happen to Cutter…
About The Author
Anna Bailey is a Sunday Times bestselling author from Gloucestershire. Their debut novel, Tall Bones, inspired by their experiences living in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, was nominated for the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year and Goldsboro Glass Bell awards, as well as the Prix Nouvelles Voix du Polar. Their short stories, based on their travels through rural America, have been dramatised for BBC Radio 4, including ‘Long Way to Come For a Sip of Water’, which was shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award. They live in Bordeaux with their wife.
Purchase the Book
This book can be purchased in our store either on its own or in a cosy Book Box.
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