A Swollen Red Sun, Matthew McBride
A Swollen Red Sun, Matthew McBride
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A Swollen Red Sun

Author: Matthew McBride

Narrator: John McLain

Unabridged: 6 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/17/2014

Synopsis

God, drugs, corruption, and morality come together in this gripping tale of desperation.In Gasconade County, Missouri—once called the meth capital of the world—Deputy Sheriff Dale Banks discovers $52,000 hidden in the broken-down trailer that Jerry Dean Skaggs uses for cooking crystal. And he takes it. Banks knows what he did was wrong, but he did it for all the right reasons. At least, he thinks so. But for every wrong deed, there is a consequence.Jerry Dean can't afford to lose that $52,000—he owes it to his partners and to a crooked cop. He also can't afford to disappoint the crazed and fearsome Reverend Butch Pogue, who is expecting Jerry Dean to deliver the chemicals the reverend needs for his next batch of meth. To avoid the holy man's wrath, Jerry Dean sets in motion a series of events that will threaten Banks' family, his life, and everything he thinks he knows about the world.

About Matthew McBride

Matthew McBride burst onto the crime-writing scene with his shocking and visceral short stories of bad men and good guns. His powerful first novel, Frank Sinatra in a Blender, confirms what noir and crime pros were murmuring online for months—this guy is the one to watch. McBride lives on a farm in rural Missouri with his wife and a bull named Hemingway. He started writing on the assembly line at a Chrysler plant in Saint Louis, where he worked for thirteen years. Now he’s a force to be reckoned with as a crime writer. Welcome a new voice that’s raw, wild, and completely original.

About John McLain

John McLain is an actor, professional voice talent, and Earphones Award–winning narrator. He has been a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. On stage, he has appeared in The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Amahl & the Night Visitors, and The Music Man.

Reviews

Goodreads review by karen on September 15, 2018

missouri. meth. trailers. police. cat piss. convicts. $52,000. shotguns. meth. rednecks. armed robbery. horsemeat. dogs. kidnapping. trucks. shed. marijuana. violence. chains. meth. family. pigs. cracker barrel. knives. incest. tweakers. slaughter. alcohol. motel. noir. domestic violence. meth. rifl......more

Goodreads review by Kemper on August 30, 2016

(I received a free copy of this from NetGalley for this review.) The alcohol intake by the main character in Matthew McBride’s last novel Frank Sinatra in a Blender made me feel like I needed a liver transplant. The tweakers of A Swollen Red Sun have me thinking I should go to rehab. In rural Missour......more

Goodreads review by Brandon on April 23, 2014

Officer Dale Everett Banks comes into money when he nabs fifty-two thousand from the trailer of known meth dealer Jerry Dean Skaggs. When Skaggs discovers his loot is missing, all hell breaks loose. You see, the money wasn’t all his – it’s owed to several partners as well as a crooked cop. With his......more

Goodreads review by Trudi on August 05, 2016

This is a high three. High being the operative word here because the meth fumes wafting from its pages are strong enough to transmogrify the reader into a slavering crystal junkie. Buyer beware. If that's not enough, the uncompromising and relentless violence as well as the suffocating pall of dysfu......more

Goodreads review by Josh on May 23, 2016

As unpredictable and violent as the meth trade and those who swarm towards its deathly drug addled embrace, A SWOLLEN RED SUN is the raw, uncut, pure embodiment of noir versed in a kind of hick/back-water literature akin to Daniel Woodrell. When Deputy Sheriff Banks discovers a hidden stash of cash......more

Quotes

“Memorable, unique, and, at times, even haunting. Every character rings true from the feckless to the noble to the downright frightening…[With] dark country humor, A Swollen Red Sun is a must-read.” Johnny Shaw, author of the Anthony Award winner Big Maria

“Uncompromisingly gritty but surprisingly tender and quite funny…McBride’s novel combines the backwoods creepiness of Nic Pizzolatto’s HBO series True Detective, the understated country humor of Johnny Shaw’s Big Maria, and the sensitivity to character and nuance of Daniel Woodrell’s Winter’s Bone.” Booklist (starred review)

“Rough and ready suspense, encompassing a wide array of characters from the sour side of life, and smashing them together with vigorous and blunt prose.” Daniel Woodrell, author of Winter’s Bone

“This novel has it all: guns, corruption, immorality, all fused together in a blistering narrative.” Publishers Weekly

“A Swollen Red Sun, simply put, is an epic piece of modern crime fiction. But within that, McBride never loses his sense of powerful intimacy with the characters, their lives, their families, and their demons.” Todd Robinson, author of The Hard Bounce

Awards

  • Publishers Weekly Pick
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