Willnot, James Sallis
Willnot, James Sallis
List: $16.95 | Sale: $11.87
Club: $8.47

Willnot
A Novel

Author: James Sallis

Narrator: Kevin Kenerly

Unabridged: 4 hr 29 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/21/2016


Synopsis

A brilliant new protagonist and his memorable community are introduced in the latest masterpiece by acclaimed novelist James Sallis. In his celebrated career, James Sallis has created some of the most finely drawn protagonists in crime fiction, all of them thoughtful observers of the human condition: Lew Griffin, the black New Orleans private investigator; retired detective John Turner; the unnamed wheelman in Drive. Dr. Lamar Hale will now join the ranks of Sallis’ finest characters.In the woods outside the town of Willnot, the remains of several people have suddenly been discovered, unnerving the community and unsettling Hale, the town’s all-purpose general practitioner, surgeon, and conscience. At the same time, Bobby Lowndes—a man being followed by the FBI—mysteriously reappears in his hometown at Hale’s door. Over the ensuing months, the daily dramas Hale faces as he tends to his town and to his partner, Richard, collide with the swerves and turns of life in Willnot. And when a gunshot aimed at Lowndes critically wounds Richard, Hale’s world is truly upended.In his inimitable spare style, James Sallis conjures indelible characters and scenes that resonate long after they appear. “You live with someone year after year, you think you’ve heard all the stories,” Lamar observes, “but you never have.”

About James Sallis

James Sallis has published seventeen novels; three books of musicology; multiple collections of short stories, poems, and essays; and translations of both prose and poetry. He’s a recipient of the Hammett Prize for literary excellence in crime fiction, the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière, the Deutscher Krimi Preis, and the Brigada 21 in Spain, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award from Bouchercon. Sallis is best known for his novel Drive, which was made into what’s become an iconic film.

About Kevin Kenerly

Kevin Kenerly, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, earned a BA at Olivet College. A longtime member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, he has acted in more than twenty seasons, playing dozens of roles.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Sharon on April 21, 2016

From the blurb, I was expecting the usual cop drama. What a pleasant surprise to find a gentler story with much character development instead. I simply sat and read from beginning to end without stopping. I suspect I will read it again in a year and find nuances that I missed on the first read.......more

Goodreads review by Nehirin~ on October 16, 2018

Tavsiye etmiyorum. Hikâye ya da başka unsurlardan kaynaklı ama fikir belirtmek istemiyorum. Yavan, tatsız-tuzsuz.......more

Goodreads review by Charles on May 02, 2020

A character driven story of great intensity. Sallis's voice is so smooth and powerful that you cannot look away. It really hits you between the eyes with a barrage of empathy, melancholy, joy, longing, and every other rich experience we are capable of. Loved it.......more

Goodreads review by Kathy on April 23, 2018

Dr. Lamar Hale is a general practitioner and surgeon in the small town of Willnot - home to a variety of eccentrics. Lamar knows all the secrets and accepts everyone for who they are. When a gravesite containing a number of remains is discovered, the town and Lamar are unnerved. The return of Bobbly......more


Quotes

“James Sallis is one of our greatest living crime writers and Willnot continues an almost unseemly streak of excellence. Try to get his words, his stories, his people out of your head. Just try.” Laura Lippman, New York Times bestselling author

“Jim Sallis’ Willnot is a slippery, poetic mystery that becomes a love story to small town America.” Ian Rankin, New York Times bestselling author

“The discovery of a mass grave in the woods outside present-day Willnot, a small Southern town, opens this sly, nuanced tale from Sallis…Sallis is without peer when it comes to interweaving seemingly disparate narrative threads, and his work consistently challenges readers to question their assumptions about themselves and other people.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Part noir mystery and part small-town slice of life…Sallis’ latest has a lot to recommend it: an ingenious and unusual use of the MacGuffin; pungent dialogue; a world that’s either dark shot through with abundant light or light shot through with abundant dark; likable, complex characters. A brisk and sure-handed treat.” Kirkus Reviews


Awards

  • Publishers Weekly Pick of the Week
  • BookPage Book of the Day