Rice Moore isn’t necessarily trying to outrun his past, but he is certainly trying to hide from those in it. Wanted by men more dangerous than the police, Rice finds solace and, more importantly, anonymity when he takes a job at the remote Turk Mountain Preserve. Unfortunately, a discovery forces Rice to emerge from the shadows – bear carcasses stripped of their claws and gallbladders for sale on the black market.

Rice believes there is a connection between the poached bears and the rape of his predecessor at the preserve. These dynamics force Rice to go well beyond his duties to capture the culprits. His low profile falls by the wayside as he becomes well known, but not well liked, by the small town inhabitants – including the police.

McLaughlin’s first novel packs a big punch and shows off his writing chops. He uses vivid imagery to transport the reader into the backwoods of Virginia. More powerfully, he gives the reader an intimate depiction of Rice – you can feel his emotion and rage. At one point, Rice devolves into a literal savage spending days on end in the forest. I was worried we were going to lose him to the elements. The forest seemed to engulf Rice in a similar way to how the Overlook Hotel drove Jack Torrance to insanity in Stephen King’s The Shining.

Ultimately, Rice gets back on track and uses all his faculties and some of that newfound (or rejuvenated) savagery to protect the preserve and his life. This is not a beach read but rather a well laid out, beautifully written novel filled with action and raw emotion.

Verdict: Read it! (4/5 Stars)
Length: 352 pages
When: Next time you are camping or enjoying time with nature
Quote: “Maybe he could simple disappear, merge somehow with the forest, finishing the process he felt had already begun.”
Also Try: Only Killers and Thieves by Paul Howarth (B2C review)

Buy Bearskin by James McLaughlin