Description

Acclaimed author Joe Lansdale’s landmark tale of love and vengeance at the dark dawn of the East Texas oil boom.

Jack Parker knows all too well how treacherous life can be. His parents did not survive a smallpox epidemic. His grandfather was murdered. Now his sister Lula has been kidnapped by a bank robber.

Alongside bounty hunter Shorty, an eloquent dwarf with a chip on his shoulder, and Eustace, the grave-digging son of an ex-slave, Jack sets off to rescue Lula.

In turn-of-the-century Texas, that quest is likely to turn dangerous. Murderous outlaws find their homes in the remote wilderness. Oil wells spurt liquid money from the ground. And blood and redemption still rule supreme.

Publisher Review

Too often overlooked in American literature is that lineage descending from our early humorists such as Bierce, and from Twain: regional, darkly comic, bizarre. That's where Joe Lansdale lives. He's very Texan, very American, very funny - and a stone brilliant writer -- James Sallis, author of Drive THE THICKET presents Joe Lansdale at his finest - which is to say, at the high-water mark of all storytelling. Nuanced, compelling, darkly humorous and remarkably vivid, THE THICKET quickly becomes a one-sitting novel, told in a voice that would have called Huck Finn himself in from the river. Lansdale marries story and style in a way most writers never achieve. -- Michael Koryta, author of THE PROPHET Joe Lansdale is one of the dark kings of modern mystery fiction, a master of the genre. His name deserves to be whispered with the greats. -- John Connolly A gently legendary quality makes this tall tale just about perfect * Kirkus Reviews * Storytelling laced with bravado, good humor, action, and heart . . . As captivating as the best of Larry McMurtry and written in a style reminiscent of Mark Twain. . . This title cannot help but captivate readers. * Library Journal * The Bard of East Texas is back . . . Memorable characters, a vivid sense of place, and an impressive body count make THE THICKET another Lansdale treasure * Booklist * This latest work reads like a dark version of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and feels like a Coen brothers movie. It's the perfect mix of light and dark, with plenty of humor mixed in * Houston Chronicle * A master of noir laced with laugh-out-loud black humour . . . horror, bloodshed and laughs * Shortlist *