For generations, Clayton Burroughs's family has run moonshine, weed, and meth over six state lines from their home on Georgia's Bull Mountain, but renegade Clayton is sheriff of a nearby community. Then an agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms comes knocking, and his plans to shut down the family's operations could be bad news for Clayton.

The Burroughs family has ruled the drug trade on Georgia's Bull Mountain for over 70 years. Bad blood between brothers has been a constant through three generations, with the current warfare playing out between Sheriff Clayton Burroughs and the family business head, Halford Burroughs. But the arrival of federal agent Simon Holly sparks the simmering hatred into a conflagration from which no one emerges unscathed. Sociopaths, manipulators, and pathological liars abound, with the roads that led them each to their own brand of evil well developed. The author delivers characters with depth, a lushly described setting, and an intergenerational battle between good and evil. After many twists and turns, the story ends with a welcome surprise. VERDICT Debut novelist Panowich vividly details the depravity that is part of the meth business. His book will appeal to readers of Wiley Cash, Ron Rash, and Daniel Woodrell for the way in which it brings the landscape and culture of rural Appalachia to life. [See Prepub Alert, 2/2/15.]—Sharon Mensing, Emerald Mountain Sch., Steamboat Springs, CO