Solid book by Panowich (don't call him sandwich).
Lessons about family made this an enjoyable read. Bull Mountain is quite the place.

This started off so strong and it rode that wave throughout the book. I really enjoyed this, especially just rooting for the characters. The author developed them so well and the thrilling parts - man, those were fun to read and just simply great. The crime fiction made this a powerful read because it wasn't just about the thriller aspect but the characters themselves. This was a fully round-out page turner for sure.

This was my first read from this author and I really appreciated the intensity in his book. I look forward to his other works because if it's any like this one, I definitely will read it. My heart is pounding thinking about the rip-roaring storylines. This was a great read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of his book. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars!

In McFalls County, local crime boss Gareth Burroughs runs everything on the mountain. And Nelson “Nails” McKenna has been his enforcer since he was a teenager, though his heart's not really in the dirty work. Then one night in a local roadhouse, Nails goes too far, defending a woman, and even Burroughs’s reach can’t get him out of this one. With a dead body and countless witnesses, Nails and the
woman become fugitives on the run, and unlikely partners.

But on the road to Jacksonville, where a possible escape awaits, there’s more than one interested party on the pair’s trail, and the glimpse they had of getting away scot free suddenly seems elusive. In the end, Nails must make one final stand for his freedom—or pay with both of their lives.

I really love this author. I have read every book by this author and loved all of them.
This book is the prequel of the Bull Mountain series. I love the genre of southern noir and this author is one of the best in this genre.

There is a lot of violence but once you start it, you will not want to put it down. It is very addicting. It's a fast paced thriller and I just devoured this book. It is action packed and it's very gritty and it will make you cringe at times.

The characters were all done excellent. There are characters that you will admire and then there are characters that you will hate.
I always get excited when I open up a Brian Panowich book. I screamed when I got approved for this novel.

OMG! OMG! OMG! That ending was just fantastic! It was so emotional. There are lots of surprises. I loved all the twists and some I didn't see coming. If you love gritty books this book is a must read.

I want to thank Netgalley, St. Martin's Press Minotaur books for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Brian Panowich instantly joined the pantheon of great Southern Noir Crime Writers with the release of his unforgettable debut novel, Bull Mountain. While not as prolific as some in the field, he has continued to mine the depths of rural crime and Appalachian sensibility with several other strong additions to the canon. But his most recent work, Nothing but the Bones, is without a doubt his crowning achievement to date. This novel once again features the Burroughs Family—in this case going back in time to add layers of nuance to the history and character of Clayton Burroughs—but the novel is really the story of two outcasts who somehow manage to find their way to each other at a time when they both need support the most.


As Nothing but the Bones opens, Nelson McKenna is a pariah in his community. Born with both some physical and mental challenges, Nelson struggles with interpersonal interactions. When a near-tragedy is averted, family patriarch Gareth Burroughs recognizes Nelson as a useful thug enforcer for his crime syndicate. Because of his powerful and oversized hand and arm, Gareth dubs him “Nails” and welcomes him to the family.

After years of doing the grunt work on Bull Mountain, Nails once again handles an interaction in the worst possible way—resulting in the accidental death of another important man. Now on the run, Nails quickly discovers that the young woman he was trying to save has managed to stowaway in his car. Now the two of them are on the run together—trying to stay out of prison, but more importantly trying to stay alive.

Every ounce of Nothing but the Bones oozes with respect and dignity for outcasts and those who find themselves on the fringes of society through no fault of their own. With lyrical language that vacillates between breathless beauty and unvarnished reality as it dances from sentence to sentence, Panowich continues to spotlight society’s brutal nature while juxtaposing it with the most sublime moments of honest vulnerability in ways that is at times truly awe-inspiring.

In Nails McKenna and Dallas Georgia, Brian Panowich has crafted an iconic pair that rivals both Bonnie and Clyde and Thelma and Louise. They both come to the table with difficult histories and challenges that could easily be dismissed (at best) or exploited (at worst), but this is an author interested in respecting the self-worth of every individual. Part of what makes Nothing but the Bones so unique in the Noir subgenre is how Panowich manages to remain faithful to the nihilistic tradition while also imbuing the whole with a newfound hopefulness in humanity.

Fans of novels like Jordan Harper’s She Rides Shotgun will find themselves having the same visceral reaction to Brian Panowich’s Nothing but the Bones as they did to those other works. Both books—just as we find in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—present a difficult physical journey alongside the resulting emotional impact of every decision made along the way.

As strange as it may sound to say, keep the tissues close when you are reading Brian Panowich’s Nothing but the Bones because there are several occasions when you are going to need them. This is a singular and unforgettable addition to the Southern Noir canon from an author who is not afraid to take big swings—likely because he has the confidence to know that he can successfully land them.

Thank you to the author Brian Panowich, publishers Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of NOTHING BUT THE BONES. All views are mine.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. I'm about halfway through this book, and nothing remarkable has happened since we met the main characters. The story is just washing over me– a very flat story line. Lots of fighting, no conflict.

2. At 54%, we finally meet the antagonistic force. That's too long to wait before I lose attention, usually, but I like Nelson.

Rating: dnf @ 60%
Recommend? Not at this time


June '24 Reread:

Thank you to the author Brian Panowich, publishers Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of NOTHING BUT THE BONES. All views are mine.

...[Like] most of the people she’d left behind in Florida, she walked around barefoot all the time anyway. Grocery Store Feet, her mother used to call it. It meant when you walked around barefoot so much that the bottoms of your feet stayed ashy black. It was so gross. When she was little, she’d have to sit on the edge of the tub and let the hot water wash all the nastiness off her feet before she could fill the tub and take a bath. Loc.1585.

This is one of those rare character driven novels in which I actually like both the mmc, Nails, and the fmc, Dallas, enough to carry the whole book. I wish the plot progression had been more straightforward, as I think such a construction would have gotten more out of Nails and Dallas.

I love the inclusion of queer and trans themes, and the writing of this character is well done. Unfortunately, it's never good form to out a character for a plot twist or plot point, especially a climactic one. In general though, Panowich handles the concerns of protected communities with the respect and dignity they deserve.

This book contains solid characters with exciting trajectories, but a flimsy plot. Glad I read this one the second time through, actually; these characters are worth getting reacquainted! Recommend to fans of S.A. Cosby, Southern noir,

She squeezed her eyes shut . She was sure he still didn’t know. Even when he saw her getting dressed in the bathroom. She was sure then he didn’t know. And would he leave her if he did know? She opened her eyes. Of course he would. But that’s not what was happening. She was overreacting. Loc.3109.

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. The opening scene displays some gorgeous place work and sharp style in general.

2. I love what comics represent in this one, as a simultaneous accessibility device and educational alternative: Most people dismissed [comic books] as drugstore garbage.... But for Nelson they...had helped him learn to read.... The way the words came in short bursts along with pictures to help him understand....

3. This opening scene is nicely propulsive and really sets a pace and tone for the rest of the book. Hope it keeps up! *ed. It does!*

4. These characters, Dallas and Nails, are finely drawn. I love the details about their dynamic and personal histories.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. Repetitious material, such as the section of scene spanning loc.750 to loc.914 that is just a series of conversations that repeat material and reiterate that they can't reveal anything. These conversations are dull and it's unlikely to distinguish which information is actually useful.

2. On my first read, I had this same quibble, which is the plot is vague. These two characters don't really have compelling reasons to act, when they're not committing mid-level crimes. The story is very meandering!

3. Wtf does he dead name her in the hospital? The book was pretty great about this until here.

4. There are like 3 climaxes in this book and none of them resolves the primary conflict, which for Nails, was for Dallas is to get to Florida. The denouement plays out way too long and involves a bunch of characters that didn't matter very much to the plot. So I don't remember or care about them. Finally, in the epilogue, which some readers don't even bother with, Nails gets his resolution. But it makes no sense, and it annoys me how much superfluous material Panowich stuffed into the last 20% of this book.

Rating: 🦴🦴🦴🦴 /5 broken bones
Recommend? Yes
Finished: Jun 24 '24
Format: Digital arc, Kindle
Read this book if you like:
🌫 Southern noir
🛣 road trip bandits
👩🏼‍🤝‍👨🏽 coming of age

Trying to stay in the background, Nails finds himself on the run with a woman he ended up protecting one night at a bar. When things got out of hand, Nails and Dallas make a break for it and Nails continues to try to protect her.

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book, but the excerpt was interesting, so I gave it a shot. I did like it, but I thought that there were a few times that it was kind of dragging on. I liked the intensity of some of the scenes in the story, and I loved the love story that was blossoming between the main characters.

4 stars, I look forward to reading more from this author in the future

Brian Panowich’s Nothing But the Bones is kind of what you’d get if you crossed a noir read with a Southern Gothic novel. The noir aspect is hinted at early when you have the main character reading The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain. The Southern Gothic element is obvious by the fact that the characters of the novel are populated by rednecks and the entire saga is set in northern Georgia and northern Florida. In the end, the mix is a little like oil and water comingling: noir novels are known to be pulpy, and Southern Gothic novels are more literary. Thus, Nothing But the Bones comes across as being a little uneven, but, having said that, it is great fun too and gets better as it goes along — with a revealing twist here and there that one might not see coming. Nobody is going to mistake this novel for high literature, but if you have the time and the inclination, you could do a lot worse than reading this novel. You just have to get through a bit of a saggy mid-section to get to the good bits, as hackneyed and clichéd as they might seem. If you can put your mind in park, then Nothing But the Bones is entertaining enough.

The book concerns one Nelson “Nails” McKenna, who has been in the back pocket of a local crime boss in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains ever since he was a young boy. One fateful night in 1998, Nails winds up breaking up an altercation in a bar where a young woman is being sexually assaulted and winds up killing her assailant. Given his stature in the local crime community, Nails is given $8,000 to disappear to Jacksonville, Florida, where arrangements will be made for his protection — or will they? In any event, Nails takes to the open road in a muscle car, only to find that the girl he has protected has already hidden herself in it and has come along for the ride. From there, the duo winds up getting into deeper and deeper trouble as they cross paths with the son of a famous television evangelist and end up knocking over a gas station when their cash gets stolen. Meanwhile, the son of said local crime boss hits the road, too, to find out what happened to his friend at the urging of his wife and her best friend — even if that means crossing paths with his “Deddy.” The question then becomes, can this man — Clayton — find Nails before it’s too late and Nails gets knocked off? Or will Nails pull Clayton further into his world of trouble and end up getting all of them killed? Put another way, will everything end in tears? Or worse?

I found that more attention was paid to how Nothing But the Bones ends than the destination it takes to get the reader there. Therefore, I could see some readers becoming frustrated and putting down this book before giving it a chance. The reason is largely in how the book is written: the dialogue comes across as cardboard and the characters are two-dimensional (well, at least until the secret reveal). However, the last third of the book or so is dynamite and crackerjack, as if suddenly the author woke up and realized he was, until then, writing a work of sub-par fiction. The ending of this novel is bittersweet but also quite fetching. So, it’s a little odd that some of this, especially in the open road sections of the book, winds up feeling a little on the wooden side. Certainly, this is not the kind of book that would hold a candle to the best works either in the noir or Southern Gothic traditions. But then, something happens, and the novel suddenly develops a sense of compassion for certain people who were more misunderstood some 30 years ago than they are now. And that’s kind of the surprising thing about this work: it starts off being about a heinous crime and ends up being a touching meditation on what love looks like.

Conclusively, I’m not sure what to make of Nothing But the Bones. I enjoyed it but found the first half or so to be rather lopsided in approach, without giving much to care about when it comes to these characters until the book’s almost done. However, I think that a reader who has read nothing but a steady diet of noir fiction may find something to like here. Possibly the same is true of a reader of Southern Gothic if they can get past the fact that this is no William Faulkner-esque read. Overall, the ending of this left an impression and I’m happy to have read a novel that presents certain people’s sexuality in a positive light. Add to the fact that there’s the odd twist or two to be had here, and there’s something disarming about Nothing But the Bones. (As an aside, I’m not sure why the book is called that, aside from the fact that one character is nicknamed Boner.) You do have to get past the book’s unevenness, but once the action is well situated in Florida, the plot becomes explosive even if it does feel a bit generic. In any event, Nothing But the Bones is a book that does an interesting thing: graft two disparate genres together in marriage. It’s not perfect, but if you’re looking for a mindless piece of mostly fluff, it will do, I suppose. There are worse things out there to read, and the concept is interesting enough. If this sounds like something you might enjoy, in the end, you probably will.

Once again Brian Panowich has impressed me with a hauntingly beautiful story continuing the saga of Bull Mountain. Though the subjects tackled in the book are gut wrenching to read dealing with the evil in the world, they are tempered with so much good. Because of all the emotions evoked by his writing I am forever a fan! Do yourself a favor and read all Brian Panowich's books! My thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Published by Minotaur Books on April 16, 2024

Nothing But the Bones builds its plot from a diverse range of crimes and criminals. A central character controls the crime in a mountainous Georgia county but extends his reach into other parts of the country. A more sophisticated criminal, complete with a British accent and a proper education, is based in Jacksonville. Also in Jacksonville is a criminal who traffics in young people. A wealthy televangelist (again from Georgia) is a criminal by definition.

Embedded in the crime plot is a love story. Whether the love story will appeal to readers depends on how they will react to a plot twist. How they will react likely depends upon which side of a cultural divide they inhabit. Since the love story depends on a surprise that shouldn’t be spoiled, I’ll focus on the crime story.

Before he acquired the name Nails, Nelson McKenna was a large, shy kid with a deformed hand. Bullies thought Nelson was mentally challenged (although that wasn’t the phrase they used to describe him), but he suffers from a disability that makes it difficult for him to place his thoughts into words. Two girls intervened when Nelson was being bullied because they knew Nelson to be a nice guy. When the bully turned on one of the girls, Nelson decided it was time to fight back. Unfortunately, he didn’t know when to stop fighting.

Clayton Burroughs watched it all happen. He regarded Nelson as a friend so he called his Deddy to clean up the mess. That turned out to be a bad decision. Nelson acquired the name Nails from Gareth Burroughs and became Gareth’s enforcer. Gareth controls everything in the mountains and local law enforcement knows not to mess with him.

At a later point in his life, Nails has acquired a reputation for violence. He’s hanging out in a bar when a girl named Dallas flirts with him. A couple of tough guys assault Dallas and Nails intervenes to protect her. Again, Nails doesn’t know when to stop and again, Gareth Burroughs needs to clean up a mess. He sends Nails to Jacksonville but the likelihood is that he’s heading to his own funeral. Without being invited, Dallas joins him for the trip.

Nails bonds with Dallas as they make their way to Jacksonville. More crimes follow, including a theft of money from Nails, a gas station robbery, and the kidnapping of Dallas. Clayton defies his father by traveling to Jacksonville to rescue his friend. Violence ensues.

We’re told that Nails is a fan of old pulp novels, the kind that can be read quickly: “Short bursts of simple words. Short chapters that got to the point.” Brian Panowich adopts that style for Nothing But the Bones. He doesn’t try to write with self-conscious literary flair. He doesn’t mess around with devices like time shifts or changing points of view. He tells a straightforward, linear story with carefully chosen but unassuming prose. He writes with the gritty darkness of the best pulp writers. Unlike most pulp fiction, however, Panowich obviously took his time, editing and rewriting to avoid the clunkiness of pulp writers who had to churn out a high volume of words each month to pay the rent.

Nails and Clayton have a moral center that makes them likable. Clayton’s confrontation with his father adds tension to the story, as do Nails’ efforts to rescue people in distress. A section of the novel that functions as an epilogue forces a happy ending that seems out of place and isn’t nearly as believable as the rest of the story. Fans of happy endings will want to read the whole book; fans of realism might want to skip the ending.

RECOMMENDED

Such a riveting novel full of action, mystery, and suspense! Great Storyline!!

5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the first novel I have read of author Brian Panowich and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.

It captivated me since the first chapter. I felt so sad for Nelson "Nails" McKenna and "Dallas." I think the author did a great job of including the twist in the storyline. It totally took me by surprise. I have to admit I did not see it coming!

I loved the fact that this novel has a happy ending. I was rooting for both of them and wanted to see them happy for once in their lives.

Great novel! I absolutely recommend!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. :)

*4.5 stars rounded up.

Set in McFalls County, Georgia in the 1990s, Nelson 'Nails' McKenna works for local crime boss, Garth Burroughs, as his enforcer. One night at a local bar, Nails sees a young woman being mistreated by her boyfriend and steps in. Things get out of hand and he ends up killing the guy. His boss calls in a favor and arranges for Nails to take off for Jacksonville, Florida with a wad of cash to meet a contact there. And somehow that young woman he helped hitches a ride. Who is she really? Trouble with a capital T?

Nelson has some mental and physical problems but he's a big, likable guy who tries to do what's right. One of his best friends from high school days happens to be the crime boss's son, Clayton, who quickly realizes Nails might be getting set up and decides to track him down. Things get pretty hot and heavy in Jacksonville!

I really enjoyed the pace that the plot unfolded; it really kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next. A great addition to this series. Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

4.5⭐

Nelson “Nails” McKenna has been working as an enforcer for the local crime boss Gareth Burroughs on Bull Mountain, Georgia, for almost a decade ever since he was sixteen years old. His initiation with the Burroughs clan was a result of a particularly violent episode that resulted in the grievous injury of a young man in Burrough’s employ. Loyal to a fault, he follows orders and is trusted by his employer. Despite his apparent toughness, he is a loner with an unhappy childhood behind him. When Nelson encounters Dallas one night at the local pub, he is immediately drawn to her and in a shocking turn of events he ends up killing a man who was abusing her with a room full of witnesses. Nelson’s boss instructs him to go to Jacksonville, Florida, where it is assumed that arrangements are being made for his escape from the law. When Clayton, Nelson’s childhood friend and Gareth's son who is not involved in his father’s criminal dealings, finds out that things aren't as they seem and Nelson could be in danger and decides to go looking for him. But Clayton isn’t the only one looking for Nelson and Dallas, who has partnered up with Nelson and harboring secrets that might get the both of them killed. The narrative follows Nelson and Dallas as they go on the run.

Dark, gritty and atmospheric, Nothing but the Bones by Brian Panowich is a gripping read. The complex characters, the setting, and the propulsive action-packed plot drew me in and kept me hooked till the very end. Perfectly paced with not a boring moment, I could not put this one down! I loved how the author describes the dynamics between the characters – the love, friendship, and family connections – the deep-rooted ties that bind people together as well as those that are fractured when loyalties are tested when push comes to shove. Each of the characters is well defined ( even the immensely unlikable ones) and I was invested in both Nelson’s and Dallas’s storylines and thought the author did a remarkable job of bringing all the threads of the story together in the end with plenty of surprises on the way. Though I haven’t read any of the books in the Bull Mountain series, I had no trouble following the narrative and now I’m eager to read the other books in this series.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I read BULL MOUNTAIN several years ago but could still tell you the story held within those pages. It's that kind of book. NOTHING BUT THE BONES is the 4th published volume of the Bull Mountain series but it's more of a prequel or added side story than a continuation of the story begun in 2015. You'll recognize many of the characters and the community in which they live, work and die. Brian Panowich's writing skills are some of the best in today's market as he continues the story of the Burroughs' and the lengths they must go through to keep ahead of the law. Panowich expands the story of Nelson "Nails" McKenna. Friend of Clayton Burroughs and enforcer for his father, Gareth, Nails' choices find him running from the law and his enemies to save a young woman and himself from retribution. Another excellent book in this excellent series.

I’ll read anything Brian Panowich writes.

NOTHING BUT THE BONES is gritty southern crime fiction at its best. The story is dark, explosive, and totally engrossing.

The characters are complex, walk-off-the-page people.

Crime fiction should not make my eyes leak, but the depth of emotions here is intense. I felt like an active participant, rather than a mere reader.

This is technically the fourth Bull Mountain novel, but you don’t need to read others first. (Though you should definitely read them, because wow!) In fact, I think this one could be considered a prequel to the other three.

*I received an eARC from the publisher, via NetGalley.*

Brian Panowich continues his multi-generational saga about the Burroughs crime family on Bull Mountain in McFalls County, Georgia, with Nothing But the Bones (Minotaur Books, April 2024). Most of the action takes place before the later events of Bull Mountain. The book is broken into three segments, the first one set in 1989, the second one in 1996, and the third one in 2007.

Misfit Nelson McKenna was born crippled, his family abused and mistreated him, then he was rejected by most of the world until Gareth Burroughs took him in as a teenager and diverted his formidable strength into an enforcer role for Burroughs’ criminal activities.

One night at a club McKenna sees a woman being mistreated and loses his temper, killing the bully in full view of a number of people. Burroughs doesn’t have enough political pull to protect McKenna from the legal consequences, so he gives him a place to run to and enough money to pay for the trip.

The mistreated woman invites herself along and the two hesitantly bond during the drive to Jacksonville, Florida, discovering both had been damaged by their parents and exploited by others. Clayton Burroughs, Gareth’s youngest son and the conscience of the Burroughs family, finds McKenna to bring him back to Georgia. Things go sideways rapidly in a series of inhumanely violent events that miraculously converge to deliver hope and happiness for both of the main characters, who are amazing creations.

The definition of family, of friendship, and of loyalty is explored here in the context of the poverty and hopelessness of rural Appalachian Georgia. Beautifully and powerfully written, this book is compulsively readable despite the brutality and callousness much of it portrays. I was immediately immersed and it was hard to put the book down. The time shifts are straightforward here and easier to follow than I found the repeated chronological disruptions of Bull Mountain. Not an easy read but fans of southern noir will welcome this addition to the Bull Mountain canon.

"Nothing But the Bones" was a fast-paced gripping read. From start to finish I was pulled into this storyline eager to see what was going to happen next.

The writing was gritty and atmospheric, full of twists and turners that kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters both complex and memorable. I think this is definitely worth checking out if you enjoy reading Crime Thrillers!

Thank you Brian Panowich, Net Galley and St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for proving me with an ARC of this book!

Nothing But the Bones is gripping, punch you in the face, southern noir intensity that is impossible to set down and addictive right down into your very marrow.

The absolutely brilliant @bpanowich drops the latest and greatest McFalls County / Bull Mountain instalment today and to say I’m obsessed with this series is an understatement - if you want hugely atmospheric, deep rural south, good men doing bad things, bad men doing worse things, crime thriller vibes then this is the series you cannot sleep on. Every book ratchets up the intensity and every book leaves you wanting more.

Brian has this incredible knack for writing characters who live the moral grey area and who are so undeniably compelling that you are desperate for them to come out on top, even when they are sometimes very bad men, known for doing very dangerous things. I cannot get enough of the Burroughs family in particular - genuinely some of the most brilliantly crafted characters I’ve ever read.

This book is tense, fast paced, packed with blood, sweat and tears and fully ready to tear you apart as a reader.

You absolutely have to have it.

The best news is that this is out today so you don’t have to wait to get on board this rollercoaster thriller that will have you frantically devouring chapters well into the night. A literal MUST READ this spring - no TBR will be complete without it.

Many thanks to @minotaur_books for the copy and @bpanowich - you know I’m already itching for more.

Nothing But the Bones is book 4 in the gripping crime thriller series Bull Mountain by Brian Panowich.
A very enthralling read that has me so ready for more, great characters and real human emotion in the fast-paced story.
The characters are complex and determined.
With an amazing cast of characters, non stop action and an extremely well written story line, you won’t be able to put this book down.
A compelling crime thriller oozing with authenticity! This was a gritty, thrilling enjoyable read in this series and is highly recommended.

Thank You NetGalley and Minotaur Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Powerful Southern noir page turner that's a gut punch with a surprise or two. This is part of a series, of sorts, but it's wholly readable as a standalone. Nails, who is so much more than his tormenters over the years know, stands up Dallas, a woman he meets in the local a bar-setting off a nightmare trip through Georgia to Florida. Lucky for Nails, he's got the support of the crime boss of his county and more importantly in many ways the support of Clayton, the boss's son. This is violent- very violent and it's distressing in other ways as well. Dallas is an indelible character who has a secret I didn't guess. It's atmospheric, the characters are incredible (right down to the gas station owner Dallas robs), and the Panowich has a way with building tension. Know that this might feel like it's got a slow start but that it will amp up quickly and then you'll be along for the ride with Nails and Dallas. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A terrific read.

"Nothing But the Bones" by Brian Panowich is a gritty and gripping tale of crime, loyalty, and redemption set against the backdrop of McFalls County, where one man's desperate bid for freedom leads to a harrowing journey of survival.

At the heart of the story is Nelson "Nails" McKenna, a reluctant enforcer for local crime boss Gareth Burroughs. When Nails finds himself embroiled in a deadly altercation while defending a woman in a roadhouse, he becomes a fugitive on the run, forced to flee alongside his unlikely partner. Panowich masterfully builds tension as Nails and the woman navigate the treacherous landscape of McFalls County, pursued by multiple parties with their own agendas.

What sets "Nothing But the Bones" apart is its raw and unflinching portrayal of life on the fringes of society. Panowich delves deep into the psyche of his characters, exploring themes of morality, justice, and the lengths one will go to for freedom. Nails is a compelling protagonist, torn between his loyalty to Burroughs and his desire to break free from the cycle of violence that defines his existence.

As the story hurtles towards its gripping conclusion, Panowich keeps readers on the edge of their seats with twists and turns that are both unexpected and satisfying. The tension is palpable, and the stakes are high as Nails must confront his past and make a fateful decision that will determine his fate.

In "Nothing But the Bones," Panowich proves once again why he is a master of the crime genre. With its atmospheric setting, complex characters, and relentless pace, this novel is a riveting read from start to finish. Fans of gritty, noir-inspired thrillers will find much to love in this tale of survival and redemption in the face of overwhelming odds.

Overall, "Nothing But the Bones" is a must-read for anyone craving a dark and immersive crime drama. Panowich's deft storytelling and richly drawn characters make this novel a standout in the genre, leaving readers eagerly anticipating his next literary offering.