I'm a big fan of Wesley Browne's Hillbilly Hustle (2020), maybe my favorite pandemic read. When I learned that novel's antagonist Burl Spoon would be the central character of Browne's next novel, I thought, How's that gonna work?. Spoon is a scary and unlikable character in HH, at least he was for me, so I was curious how he could carry a story that I could like. . . . Well, it works! They All Fall the Same works! By means mostly to do with three new female characters--Spoon's daughter DeeDee, his mistress Whitney, and especially his granddaughter Chelsea--Browne tenderizes Spoon and humanizes him. He's still violent and surrounded by violence. He's still even largely despicable. But we see him learn from mistakes--significant mistakes--and grow into a character with whom we can empathize, maybe even like a little bit. They All Fall the Same is an action-packed, well-paced romp through Kentucky, from Harlan to Louisville, with a brief side trip into Tennessee. A strong second outing for novelist Wesley Browne.

Wes Browne's Hillbilly Hustle was an excellent debut novel. This follow up, They All Fall the Same, is a major step forward and one of the finest pieces of southern noir I've read. Fans of David Joy and Donald Ray Pollock should enjoy the tale of outlaw Burl Spoon that Wes Browne has given us.

After reading the summary of this book, I had such high hopes. I was hoping for action packed book that gave me a Narcos feel. Unfortunately, my expectations were not met.

There are so many characters in this book that it’s hard to keep them straight. I also found myself struggling to stay interested in the story due to this.

It also felt like the story really dragged out. The entirety of the relevant story could’ve been told in 100 pages.

I’m sure that there are people who will love this book but it’s not my cup of tea.

Two drug dealers collide when a family member dies. Then mistakes happen, more people die and the stakes just keep rising. Is it all worth the revenge? When does it stop? Burl has to find himself, accept things he normally wouldn’t and then maybe redemption will come. This was a book with many twists and turns, good descriptive writing, and dialect that made you feel like you were in the backwoods.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

Many thanks to NetGalley and Wes Browne for this advance copy!

"They All Fall the Same" focuses on a cannabis kingpin named Burl Spoon. When he discovers that his daughter died from an overdose on fentanyl-laced heroin, Burl starts looking around to get justice for his daughter. This leads him to Clovis Begley, a father, sod farmer, and most importantly, a patriarch of a heroin operation in neighboring Madison County. It doesn't take long before an all out war breaks out between both families causing death and heartache. This story reminded me of a modern-day Hatfield and McCoy feud. I would have liked a more happy ending but I get that this was a bad guy vs. bad guy style book so the death and turmoil made it feel very real. 3.5/5

I liked this story of this book but did not love it. This book was very interesting but wanting more of the story to be excitement or more adventures.

Thank you to Netgalley for this Advance Copy!

They All Fall the Same started a little tough for me - it sort of has that "no good guys here" trope, however somehow despite this I found the pacing pick up quickly and it was really smooth read. The vibes are akin to Mystic River - a violent tragic and confronting sort of story which leaves you guessing at every moment.

An interesting side-note is that the emergence of Covid-19 is included in this story, the lockdown and use of face-masks adding to some of the intrigue of how this crime family vs crime family drama was going to play out.

Despite me saying "no good guys" the truth is the goodness of this story is around the 'edges' so to speak. Our MC Burl Spoon isn't even close to redeemable, and neither are his adversaries, yet in the mix are the innocent and semi-innocent bystanders, including the wider Spoon family. They All Fall the Same provides an unusual expression of the excitement and drama of a deadly organized crime war while still showing the collateral (and direct) damage and horror of such an event. While this might not be considered high literature exactly there was something interesting and meaningful about how this novel plays out - highly recommended!

This is a tale of revenge and what it can do to a family. Burl Spoon runs a very successful drug enterprise. His payroll includes some shady characters who will go to any length for their boss. When Burl’s drug addicted daughter dies, he wants to seek revenge on those who could have helped her but didn’t do so. When things go very, very wrong, Burl needs to protect his family while hiding himself from the law.

This story is fast-paced and unpredictable. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who loves a good dramatic story.

Thank you, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the eARC.

"They All Fall the Same" is a decent book that I liked but didn't love. This revenge story didn't delve as deeply as some others. Burl Spoon has run a successful drug business for over three decades with the right people on the payroll, but his personal life is chaotic. His dutiful wife has started to seek affection outside their marriage. Burl does, so why shouldn't she? Burl doesn't see eye-to-eye with his son due to his son's gay lifestyle. Additionally, Burl's daughter struggles with a drug habit, but her daughter. is the one bright spot in Burl's life. He simply adores his granddaughter and never wants her to see him as anything other than her papa. Burl's daughter unfortunately succumbs to her drug use. Burl is determined to make the people who supplied her pay.
This was an interesting story. I was waiting for all sorts of chaos to ensue. With his years of business acumen, I expected this to play out differently. He had members of law enforcement on his payroll. He had enforcers. I guess his emotions took over and caused him to be a bit reckless. Burl eventually learned to play the long game and brought the story to a fitting conclusion. This was an interesting story with interesting characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an e-arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

Burl Spoon is a cannabis kingpin in the south, but when his strung out daughter goes missing, leaving behind Spoon's granddaughter, he starts asking questions. When he discovers that his daughter died from an overdose on fentanyl-laced heroin, Burl demands retribution. Pitted against the Begley family, the heroin dealers that sold his daughter the drugs, Burl must pull his whole organization to exact revenge.

In a thrilling southern noir, Wes Browne delivers a gripping pulse-pounding novel that will keep you up late into the night. Burl, Clovis Begley, and the other cast of characters are intricate and interesting, each infused with a certain amount of chaos. The scenes and landscapes are so vividly painted that they transport you there, sitting in the humidity and heat. Each chapter rolls into the next, making you unable to stop reading. I found myself both loving and hating Burl, making this an emotional rollercoaster as you both hope for his success, yet pray for his demise.

Set right before and during the Covid-19 pandemic, this novel is replete with action, perfect for thrill-seekers. A wonderfully descriptive southern noir.

Let me start by saying that I picked this up entirely because of the comparisons I had seen being made to S.A. Cosby, of whom I am a HUGE fan. While there are certainly some similarities, and the vibe is definitely in the same family, I'd consider <i>They All Fall the Same</i> to be quite a bit milder than any of Cosby's works that I have read.

That said, this book was a quick and captivating read, and with mostly unlikable characters, you will still find yourself rooting for the most despicable of them to have positive character growth and a redemption arc.

I wish that this book had spent a little more time delving into some of the specifics of situations and relationships, especially after the time jumps in the latter parts of the story. I felt like it could have been taken to even deeper depths and been even better if it had been about 50 pages longer.

This was a quick read for me. Even though Burl Spoon was atrocious, I kept wanting to read about him and hoping he would win out somehow. While I can't compare anyone to the Bard, I did feel a smidgen of the same feeling I get when I read Macbeth. Why do I want to continue reading about this rotten to the core character? Hmmm, maybe there is something redeemable, however miniscule.

This was a very well written book about Kentucky gangsters. I enjoyed the story and the plot progression. It has a couple twists that got me!! I would give it 3 1/2 stars.

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed reading it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

4.5 stars. In this Appalachian noir by Wes Browne, Burl Spoon is the outlaw king of Jackson County, Kentucky. His marijuana empire allows him to buy the local law, hire a small army of criminals, and act with impunity, Mostly that means spending time on his farm with his granddaughter and seeing his mistress Whitney when he can. But when his drug-addicted daughter DeeDee goes missing, the trail leads to Clovis Begley, the patriarch of a heroin operation in neighboring Madison County. Clovis is as tough and grizzled as Burl, and before long a war threatens to engulf both families. Browne takes his time setting up this modern-day Hatfield and McCoy feud, fleshing out Burl's estranged family and the men who follow him: Greek, Pot Roast, Toby, Christy, and the rest.

The story is set in a realistic rural Kentucky setting, the characters colorful without being clichés and the violence coming in quick spurts. Burl is no saint, and Browne wisely does not romanticize the man one bit. He's a criminal kingpin, disdainful of weakness and as stubborn as a stump, but he's also slowly realizing that his life has cost him dearly, and his desire for vengeance against Clovis Begley could endanger everything that remains. Can a hardened criminal find his way back to being human?

This may start as a slow burn, but there's dynamite at the end of this fuse.

They All Fall the Same is an impressive novel very much in the vein of David Joy and Eli Cranor. What struck me with Browne's writing is the crispness of his prose in a genre that's apt to lean on tired phrases and cliché. The story itself grabbed a hold of me from page one, and I was blazing through the pages to see what madness Burl Spoon would do next. I love a good tale of revenge, and this one delivered at the highest level. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for an early look at this fantastic Southern noir.

Burl Spoon is a bad man. He will do anything to seemingly keep his family, his business and his friends under control. It also helps to have the local cops with him too. When Burls daughter, which at the rate you read this book, I almost forgot, sets off a chains of revenge with a rival family unlike you'll read in quite some time. Yeah you can compare other authors novels to this, but there is no need, this is a great powerhouse Southern rural crime story and I can't wait for more. Outstanding.