A Great New Novel from Brian Panowich

Hard Cash Valley is, technically, the third novel in the Bull Mountain series by Brian Panowich. But while much of the landscape is the same, both geographically and psychically, and while the ghosts of some of the previous characters hang over the novel, this is an entirely new cast of characters. And as much as I loved both Bull Mountain and Like Lions, this book is even better.

At the heart of the novel is Dane Kirby, a former arson investigator who now works for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. As the novel opens, one of Kirby's boyhood friends is arrested for murder. Kirby is morally convinced that his friend could not be guilty, even though a lot of evidence points in that direction. Kirby promises to help his old friend, but before he can even lift a finger to do so, his boss loans him out to the F.B.I., which is investigating a particularly brutal murder in a seedy Florida motel.

A lowlife named Arnie Blackwell has been slowly tortured to death and his body then set on fire. Kirby assesses the scene, offers a few opinions, and then attempts to beg off the case, claiming that he can bring nothing of value to the investigation. The supervisor in charge refuses to let him off the hook, though, and pairs him with a caustic, hard-driving agent named Roselita Velasquez, displacing Velasquez's usual partner in the process.

It's a rocky start to their relationship, and things will not get better any time soon. Velasquez resents being assigned to work with Kirby and there seems to be nothing he can do to soften her attitude toward him or to most of the other people that they encounter during the course of the investigation.

It soon turns out that the murder of Arnie Blackwell is only the opening round of a very long and sordid trail of criminal activity. Blackwell had recently come into possession of a huge amount of money, which is now missing, and a lot of extremely nasty characters are searching for it. A young boy, close to Blackwell, is also missing. People are looking for him as well, and the hunt for both the money and the boy will take virtually all of the characters into some very dark and dangerous places.

Dane Kirby is a man with a lot of problems of his own. Years earlier, his life was shattered by an unspeakable tragedy, from which he has never recovered. He's having trouble relating to the woman in his life and has other issues as well. The last thing he needs at the moment is an investigation this complex and daunting, and watching him soldier on is a heart-wrenching experience.

This is a beautifully written book with sharply drawn characters who will remain with the reader for a very long time. Panowich is an hugely gifted storyteller, and the plot is electric. Even more impressive is the sense of place that he evokes, and the reader is immediately immersed in the world that Panowich has created. Hard Cash Valley is a dark, gritty, violent book that grabs you from the opening paragraph and is impossible to put down. All in all, it's one of the most impressive books I've read in a long time.