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bkeving_74's review against another edition
4.0
One messed up fsmily!
I chose this book because I live in N GA and understand a little about family clans and the epidemic of meth in this area. It wasn't so much about the meth this story centers on but how a family's sins can be passed down through the generations. It also shows how difficult it can be to break out of those family and generational bonds.
I chose this book because I live in N GA and understand a little about family clans and the epidemic of meth in this area. It wasn't so much about the meth this story centers on but how a family's sins can be passed down through the generations. It also shows how difficult it can be to break out of those family and generational bonds.
sangelo17's review against another edition
5.0
If you secretly want to be an outlaw, this is the book for you. I loved how the book switched characters. Excited to read book two.
bmg20's review against another edition
5.0
‘Cooper Burroughs sat and chewed tobacco while he watched his nine-year-old son dig his first grave. There was more lesson in that than in killin’ any eight-point buck.’
Bull Mountain is located in the backwoods of Northern Georgia where for decades the Burroughs family has successfully evaded the law while making their living running moonshine, pot and eventually meth. Halford Burroughs is currently the man in charge of Bull Mountain while his younger brother and family outcast Clayton is the sheriff of the county. The two have managed to form a precarious truce yet fractures form when Special Agent Simon Holly arrives with the revelation that he’s there to put a stop to the Burroughs family enterprise on Bull Mountain.
‘Clayton knew he would always be welcome, but the badge had no business here at all. If a thing existed up here, it was because it belonged here. And if it didn’t belong, the people who lived here made damn sure it didn’t stay.’
Bull Mountain centers around two brothers, Halford and Clayton, but actions of their father, Gareth, from decades past is responsible for setting in motion the current catastrophe. When Gareth Burroughs made the transition from moonshine to pot and then to meth, the need to secure his growing empire became more and more apparent. Allying himself with gun producers in Florida is the first step he takes in the wrong direction seeing as the Burroughs have always kept their business on the mountain, never asking for outside help. The alliance continues when Halford takes over, but the Feds have discovered the dealings down in Florida and have successfully traced it back to Bull Mountain. Clayton is the only one with the chance to convince his brother to sell out who he’s working with in order to avoid prosecution and to avoid the firestorm set to descend upon the land.
Hot damn. Every once in a while a book will come along that leaves you completely dumbstruck in how utterly impressive it is. Bull Mountain is one of those books for me. Even more so impressive is the fact that this is the authors debut novel.
Not only was the labyrinthine plot that ricocheted back and forth in time and between a slew of characters handled skillfully but the brilliance of the twist that managed to alter the entire story was utterly superb. Bull Mountain is a dysfunctional saga about a family that pride themselves on loyalty that begins to be warped by the long line of violence and bloodshed. It’s a story where the line between good and bad is significantly blurred to the point of no recognition. Where even the characters can no longer see how their actions have transformed them.
According to this interview, there’s already a second book set in McFalls County and a possible third to come as well. I couldn’t be more pleased.
I received this book free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Bull Mountain is located in the backwoods of Northern Georgia where for decades the Burroughs family has successfully evaded the law while making their living running moonshine, pot and eventually meth. Halford Burroughs is currently the man in charge of Bull Mountain while his younger brother and family outcast Clayton is the sheriff of the county. The two have managed to form a precarious truce yet fractures form when Special Agent Simon Holly arrives with the revelation that he’s there to put a stop to the Burroughs family enterprise on Bull Mountain.
‘Clayton knew he would always be welcome, but the badge had no business here at all. If a thing existed up here, it was because it belonged here. And if it didn’t belong, the people who lived here made damn sure it didn’t stay.’
Bull Mountain centers around two brothers, Halford and Clayton, but actions of their father, Gareth, from decades past is responsible for setting in motion the current catastrophe. When Gareth Burroughs made the transition from moonshine to pot and then to meth, the need to secure his growing empire became more and more apparent. Allying himself with gun producers in Florida is the first step he takes in the wrong direction seeing as the Burroughs have always kept their business on the mountain, never asking for outside help. The alliance continues when Halford takes over, but the Feds have discovered the dealings down in Florida and have successfully traced it back to Bull Mountain. Clayton is the only one with the chance to convince his brother to sell out who he’s working with in order to avoid prosecution and to avoid the firestorm set to descend upon the land.
Hot damn. Every once in a while a book will come along that leaves you completely dumbstruck in how utterly impressive it is. Bull Mountain is one of those books for me. Even more so impressive is the fact that this is the authors debut novel.
Not only was the labyrinthine plot that ricocheted back and forth in time and between a slew of characters handled skillfully but the brilliance of the twist that managed to alter the entire story was utterly superb. Bull Mountain is a dysfunctional saga about a family that pride themselves on loyalty that begins to be warped by the long line of violence and bloodshed. It’s a story where the line between good and bad is significantly blurred to the point of no recognition. Where even the characters can no longer see how their actions have transformed them.
According to this interview, there’s already a second book set in McFalls County and a possible third to come as well. I couldn’t be more pleased.
I received this book free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
lckrgr's review against another edition
4.0
I guess I should first state that I won this book in a Good Reads first reads giveaway... it only took me several years to get around to reading it (not the book's fault it took me so long).
I enjoyed this book. It very much reminded me of an Elmore Leonard type plot in a more Jim Thompson-y writing style. The pacing was great, the story interesting, I just found the ending a little to pat for my tastes.
This is one of those books that makes me wish there were half stars on Goodreads. I would say this was a 3.5, but I rounded up to 4.
I enjoyed this book. It very much reminded me of an Elmore Leonard type plot in a more Jim Thompson-y writing style. The pacing was great, the story interesting, I just found the ending a little to pat for my tastes.
This is one of those books that makes me wish there were half stars on Goodreads. I would say this was a 3.5, but I rounded up to 4.
bianca89279's review against another edition
3.0
I finally got around to reading this.
Bull Mountain was very readable, the writing was quite simple.
The non-linear structure with its different POVs and periods was irksome at times.
Bull Mountain felt familiar: rough hillbillies, moonshine, methamphetamines, revenge and violence galore.
I didn't like that the baddies were mostly unidimensional psychopaths, I prefer them to be more nuanced.
As I was getting more engaged with the story, in the last 20% or so the plot becomes unbelievable and over the top.
Unfortunately, Panowich failed to make me care one way or another about most of the characters in this novel.
So it's only getting 3 stars.
I received this novel from Head of Zeus via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Bull Mountain was very readable, the writing was quite simple.
The non-linear structure with its different POVs and periods was irksome at times.
Bull Mountain felt familiar: rough hillbillies, moonshine, methamphetamines, revenge and violence galore.
I didn't like that the baddies were mostly unidimensional psychopaths, I prefer them to be more nuanced.
As I was getting more engaged with the story, in the last 20% or so the plot becomes unbelievable and over the top.
Unfortunately, Panowich failed to make me care one way or another about most of the characters in this novel.
So it's only getting 3 stars.
I received this novel from Head of Zeus via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
jdintr's review against another edition
4.0
In the first few chapters Bull Mountain feels like it will be another redneck opera: moonshine, small-town sherrifs, guns, even a little meth. But Brian Panowich doesn't have dueling banjos in mind here. Instead, he wants to cram a family epic into a crime thriller.
To do this, he uses multiple points of view to layer the story and bring it vividly to life. Clayton Burroughs would seem to be the central character, but he is balancing remorse over abandoning the family crime syndicate for a job as a county sheriff with an appealing offer from ATF agent, Simon Holly, to bring the whole enterprise to a peaceful end.
About halfway through this thriller, we meet Angel, a down-on-her-luck whore who in one terrible, violent morning is disfigured and impregnated by Clayton's father, Gareth. It's a crucial moment in the book, when the Bull Mountain syndicate goes from pot smuggling to big-time weapons running and methamphetamine production. Angel also becomes the book's moral center: a living link between the Burroughs clan of 1973 and the events that play out 42 years later.
I couldn't put this book down, couldn't give up rooting for both Clayton and Simon for much of it. The dialogue is red hot. The cast is well drawn, even minor characters spring to life on the pages. The challenge of creating such vivid characters, though, is how hard it is to give them up. To me, the book went on too long, wrapping up each character to the Nth degree and providing a surprise in the last three pages that--while welcome--wasn't necessary.
To do this, he uses multiple points of view to layer the story and bring it vividly to life. Clayton Burroughs would seem to be the central character, but he is balancing remorse over abandoning the family crime syndicate for a job as a county sheriff with an appealing offer from ATF agent, Simon Holly, to bring the whole enterprise to a peaceful end.
About halfway through this thriller, we meet Angel, a down-on-her-luck whore who in one terrible, violent morning is disfigured and impregnated by Clayton's father, Gareth. It's a crucial moment in the book, when the Bull Mountain syndicate goes from pot smuggling to big-time weapons running and methamphetamine production. Angel also becomes the book's moral center: a living link between the Burroughs clan of 1973 and the events that play out 42 years later.
I couldn't put this book down, couldn't give up rooting for both Clayton and Simon for much of it. The dialogue is red hot. The cast is well drawn, even minor characters spring to life on the pages. The challenge of creating such vivid characters, though, is how hard it is to give them up. To me, the book went on too long, wrapping up each character to the Nth degree and providing a surprise in the last three pages that--while welcome--wasn't necessary.
davidjordan's review against another edition
4.0
Bull Mountain is a fast-paced and impressively engaging thriller about a hillbilly mafia style family that builds a powerful and dangerous drug empire in the wooded mountains of North Georgia. I was thoroughly engaged throughout, and often found myself creating in my head the film version of this story, as the author has crafted such an exciting and visual story. As a resident of the setting in which the events of the book occur, it was easier than usual to visualize the story as it unfolded on the page. My love for the beauty of this area and the particular character of the locals made this book even more exciting than I had any reason to expect it to be.
The dialogue is realistic, the occasional humorous touches strike just the right note of levity, and the author's eye for the smallest descriptive details is extremely satisfying. I could easily be convinced to read more from Panowich in the future.
The dialogue is realistic, the occasional humorous touches strike just the right note of levity, and the author's eye for the smallest descriptive details is extremely satisfying. I could easily be convinced to read more from Panowich in the future.
jshel10's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books I read in 2015. Tremendous sense of place, tight plot, and terrific characters. A great debut.
c_ss's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
chazmo1431's review against another edition
5.0
This book is as gritty as gargling dirt! It is incredibly hard for me to fathom that this is a first novel by this author. Definitely my top read of 2022 thus far!! There were many, many OH MY GOD moments that had my heart accelerating and my stomach knotted. We get multiple point of view's but it was very easy to follow and they were all necessary. This whole story stems from an incident way back when and the aftermath lasts generations. This is not for the faint of heart! If I could rate this 5 1/2 stars I would. Best book of 2022 so far.