Dry Country
by Jake Hinkson
Pegasus
A dark vision of American religion and politics, DRY COUNTY is a portrait of a man willing to do anything to protect his good name—including commit murder.
Richard weatherford is a small-town preacher in the Arkansas Ozarks, a husband, father, and respected member of his community. But while Weatherford is a man of influence and power—and a big force in local politics—he's also a man with secrets.
In the lead-up to the 2016 Presidential election, Weatherford's world is threatened when he's blackmailed by a former lover. Collecting the money the blackmailer demands will be a nearly impossible fear, especially over Easter weekend, when all eyes are on him. So Weatherford will have to turn to the darkest corners for aid in a desperate attempt to keep his world from falling apart.
Exploring a divided country and a cracked façade through the alternating perspectives of Weatherford, his wife, his lover, and other town residents, DRY COUNTY is a powerful story about how far some will go to keep hold of all they know—and all that others think them to be.
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Praise for Dry Country:
“Powered by raw emotional intensity and a disturbingly realistic portrayal
of small-town America, this story is unforgettable.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Hinkson’s darkly satirical take on power and hypocrisy closes with a shocking but fitting twist.”
—Booklist
“Hinkson puts his foot on your throat on the first page and doesn’t let up. DRY COUNTY
is the kind of book you sit down with and finish in one big gulp; it’s a masterpiece of
economy and tension. An instant noir classic.”
—William Boyle, author of A FRIEND IS A GIFT YOU GIVE YOURSELF
“Desire, desperation, and despair collide in Jake Hinkson's bleakly imagined and perfectly
rendered vision of small-town Arkansas. Religion, respectability, hope for the future—
virtue is the flip side of vice and Hinkson drives that truth sharply home. ”
—S. J. Rozan, bestselling author of Ghost Hero
“A day in a small town with big secrets is the setting for this perfect storm of a book.
Jake Hinkson takes the reader on a white-knuckle ride in a world where good people
have done bad things. I couldn’t put it down.”
—Aoife Clifford, author of All These Perfect Strangers