Tucker, a Korean War vet, returns home to Kentucky and is faced with challenges. He makes a living as best he can, and, like everyone, has to make a few big choices. That's it. Simple and to the point. And that, my readers, is what I love about this book. While I love the twists and turns of most noirs (think Brian Panowich, Elmore Leonard, Chris Harding Thornton), I equally love some steadiness in my plots too (Ron Rash comes to mind)
Appalachia is not as simple as many people would imagine. Neither are the people that live and thrive there. Tucker, and by extension Chris Offutt, have more going on between there ears. In reading this, I thought mostly about my good buddy Alan. Not only in physical stature (Al stands 5'5 flat and is 160 lbs of solid) but in mental equity, and determination. He never says all that much, speaks slow when he does, but still waters run deep. If you need a job done, and done well, Big Al is your guy. That Offutt can draw you in with a character like this, for 231 pages, and keep you there the whole time speaks to his ability as a storyteller.
Lots of authors can weave lots of characters, twists, turns, plot devices, and drama into a great tale and keep you on the page. And you need that sometimes. I know I certainly do. My attention span has dwindled dramatically. Still, sometimes it is nice to get into a simple plot, written well, without all that much besides what is right there in black and white. Ease out the clutter like sitting on a mountain top in the Appalachians. There might not be much to see besides trees, but the experience is more than just what you're seeing. My hat is off to Chris Offutt and Country Dark for plopping my addled mind on the stump for a minute and giving me some space to see.
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