Books
by
John Carenen
Winner of the 2022 PenCraft Award in Fiction - Southern
““After witnessing a murder, a loner struggles to retain his precious solitude in this novel.
Whit Coombs revels in the privacy his isolated cabin affords. Carenen fills the backdrop with glorious scenery. Whit basks in the seasonal colors of sassafras trees, sugar maples, and wind-blown leaves that fall like “little orange-and-red tornados.”
A gripping, character-driven thriller with alluring landscapes.””
“In John Carenen’s taut and exquisitely paced novel, Keeping to Himself, Whit Coombs’ self-imposed isolation is quickly and violently interrupted one dark night beneath flashes of white-hot lightning, “as if God were taking crime scene photos.” A powerful tale of revenge and redemption soon emerges, unfurling effortlessly like a spring thunderstorm through the coves and hollows of the book’s setting in the Blue Ridge Mountains. From prologue to epilogue, Carenen’s deft touch with the nuances of character and the specificity of place blanket his prose with a rare and wonderful honesty. Keeping to Himself is a worthy addition to the very best of Appalachian noir, but make no mistake: this is also a story of love, a story of salvation. And ultimately, Carenen’s novel is about revelation…about discovering that true healing might arrive when you least expect it. ”
“Signs of Struggle is both a gripping murder mystery and a compelling study of one man s recovery from tragedy. John Carenen is a gifted writer and his novel is an impressive debut.”
“Carenen has done it again. The setup, small-town Iowa and the murder of a young Native American woman, grabbed me from the start, but it was the voice of Carenen’s main character O’Shea that kept me turning pages far into the night. Thomas O’Shea is wise, tough, funny and surprisingly compassionate an action hero with a moral compass as robust as the man himself. Beautifully written, with a cast of quirky secondary characters who could walk off the page, A Far Gone Night doesn’t disappoint.”
“If you ask me, what makes a book riveting isn’t about plot. It’s all about character and place, and there are few better at creating these compelling story elements than John Carenen. Thomas O’Shea is a protagonist worth rooting for, and with Rockwell, Iowa, Carenen nails the heart and spirit of every Midwest small town. The Face on the Other Side may deal with drugs and gangs, but it’s O’Shea himself—move over, Jack Reacher!—and the marvelous cast of characters around him who fuel this breakneck story. If you’re looking for the best in Midwest noir, look no further.”
“If you like the works of Elmore Leonard, Carl Hiasson, and Steve Brewer, you will love The Face on the Other Side... This third book in the Thomas O’Shea mystery series will have you begging for more...”
