Godspeed
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
Longlisted for the Reading the West Book Award
In this riveting new novel by the bestselling and award-winning author of Shotgun Lovesongs, three troubled construction workers get entangled in a dangerous plan against an impossible deadline.
Why is it being built here, and why so quickly? These are the questions Cole, Bart, and Teddy, the three principals of True Triangle Construction, ask themselves when they are hired to finish a project for a mysteriously wealthy homeowner. Nestled in the mountains outside of Jackson, Wyoming, the house is a masterpiece, unlike anything they've done before. Once finished, it promises to be the architectural prize of Jackson and could put True Triangle on the map. But despite the project's lure, the owner is intent on having it built in a matter of months, an impossible task made irresistible by the exorbitant bonus that awaits them if they succeed. A bonus that could change the course of their business, and their lives.
Up against the fateful deadline, and the looming threat of a harsh Wyoming winter, Cole, Bart, and Teddy are willing to do anything to get the money, even if it means risking life, limb, and family. And what becomes an obsession for all three quickly builds to tragic consequences for some. Struck through with heart-pounding danger and an arresting lyricism, Godspeed is a stark exploration of the haves and the have-nots, a cautionary tale of greed and violence that asks: How much is never enough?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This ambitious thriller from Butler (Shotgun Lovesongs) highlights the conflict between wealthy transplants and blue-collar locals in the increasingly gentrified rural West. Cole, Bart, and Teddy, the founders of True Triangle Construction, take on the job of finishing an isolated mansion outside Jackson Hole, Wyo., for California lawyer Gretchen Connors, but the project is fraught. The original contractor has quit, and Gretchen demands completion in four months, offering $450,000 in bonuses rather than an explanation for the nearly impossible deadline. The driven Cole, eager to succeed, pushes his two partners. For Teddy, the money means a house for his family, and for Bart, the least steady of the three, it's a path to escape. After Bart is injured, he slips into addiction as he tries to work while hurt. Extensive backstory undercuts the mounting tension as the plot builds to an inevitable accident that spirals quickly into horrific violence. At the end, the legacy of troubled pasts catches up with everyone. Butler explores big themes—including pride in work, inequality, human failings, and greed—at the expense of action. Those expecting a fast-moving thriller will be disappointed, but patient readers will be rewarded.
