Panther Gap
A Novel
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3.7 • 55 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
"Chock-full of adventure, runs the gamut on the human experience....One hell of a good yarn.” ―David Baldacci
The thrilling new novel from the Edgar Award–winning author of Bearskin, about two siblings on the verge of inheriting millions but who discover dark secrets in their family’s past.
Named a most anticipated book by Crime Reads and BookPage
Siblings Bowman and Summer were raised by their father and two uncles on a remote Colorado ranch. They react differently to his radical teachings and the confusions of adolescence. As young adults, they become estranged but are brought back together in their thirties by the prospect of an illegal and potentially dangerous inheritance from their grandfather. They must ultimately reconcile with each other and their past in order to defeat ruthless criminal forces trying to extort the inheritance.
Set in the rugged American West and populated by drug cartels, shadowy domestic terrorists, and nefarious business interests, Panther Gap shows James McLaughlin’s talents on full display: gorgeous environmental writing, a white-knuckle thriller plot, and characters dealing with legacy, identity, and their own place in the world.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In this nail-biting thriller, the Colorado plains aren’t just breathtakingly beautiful, they’re home to violent criminals, political extremists, and the resolute heroes who stand up to them. Siblings Summer and Bowman Girard spent their chaotic childhood together struggling under the tutelage of their eccentric naturalist father. As adults, they seemingly grew as far apart as they could get. But when their shady grandfather leaves them something mysterious in his will, they must come back to their rural home to discover the truth about their family…and protect their legacy. James A. McLaughlin’s intensely cinematic depictions of Colorado’s precarious natural beauty mirror Summer and Bowman’s struggles with the emotional baggage inherited from their difficult father and more pressing current threats. McLaughlin moves seamlessly between past and present as he raises the stakes and tension ever higher. We whipped through Panther Gap.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This impressive crime novel from Edgar winner McLaughlin (Bearskin) centers on the unexpected consequences of a bequest. Siblings Summer and Bowman Girard have grown apart as adults. Bowman has settled in Costa Rica, where he lives a solitary existence and seeks some form of enlightenment. Summer still works on the family cattle ranch in Colorado. Then they learn that their grandfather Martin, "a minor robber baron and reputed mob associate," had a secret Swiss bank account that he's left them, which would radically change both their lives. But to collect, the siblings must attend a meeting at a Denver bank in person. News of the windfall may have reached Jake Salifano, a former mob enforcer and enemy of Martin's, who believes the money is rightfully his. Though Salifano is incarcerated for murdering two confidential informants, he remains a threat, having assumed control of a prison gang and amassed "a cult-like following inside and outside the system." Teaming up to stay alive, Bowman and Summer must evade additional dangers, including a Mexican drug cartel, to collect the inheritance. McLaughlin does a fine job making his characters' reactions to traumatic events and perils believable. Fans of Breaking Bad will be satisfied.
