Brian Panowich instantly joined the pantheon of great Southern Noir Crime Writers with the release of his unforgettable debut novel, Bull Mountain. While not as prolific as some in the field, he has continued to mine the depths of rural crime and Appalachian sensibility with several other strong additions to the canon. But his most recent work, Nothing but the Bones, is without a doubt his crowning achievement to date. This novel once again features the Burroughs Family—in this case going back in time to add layers of nuance to the history and character of Clayton Burroughs—but the novel is really the story of two outcasts who somehow manage to find their way to each other at a time when they both need support the most.
As Nothing but the Bones opens, Nelson McKenna is a pariah in his community. Born with both some physical and mental challenges, Nelson struggles with interpersonal interactions. When a near-tragedy is averted, family patriarch Gareth Burroughs recognizes Nelson as a useful thug enforcer for his crime syndicate. Because of his powerful and oversized hand and arm, Gareth dubs him “Nails” and welcomes him to the family.
After years of doing the grunt work on Bull Mountain, Nails once again handles an interaction in the worst possible way—resulting in the accidental death of another important man. Now on the run, Nails quickly discovers that the young woman he was trying to save has managed to stowaway in his car. Now the two of them are on the run together—trying to stay out of prison, but more importantly trying to stay alive.
Every ounce of Nothing but the Bones oozes with respect and dignity for outcasts and those who find themselves on the fringes of society through no fault of their own. With lyrical language that vacillates between breathless beauty and unvarnished reality as it dances from sentence to sentence, Panowich continues to spotlight society’s brutal nature while juxtaposing it with the most sublime moments of honest vulnerability in ways that is at times truly awe-inspiring.
In Nails McKenna and Dallas Georgia, Brian Panowich has crafted an iconic pair that rivals both Bonnie and Clyde and Thelma and Louise. They both come to the table with difficult histories and challenges that could easily be dismissed (at best) or exploited (at worst), but this is an author interested in respecting the self-worth of every individual. Part of what makes Nothing but the Bones so unique in the Noir subgenre is how Panowich manages to remain faithful to the nihilistic tradition while also imbuing the whole with a newfound hopefulness in humanity.
Fans of novels like Jordan Harper’s She Rides Shotgun will find themselves having the same visceral reaction to Brian Panowich’s Nothing but the Bones as they did to those other works. Both books—just as we find in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—present a difficult physical journey alongside the resulting emotional impact of every decision made along the way.
As strange as it may sound to say, keep the tissues close when you are reading Brian Panowich’s Nothing but the Bones because there are several occasions when you are going to need them. This is a singular and unforgettable addition to the Southern Noir canon from an author who is not afraid to take big swings—likely because he has the confidence to know that he can successfully land them.
BUY LINKS: Nothing but the Bones by Brian Panowich
Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to BOLO Books by the publisher. No promotion was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.