Nothing But The Bones by Brian Panowich

1989. McFalls County GA. Young Nelson McKenna and a couple friends are exploring a creek on Bull Mountain. Nelson is fodder for the local bullies because he is ‘different’. He has cognitive issues, a curiously constructed face, and his deformed left hand is more akin to a club. His mom died when he was very young, and his father used Nelson mostly as a punching bag for his own inadequacies. A couple jerks come upon Nelson and start messing with him. Pushing becomes shoving becomes hitting and Nelson hits the ground . . . where he starts to lose it. He comes up swinging. Swinging so hard one boy hits the ground (and maybe a rock). Nelson pummels the boy. As this happens on Bull Mountain and nothing happens on the Mountain that Gareth Burroughs doesn’t know about, he cleans up the mess and talks to Nelson about what kind of man he may become, given what’s happened. Two kinds of people in the world: those that are hammers and those that are nails. Gareth brings Nelson into the family and brings him up to be another enforcer in Gareth’s businesses – the birth of Nails McKenna.

1996. Nails has grown up. Considerably. He’s big. Bigger than Jack Reacher big. And he’s an effective enforcer for Gareth. But deep down, he’s not wired to enforce. He is wired to protect. And that’s what gets him in far too deep for what he is capable of understanding or solving

He, like many of the deadbeats on Bull Mountain, enjoys spending some time at The Chute, the local bar/club/meth house. But the owner, Freddie, knows Nails isn’t there for the ambience. He comes in for a couple cold pints of apple juice. The music is loud, and the dancing is fierce. Nails eyes a girl roughly his age dancing her ass off. Looks like she’s with a few other guys who’ve ascended the mountain to party. Nails spots them all go into the men’s room, but thinks the girl really isn’t a willing participant. He follows them into the can where one of the trio of guys confronts him and blocks his path to a closed stall behind which are 3 sets of feet, and one set doesn’t seem to be having any fun. He levels the punk in his path, busts open the stall door and picks up the girl and heads back into the bar so he can get her out. One of the punks takes issue with Nails, whips out a knife, draws first blood from Nails  whose lethal left-hand club puts the guy down. For good. In front of a bar full of witnesses.

Nails and the girl, who calls herself Dallas Georgia, now become odd couple fugitives. Gareth gives Nails some money and a phone number in Jacksonville, FL. Tells them to get to Florida, call the number, and do whatever the guy on the other end says to do. The guy is a fixer. He will fix what’s happened and make it all go away.

Their road to Jacksonville is littered with tangential issues - related to the bar, to the victim, the fixer, Dallas’ parents, motel clerks, a kindly old gas station owner and others. And notably, Gareth’s son Clayton (before he became sheriff of McFalls County).

One of the kids with Nelson that fateful day by the creek was Amy who’d become one of his only real friends. She convinces Clayton that it’s in Nelson’s best interest if he tracks him down, brings him back up the mountain and turns himself in. That bar full of witnesses all know, and will testify, that Nails was just defending himself . . . mostly. Clayton agrees and sets out to find Nelson/Nails.

Upon finding Nails, everyone on God’s green earth that are looking for Nails descend on Clayton and Nails where Panowich delivers one thing he is well known for . . . a bloodbath.

This is Panowich’s 4^th book based on Bull Mountain, and we’ve reviewed them all. Panowich is firmly entrenched in my Power Rotation. Bull Mountain was his first novel, and it blew me away as did books #2 and 3. Add #4 to that list even though it’s a bit different; more character driven about 2 unlikely fugitive/kids, both sort of on the run from failed family lives, who are running away from something that really wasn’t of their own making. Guess that makes them victims of both their past and their present. Yes, drugs and mayhem ensue, but the developing love story between Nails and Dallas is the driving force of the story. Not to mention:

1.     Panowich give us a peak into some of the issues that drive wedges into the Burroughs clan seen in books 2 and 3 and . . .

2.     A twist that I never saw coming. Maybe you will. But I didn't.

And I am truly sorry to say this: It’s not available April 16, 2024. But thanks to NetGalley for making an advance reviewer copy available. Trust me folks. This one is worth the wait. 

 

ECD