Bull Mountain

<blockquote> <i>“As far as you can see out in every direction belongs to us—to you. Ain’t nothing more important than that. Ain’t nothing I wouldn’t do to keep it so. Even it if means I gotta do a thing that ain’t easy doing.”</i> </blockquote><br /><br />I feel I should give credit where it’s due. A few years back, it was <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/8193230.David_Joy" title="David Joy" rel="noopener">David Joy</a>’s work that opened my eyes to the whole grit-lit, hillbilly or Appalachian noir (<i>whatever you want to call it</i>) world. At this point, even though I feel like I’ve barely dipped a toe into the vast pool of bloody and unforgiving books in the genre, it’s become one of my favorites.<br /><br />Admittedly, it took far too long for me to pick up <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/23398919.Bull_Mountain" title="Bull Mountain by Brian Panowich" rel="noopener">Bull Mountain</a>. Despite the copy residing on my bookshelf, patiently waiting for some attention, it wasn’t until the impending release of book two, <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/41150551.Like_Lions_A_Novel" title="Like Lions A Novel by Brian Panowich" rel="noopener">Like Lions: A Novel</a>, that I found the will to commit. <br /><br />For three generations of the Burroughs family, Bull Mountain has been home and a way of life. For the grandfather, father, and two of the three sons, making shine, slinging dope and defending their land has been the be-all end-all. A clan of despicable men, there's no hint of redeeming qualities put on display for the reader's sake, so don't kid yourself. They're all willing to dig a grave at the first whisper of disloyalty. Well, with one exception.<br /><br />For the third son, Clayton, being an outlaw and living off the addiction of others was never in his nature. Now, the sheriff in a neighboring town, he’s intent on keeping his distance. Focusing instead on the jurisdiction he’s charged with, his wife and their desire to start a family. Until a fellow lawman persuades him otherwise, that is. Tugging on those strings of familial loyalty that somehow still linger. <br /><br />The magic of <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/23398919.Bull_Mountain" title="Bull Mountain by Brian Panowich" rel="noopener">Bull Mountain</a> lies in Panowich's clever plotting and the collision of the multiple timelines and perspectives. The way the author ties things together is unapologetic, spectacularly dark and gritty on the palate. Redemption at its finest. While the finale does feel a bit tidy overall, it's still sort of badass. <br /><br /><blockquote> <i>“You’re not the last one standing . . . I am.”</i> </blockquote><br /><br />Had I not known about the second book going in, I would have been satisfied with the way things concluded here. In my opinion, <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/23398919.Bull_Mountain" title="Bull Mountain by Brian Panowich" rel="noopener">Bull Mountain</a> doesn’t scream for a follow-up necessarily, but it’s certainly welcome.

When I first read the blurb for this book I was so excited. The setting is in my area in Georgia and well, I love some crazy rednecks. Thanks to my friend <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1171270949?book_show_action=false&amp;page=1" rel="nofollow noopener">karen</a> I was able to read this book. Thanks again!<br><br>The book is the story of a family of outlaws, aka "Hillybilly Godfathers." It sweeps over the time of the grandfather, his son and then the remaining three sons. They started off on Bull Mountain with moonshining. They realize that moonshining is soon a thing of the past and they want to be an empire.<br>These aren't your typical redneck idiots.<br> <a href="http://imgur.com/Vh3W39v" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1423239878ra/13599779.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br>From that they move on to growing marijuana and then meth. <br><a href="http://imgur.com/u2JcnIU" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1423239878ra/13599780.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br>One of the sons has tried to leave the family's legacy and is the local sheriff. Is he that figure-head that his brother's allow? <br><br>This book is dark. No sunshine coming through the cracks in it. But, DAMN...it's good. The writing is slow paced and sweeps you into the story so much that several times my breathing quickened. <br><a href="http://imgur.com/rbwKDOR" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1423239878ra/13599781.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br><br>At first I was a tad bit ticked off about how the author depicted the people living in this area, but then as I read I thought...you know what? I know people like this. This shit could happen. The North GA Mtns are beautiful but they are secluded enough that sometimes the law gets overlooked, or bought.<br><a href="http://imgur.com/KKh7Key" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1423239878i/13599782.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br>There was a twist to this book that I thought was going to ruin the book for me, but the author pulled it through amazingly..and I was all in...AND THAT ENDING!!!!!!!<br> <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="5edd4998-4524-4a39-b71e-e63c8991edbe" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="5edd4998-4524-4a39-b71e-e63c8991edbe">Hell yeah Kate! <a href="http://imgur.com/S5qZmIZ" rel="nofollow noopener"><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1423239878ra/13599783.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"></a></label><br></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]>

<i>"What do you do when you can't reach a hornet's nest?"<br><br>"You set fire to the tree."</i><br><br>sometimes a hornet's nest is more than a hornet's nest.<br><br>and many trees will be sacrificed. <br><br>and i hear you, "wait, <i>another</i> literary crime thriller about moonshine and meth and a sorta backcountry mafia where murder is all in a day's work?? is there any juice left to wring out of this suddenly overexposed genre??"<br><br>yes! because location! where we are dealing with<br><br><i>"Some baller from up in Georgia. I didn't even know they had ballers in Georgia. Backwoods motherfucker."</i><br><br>and this is one hell of a baller. we're actually dealing with several <i>generations</i> of ballers comprising the burroughs family and their adopted family of likeminded individuals, all holed up in the mountains of north georgia, where they have transitioned from running a moonshine enterprise into its modern-day equivalent: meth. and guns. and a dislike of anyone who tries to step in and interfere with their business, whether it be competitors, the law, associates suddenly wanting a bigger cut of the action, or even family. <br><br>this debut opens with a fantastically taut and surprising chapter that sets the tone for the whole book, which then unfolds across time and through several storylines encompassing both the members of the burroughs clan and an atf agent intent on bringing them down. <br><br>clayton burroughs is the main focus - a man who left bull mountain and his kin behind to become sheriff in waymore valley, bringing what order he can to his community, but adhering to the philosophy that "what happens on bull mountain stays on bull mountain." that is, until agent holly comes sniffing around looking for some cooperation from clayton's brother hal in closing a case in which hal is tangentially involved. although clayton has been estranged from his brother, and the rest of the inhabitants on bull mountain, he takes the offer and the warning up the mountain to hal, who is… unimpressed.<br><br>the rest of the ebb and flow of the book supplies motive, backstory, revelations, and bucketfuls of blood - all the things people want out of their southern crime fiction in glorious violent technicolor. because trees aren't the only things that can be set on fire.<br><br>it's a dark and twisty debut, and the strength of the writing elevates this above "just another grit lit novel." it's definitely familiar territory for those of us who read widely in the genre, but it's terrifically paced and plotted, and while the argument can be made that it's a little too conveniently tidy in some of its concluding bits, it's still a wonderfully engrossing read and frequently surprising. <br><br>i will be needing more from this author.<br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1528725630i/25720315.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><a href="http://bloggycomelately.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">come to my blog!</a>

When <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1192604907" rel="nofollow noopener">Kelly</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1192610221" rel="nofollow noopener">Dan 2.0</a>, and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1158625670" rel="nofollow noopener">Shelby</a>- all give the same book 5-stars...that is about as close to a GRs miracle as you can get, so it tends to make a girl (me), sit up and take notice. I decided to drop what I was reading and take BULL MOUNTAIN by the horns.<br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1438805337i/15757003.jpg" alt=" photo 1bce1f67-1045-458f-92d7-73fbdf2548ae_zpsy0gctxwy.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>Mountains...<br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1438805337i/15757004.jpg" alt=" photo ce3a7d40-e9c3-450b-b5a8-ac37fca554df_zpsu72wtk3h.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>Moonshine...<br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1438805337i/15757005.jpg" alt=" photo d1eef46d-e93e-4dbd-87af-f2708247b6ec_zpsae9guznq.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>Marijuana...<br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1438805337i/15757006.jpg" alt=" photo efbf6814-e8f2-4776-9049-bb5f8940fd87_zps3stkdhq2.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>...and Meth.<br><br>1949- Bull Mountain, Georgia<br><br>The Burroughs clan has spent years and years dealing Moonshine- and they were pretty much left alone by the law... until one brother makes a fateful decision, that takes the family in a new direction they may never be able to come back from.<br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1438805338i/15757007.jpg" alt=" photo 74ed64fc-2323-41fb-9d06-4ed742ab2c6b_zps36kuyiyx.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>2015- Waymore Valley, Georgia<br><br>McFalls County Sheriff Clayton Burroughs left his family's life of crime far behind. Clayton now tries to enforce the law and look the other way at the same time. Clayton's father- Gareth- burned up in a meth cookhouse fire. His brother Buckley- was shot by the feds...and his other surviving brother- Hal, now runs Bull Mountain- with an iron fist- selling meth.<br><br>When Clayton is approached by Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Special Agent- Simon Holly- Clayton thinks maybe things can be solved without bloodshed this time- but instead it opens a can of WHOOP-ASS on all of their lives.<br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1438805338i/15757008.jpg" alt=" photo f4783c97-648a-49ce-82d2-ed01f4741570_zpsygjvx19t.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>Definitely my favorite read of 2015! A new favorite genre opened up to me, and a new favorite author to watch. Yes, Dan 2.0- you have your moments where you DO know what you are talking about. Not many...but some. ;)

For generations, the Burroughs clan have lived amid the mist wreathed forests of Bull mountain in North Georgia. Over the years this powerful and feared family have graduated from dealing moonshine to marijuana and are currently producing and distributing crystal meth. They live as outlaws on the fringe of society.<br />Meet Clayton Burroughs, the white sheep of the family. As the local sheriff he’s long been having a problem squaring his career choice with his kinsfolk. They are disappointed in him to say the least!<br />Throw into the mix an FBI plot, biker gangs, some wince inducing violence and some hillbilly justice and you have a fine novel in the Southern noir tradition (or southern gothic, grit lit, southern grit, rural noir etc - I’m sure there are fine distinctions but I’m still learning)<br />Bull Mountain is darkly humorous and very well written. Chapters alternate between characters and time periods, filling in the turbulent, blood soaked history of the Burroughs family. <br />The interplay between Sheriff Clayton and his monstrous, bear like brother Hal, is electric.<br />I was pleased to see that Brian Panovich’s exciting story of family loyalty and vengeance will continue into two more books ........ hopefully featuring some of the colourful characters that were lucky enough to survive this one.

Great read. Gritty. Solid storyline, great end. Could be predicted but I did not see it coming. <br />Dark stories set in the US or Canadian wilderness are favorites of mine, Cormac McCarthy one of my favorite writers. <br />Seen this book around on goodreads, several of my friends here read it already. <br />This book is about a family of criminals, the Burroughs clan, ruling Bull Mountain. One of the sons in the last line turned out different and 'clean', Clayton Burroughs, the sheriff of the area. It is him against the family, his brothers, also let's say..., unexpected family. And in the end, it's all about woman power, isn't it? :-)<br />Recommended.

4 Stars<br /><br /><b>Gritty, Ominous and Violent, Now This is My Kind of Book! (What does that say about me?!)</b><br /><br />The Burroughs Family runs Bull Mountain. It has for generations. One brother, Clayton, is a Sheriff, who enacts the laws of the land. The other, Halford, breaks every single one of them, running drugs like pot and meth, destroying whatever comes across his path. <br /><br />Neither is above murder, truth be told. On Bull Mountain, you gotta do what you gotta do. Their dad is dead as is their brother. Living is hard, but then so is dying. <br /><br />When Agent Holly of the FBI appears and requests that Clayton Burroughs assist him in an investigation to take down his brother’s empire, Clayton agrees. As if life wasn’t hard enough already, now he has started a War. <br /><br /><b>Grit Lit at its finest “Bull Mountain” has it all. Bad Decisions, Family, Intrigue and Murder. Characterizations that are spot on and either full of heart or ill intent. It’s totally wicked! </b><br /><br />I listened to the audiobook and absolutely loved the narration. I will say that as the book got to about 70%, I guessed how it was going to end but that did not take away from my enjoyment in any way whatever. <br /><br />So I have no idea what took me so long to read this book considering that it came out in 2015. It wasn’t even on my radar until I saw my friend Jan’s review for it (thank you Jan!), which is surprising considering how much I love Grit Lit (thanks to Michael Farris Smith and David Joy). Next up is Like Lions. I can’t wait!<br /><br />Thank you to audible for my copy.<br /><br />Published on Goodreads on 8.11.19.

"Bull Mountain" is hands down my favorite book of 2015 and I doubt anything will top it! I haven't been so excited to tell people about a novel since I read Terry Hayes' book "I Am Pilgrim". <br /><br />Brian Panowich is an amazing writer! I was a bit trepidatious about reading Panowich's novel because it's been billed as "Hillbilly Noir" (that just didn't sound appealing to me) but I read some great reviews on GR and when I heard meth and dynasties I automatically thought of my favorite show of all time "Breaking Bad", so I had to give it a go. Boy am I glad I did! Yes, it is about hillbillies, but it is so much more! <br /><br />This book is about three generations of the Burroughs family. The first chapter of "Bull Mountain" quickly sweeps the reader into what will be a dynasty filled with moonshine, marijuana and meth, yes, meth! All of this takes place in Northern Georgia. The black sheep of the family is on the other side of the law because he goes legit and becomes the local sheriff. The law can't touch these people because everything is done on a mountain where they fly under the radar.<br /><br />The entire time I was reading this novel I was in awe of the way the whole story played out. It goes back and forth in time and from character to character just seamlessly.<br /><br />There is also a twist in the middle that I didn't see coming. This twist sets the novel up for a truly great ending! <br /><br />It's brilliant and a MUST read! Put it at the very top of your to read list!

Bull Mountain by Brian Panowich is a 2016 G.P. Putnam’s Son’s publication.<br /> <br /><b> Southern Literature, organized crime, and a family drama all rolled into one book. </b><br /><br />Usually, the ‘black sheep’ of the family means the odd guy out- but in an unsavory way. Clayton Burroughs is most definitely the odd guy out in his family- but in this case, he is the only one in his family who walks on the <i>right</i> side of the law. <br /><br /> In fact, he’s a sheriff in a neighboring community, while his brother runs the family business on Bull Mountain, located in Northern Georgia. Their family empire, which has been run by the Burroughs for generations, began with bootlegging, then branched out into drugs- first pot, and now meth. <br /><br />Clayton is devoted to his wife, and wants to keep the peace, which means giving his mean hard-bitten brother and his criminal enterprise a wide berth. But when an ATF agent shows up, he lures Clayton into helping him shut ‘the mountain’ down. Naturally, the plan throws Clayton a few unforeseen curveballs, pitting one brother against the other, and leading to a dreaded, but unavoidable family showdown….<br /><br />I passed on this book five years ago, when it was first released. I found my way back to it when ‘Hard Cash Valley’ was released. I didn’t make the connection at first- but soon realized that HCV was the third book in the Bull Mountain series- so I decided to do a quick catch up- <br /><br />I entered into this one with a small amount of trepidation, mainly due to some misleading trendy, sub-genre labels attached to it, which now that I’ve read it, didn’t do the book justice. <br /><br />However, I discovered this book is right up my alley! I loved it! I love southern fiction, I love family sagas, and I love crime fiction. I especially love it when a book can mingle these genres into one book and do so with style… literary style, at that. <br /><br />I had a hard time finding anyone who had the same insights into this novel that I did- so this may seem way out of left field – but I found a strong parallel between the Burroughs family and many fictional mob families. <br /><br />To me, many of the same elements are present- an organized crime operation- loyalties, backstabbing, deep family dramas, cold-blooded criminals, tons of gritty violence, a hint of Greek or Shakespearian tragedy- any of that sound familiar? The difference is, of course, that instead of Italy, New York, or Chicago, this book is set in the mountains of Northern Georgia and it is a much smaller, tight knit group- although the enterprise reaches far and wide. <br /><br />We also have Clayton Burroughs- a conflicted hero- such a well- drawn character- flawed, but determined to break the chain – but in the end will he lack the courage of his own convictions? <br /><br />This is really, really good stuff!! <br /><br /> The story may be violent and rough, the characters without conscience, mean, and heartless, with no redeemable traits, they may not speak eloquently, or live opulently, although they are surely deceptively comfortable financially- but this book is not raw! It is not stark, <br /> or sparse- it is way too polished for some of the tags and labels applied to it. <br /><br />The characters are hardly one dimensional and the novel does not rely heavily on the action to carry it. In fact, it is deeply psychological, even quiet at times- very high in suspense, and nearly impossible to put down. <br /><br />I have already started book two and I can tell I am going to like it- maybe as much as I did this one!!

4.5<br />Wow!! I’m very late to the party for this one, but I saw everyone enjoying the newly released “Like Lions” Bull Mountain book 2, so I had to get a move on.<br /><br />Ruthless, gritty .. hillbilly noir they call this? .. well, I loved it!<br />Bull Mountain has been ruled by The Burroughs Brothers .. for generations.. running moonshine, dope.. then in the more recent years we find brothers on the opposite side of the law and this causes problems. <br /><br />This was such a fast and exciting read!! So happy that I finally picked it up!??