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Summary
Summary
An expansive, epic tale like Philipp Meyer's The Son , and in the wonderful storyteller vein of Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove , McGarrity's Backlands showcases his keen eye for historical detail, awe-inspiring scenery, and the bitter harshness of life on the last vestiges of the twentieth-century frontier West.
Michael McGarrity returns with the second installment of his sweeping, richly authentic New York Times bestselling American West trilogy set in the raw, untrammeled New Mexico backlands during the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, and World War II.
Hard Country , the first novel in the Kerney family trilogy and the debut prequel to his national bestselling Kevin Kerney crime novels, was critically acclaimed for its authentic, gritty realism; its sprawling, engrossing story; and its compelling, engaging characters. An instant hit on several national bestseller lists, Hard Country continues to attract an overwhelmingly positive response from critics, booksellers, and readers.
Backlands continues the story of Patrick Kerney; his ex-wife, Emma; and their young son, Matthew, shortly after the tragic battlefield death of their eldest son, CJ, at the end of World War I. Scarred by the loss of an older brother he idolized, estranged from a father he barely knows, and deeply troubled by the failing health of a mother he adores, eight-year-old Matthew is suddenly and irrevocably forced to set aside his childhood and take on responsibilities far beyond his years. When the world spirals into the Great Depression and drought settles like a plague over the nation, Matt must abandon his own dreams to salvage the Kerney ranch. Plunged into a deep trough of dark family secrets, hidden crimes, broken promises, and lies, Matt must struggle to survive on the unforgiving, sun-blasted Tularosa Basin.
Author Notes
Michael McGarrity is a former deputy sheriff for Santa Fe County, he established the first Sex Crimes Unit. He also served as an instructor at the new Mexico Law Enforcement Academy and as an investigator for the New Mexico Public Defender's Office. He lives in Santa Fe.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
McGarrity's hefty middle title is part of the trilogy set in the American West, after Hard Country. Emma Kerney, dying from a bad heart, lives in the frontier town of La Cruces, New Mexico, with her eight-year-old son Matthew during the 1920s. Divorced from her "backlands" rancher husband, Patrick, for spousal rape, she arranges a substantial trust plan administered by the town banker Henry Bowman and lawyer Wallace Claiborne Hale to provide for Matthew after her demise. Patrick (aka "Pat Floyd") has a checkered past as an inmate at Yuma Prison, though the Arizona territorial governor later grants him a pardon. He also serves with military distinction as a member of Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders, but after Emma dies and leaves Patrick as the sole guardian, he is less successful at establishing strong emotional bonds with Matthew. Headstrong father and son quarrel over whether Matthew should stay to work on the Kerney ranch or leave to continue his high school and college education. Matthew goes on to have an ill-fated romance with Beth Merton-who is stricken with tuberculosis-while the Great Depression leaves him in dire financial straits to gut it out and survive the bad times. By the time the Second World War breaks out, Matthew feels as if he is ready to make several life-altering decisions. McGarrity's narrative is picturesque and enjoyable, and sets the stage for the trilogy's final installment. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
McGarrity's first Kevin Kerney mystery, Tularosa (1996), took the Santa Fe policeman back to the New Mexico ranch where he grew up. In 2012, McGarrity turned from mysteries to historical fiction with Hard Country, the first of a trilogy concerning Kerney's ancestors. Now, in the second volume in the series, the family saga moves from the 1920s through WWII, focusing on Kerney's grandfather Patrick and father, Matthew; their troubled relationship; and their ongoing struggle to manage the family ranch in the unforgiving, treacherous mountains and desert of southern New Mexico. McGarrity writes about the landscape of the American southwest with loving detail and rough-hewn eloquence, but he is equally good here with the human stories and the historical backdrop the Depression, daily life in the water-starved high desert, and the fascinating story of the WPA's Civilian Conservation Corps, a favorite program of FDR's that brought jobs to the desert and to Matthew. Through it all, though, the story of a hard-bitten father and a son forced into adulthood before his time of loves lost, droughts endured, obstacles overcome claims our emotions much in the manner of Ivan Doig's similarly heartfelt historical fiction.--Ott, Bill Copyright 2014 Booklist
Library Journal Review
McGarrity's second novel (after Hard Country) in his sweeping Kerney family saga set in southern New Mexico covers the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, and World War II. Sick with a weakened heart, independent Emma Kerney moves from town to her ex-husband's ranch where she can be cared for. Patrick, her gruff former spouse, struggles to build an amicable relationship with their son, Matt. Preferring school over life on the ranch, Matt seeks refuge in town after his mother's death. Patrick and Matt are frequently at odds over finances, Patrick's alcoholism and past mistakes, and the running of the ranch. Verdict McGarrity's well-researched details about life in New Mexico during the Great Depression will appeal to historical fiction fans, and his details about life on the ranch will appeal to readers of fiction set in the West. Loyal fans of the Kevin Kerney mystery series will also seek out this novel.-Emily Hamstra, Univ. of Michigan Libs., Ann Arbor (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
