KEEPING TO HIMSELF

After witnessing a murder, a loner struggles to retain his precious solitude in this novel.

Whit Coombs revels in the privacy his isolated cabin affords. A widower and an Army veteran, he and his bull mastiff mix, Barney, spend most of their time hiking in the North Carolina mountains. During one stormy night hike, Whit spies a beating that ends in a brutal murder. He recognizes the killers, “Hacker” Merrone and Buford Butz—local thugs with whom he’s had a Barney-fueled row. But Whit stays mum, assuming a defense lawyer will dismantle his witness testimony by pointing out his glasses and combat-damaged ear. Unfortunately, that doesn’t stop Hacker and Buford, who only guess Whit has seen something, from driving to his cabin and intimidating him and his dog. The county sheriff regularly visits, too, as she quickly catches on that Whit is keeping pertinent information to himself. Telling authorities what he saw won’t necessarily improve Whit’s circumstances, as the justice system seemingly favors criminals. But he’s already facing two unpredictable killers, regardless of what he may or may not reveal. This short, riveting novel moves at a steady clip and boasts a sympathetic hero. Whit, for example, watched his wife suffer in her final, cancer-ridden days. The story includes two potential romantic interests for Whit—the sheriff and a local artist. While both women have dour, enthralling backstories, they are overshadowed by Barney. The canine is a welcome addition to the cast; he’s a “giant, gentle dog” but fierce when anyone threatens his owner. Each of his and Whit’s confrontations with Hacker and Buford—there are several—simmers with tension, as any one of them can erupt in violence. Carenen fills the backdrop with glorious scenery. Whit basks in the seasonal colors of sassafras trees, sugar maples, and wind-blown leaves that fall like “little orange-and-red tornados.”

A gripping, character-driven thriller with alluring landscapes.