July’s pick-of-the-month “Dry Bones in the Valley”
Dry Bones in the Valley, the acclaimed debut novel by Tom Bouman, is set in rural northern Pennsylvania, where fracking for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale has changed the community of Wild Thyme Township in countless ways.
When an elderly recluse discovers a corpse on his land, Officer Henry Farrell is drawn into a murder investigation that might tear his sleepy community apart. Farrell has to call in help from the county and the state as more bodies appear, but he is the one who knows the suspects, the victims, and who stands to gain from these deaths.
Dry Bones in the Valley is an award-winning literary novel about historic feuds, family secrets, new money and a rapidly changing landscape, while also serving as a compelling murder mystery. Bouman creates a vivid sense of place, and he evokes the excitement and confusion brought about by the new fracking industry in this land of multi-generational families tied so deeply to the land.
Farrell is a local boy, dedicated to the hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities he has loved since childhood. He is skeptical about whether the benefits of fracking outweigh the potential damage, but he knows the drills and construction will continue regardless of his own views.
Bouman is a former book editor and musician who lives with his wife and daughter in northeastern Pennsylvania. Dry Bones in the Valley is the winner of the 2015 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller and winner of the 2015 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.
–Aaron’s Books
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.
