The Death of Sweet Mister

A "New York Times" Notable Book."I can't remember coming across a more precise evocation of innocence lost since Golding's "The Lord of the Flies." With "The Death of Sweet Mister," Daniel Woodrell has written his masterpiece--spare, dark, and incandescently beautiful. It broke my heart."--Dennis Lehane, best-selling author of "Mystic River""Put ["The Death of Sweet Mister"] on the shelf alongside Faulkner, Jim Thompson, and Cormac McCarthy. With this one, Mr. Woodrell has earned himself a piece of immortality."--George Pelecanos, best-selling author of "The Way Home"""The Death of Sweet Mister" holds its own against anything in the canon of American literature. This is a book I'd place alongside Faulkner's "The Reivers" or Hemingway's 'Big-Two-Hearted River.'"--Kaye Gibbons, best-selling author of "Ellen Foster"""The Death of Sweet Mister" is a strong contender for my all-time favorite novel, crime or otherwise."--Allan Guthrie, Edgar Award-nominated author of "Slammer""Fiery, poetic, hair-raising."--"Los Angeles Times""Compelling. . . . Woodrell's descriptions seem real and alive and linger long after reading."--"The Boston Globe""Woodrell's Ozarks are cut as cleanly as Flannery O'Connor's Georgia and pocked with characters just as volatile and proud and unpredictable."--"Chicago Tribune"Set in the Missouri hill country, "The Death of Sweet Mister" presents one eventful summer in the life of Shug, a friendless, overweight thirteen-year-old living with his mother Glenda in the caretaker's cottage at the local cemetery.