Publication
Mysterious Press (2001), Edition: 1st Trade Prn Sep 2001, 336 pages
Original publication date
2000
Collections
Genres
Subjects
Awards
Edgar Award (Nominee — Novel — 2001)
Anthony Award (Nominee — Novel — 2001)
Macavity Award (Nominee — Novel — 2001)
International Horror Guild Award (Nominee — Novel — 2000)
Hammett Prize (Nominee — 2000)
Description
The Edgar Award winning thriller The Bottoms is classic American storytelling in its truest, darkest, and more affecting formwith echoes of William Faulkner and Harper Lee. Its 1933 in East Texas and the Depression lingers in the air like a slow moving storm. When a young Harry Collins and his little sister stumble across the body of a black woman who has been savagely mutilated and left to die in the bottoms of the Sabine River, their small town is instantly charged with tension. When a second body turns up, this time of a white woman, there is little Harry can do from stopping his Klan neighbors from lynching an innocent black man. Together with his younger sister, Harry sets out to discover who the real killer is, and to do so they will search for a truth that resides far deeper than any river or skin color.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
The Bottoms is a mystery novel, but at the same time, it is told not from the contemporary perspective but from the pov of the main character, Harry, when he is old and living in a nursing home. Harry looks back to a time when he was just a boy, living at home in East Texas in a small town. It was
Anyway, while it becomes obvious after the 2nd killing that there is a serial killer on the loose (called a "travelin' man"), Harry and his sister Tom (Thomasina) believe that the killer is a supernatural being called The Goat Man. No amount of convincing will sway them away from their belief; the murders happen where the local legend is said to live and they are so heinous that only something as evil as the Goat Man could have done them. But Jacob knows better, and has to solve the crime before innocent people end up dead or worse, face the wrath of a lynch mob overseen by the local KKK chapter.
Normally I call foul when a review of a book compares it with another book...but in this case, one of the reviews I read was correct: it is highly reminiscent in some respects of To Kill a Mockingbird, although Dad is no Atticus all of the time.
This novel was very enjoyable; the mystery was well done & little details that hovered around were picked up and tidied up.
I highly recommend it to mystery readers who are looking for something a little more than a cozy (not that there is anything wrong with cozies!!) ...something to challenge them as readers.
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during the depression, and it was a time in which blacks & whites continued to live uneasily together. At one point Harry's dad, Jacob, the local constable remarks that the only thing different between the civil war and now was that now the masters couldn't sell their slaves. And I mention this because the novel focuses on the deaths (at least initially) of two black women who are found dead, their corpses mutilated, and the white community which would just as soon not get itself involved. If the killer is white, well, no jury would convict him; if the killer is black, well, it's between the blacks. This is the world in which Harry lives and although his own immediate family doesn't feel that way, the majority of the townspeople do.Anyway, while it becomes obvious after the 2nd killing that there is a serial killer on the loose (called a "travelin' man"), Harry and his sister Tom (Thomasina) believe that the killer is a supernatural being called The Goat Man. No amount of convincing will sway them away from their belief; the murders happen where the local legend is said to live and they are so heinous that only something as evil as the Goat Man could have done them. But Jacob knows better, and has to solve the crime before innocent people end up dead or worse, face the wrath of a lynch mob overseen by the local KKK chapter.
Normally I call foul when a review of a book compares it with another book...but in this case, one of the reviews I read was correct: it is highly reminiscent in some respects of To Kill a Mockingbird, although Dad is no Atticus all of the time.
This novel was very enjoyable; the mystery was well done & little details that hovered around were picked up and tidied up.
I highly recommend it to mystery readers who are looking for something a little more than a cozy (not that there is anything wrong with cozies!!) ...something to challenge them as readers.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bjkelley
In my opinion Joe R Lansdale has two different writing styles. The Hap and Leonard series are storyteller writing. Most of his stand alone books are more like a novel, if that makes sense. Anyway The Bottoms should be taught in school along with Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn as great American Novel.
LibraryThing member rickklaw
The Bottoms may very well be the best book of Joe R. Lansdale’s career. It typifies what is best about his work with fascinating characters in unique situations in a story that is wonderfully Texas. Not chock full of the humor or "colorful" language of his previous works, Lansdale shows a
Set in 1930's Texas, The Bottoms tells the moving story of a boy who discovers a mutilated body of a black woman and the racial intolerance that his constable father encounters. Full of superstition, terror, and tenderness, this book should at long last catapult Lansdale to the forefront of Texas authors. He is truly the king of the Texas Gothic.
The Bottoms is an amazing depression era coming of age novel, not only of a boy but of a town.
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maturity and skill that comes with writing 16 previous novels. Not to say that the language and humor aren't there but they are used sparingly and intelligently.Set in 1930's Texas, The Bottoms tells the moving story of a boy who discovers a mutilated body of a black woman and the racial intolerance that his constable father encounters. Full of superstition, terror, and tenderness, this book should at long last catapult Lansdale to the forefront of Texas authors. He is truly the king of the Texas Gothic.
The Bottoms is an amazing depression era coming of age novel, not only of a boy but of a town.
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LibraryThing member missysbooknook
I loved this book! This is one of those stories that I didn't want to end. The story is narrated by Harry Collins, who is in a nursing home, reflecting back upon his youth, the years 1933-34, during The Great Depression. He and his family lived in East Texas, where he and his little sister Tom ran
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wild and played in The Bottoms, an area close to their home, alongside the Sabine River. There was a legendary creature called The Goat Man, and Harry and Tom were always looking for him, hoping to catch a glimpse of this legendary creature. When a series of murders occur, Harry is almost sure it is the work of The Goat Man. What ensues is something that no one in this small town could ever imagine. This is a GREAT read! Show Less
LibraryThing member Fernandame
E-book - This was a good read. There is a lot about racial prejudice in this book - so I was surprised I finished this book. I don't understand racial prejudice and it makes me angry, so usually I do not read books that deal with that. But the story/mystery really grabbed me and I wasn't able to
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stop. Show Less
LibraryThing member botkin05
I have been hooked on this author since reading the Hap and Lenard series. He does a great job with character relations, describing east Texas scenery as well as mentality.
This book is told from the view of an old man looking back on some major events that took place during his teen years. The
If you love Joe Lansdale, you will love the book. If you don't know his work, this would be a good place to start.
This book is told from the view of an old man looking back on some major events that took place during his teen years. The
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characters are well described and easy to relate to. As usual the author mixes drama, comedy, and location to grab you at the beginning and hold you to the end.If you love Joe Lansdale, you will love the book. If you don't know his work, this would be a good place to start.
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LibraryThing member shevener
Its 1933 in East Texas and the Depression lingers in the air like a slow moving storm. When a young Harry Collins and his little sister stumble across the body of a black woman who has been savagely mutilated and left to die in the bottoms of the Sabine River, their small town is instantly charged
With The Bottoms Joe R Landsale transports the reader to a small town in Depression era East Texas. Narrated in flashbacks by Harry Crane, who now resides in a nursing home, The Bottoms utilizes an eleven year old Harrys involvement in a series of murders to illustrate how the people around him struggle with poverty, prejudice, kindness, cruelty, ignorance and complexity of character a he passes through the childhood realm of innocence and acceptance into the realities of adulthood.
Combination murder mystery/coming of age story the Bottoms is a quick and somewhat intense read whose characters will linger long after the book is over.
I can see myself taking this book off the shelf in the future if only to revisit the wonderfully realistic family Lansdale has created.
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with tension. When a second body turns up, this time of a white woman, there is little Harry can do from stopping his Klan neighbors from lynching an innocent black man. Together with his younger sister, Harry sets out to discover who the real killer is, and to do so they will search for a truth that resides far deeper than any river or skin color.With The Bottoms Joe R Landsale transports the reader to a small town in Depression era East Texas. Narrated in flashbacks by Harry Crane, who now resides in a nursing home, The Bottoms utilizes an eleven year old Harrys involvement in a series of murders to illustrate how the people around him struggle with poverty, prejudice, kindness, cruelty, ignorance and complexity of character a he passes through the childhood realm of innocence and acceptance into the realities of adulthood.
Combination murder mystery/coming of age story the Bottoms is a quick and somewhat intense read whose characters will linger long after the book is over.
I can see myself taking this book off the shelf in the future if only to revisit the wonderfully realistic family Lansdale has created.
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LibraryThing member Feleciak
Dark, grisly and frightening
First, I've never read any of Lansdale's work. I was TOTALLY blown away and will definitely look for more. His story telling brought me right into the story. I felt as though I was there witnessing the story as it unfolded. This man definitely deserved the numerous
First, I've never read any of Lansdale's work. I was TOTALLY blown away and will definitely look for more. His story telling brought me right into the story. I felt as though I was there witnessing the story as it unfolded. This man definitely deserved the numerous
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awards he received for this novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member Stahl-Ricco
This was one of those books that I just hated to put down! The story drew me in and held on tight to me until the end! And even though I "figured it out", that did nothing to dampen my enjoyment of it! I already miss Harry, Tom, Mose, Grandma, Toby, and the Goat Man. Harry's coming of age tale will
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stick with me, just like Tom Sawyer's and Scout Finch's, down in the bottoms of the Sabine River in an East Texas life, long ago. Show Less
LibraryThing member timdt
Even though it covers ground already done (and done very well) by other authors, The Bottoms is a very good book. Lansdale's considerable story telling talent shines through and his character development is outstanding. There have been many comparisons to To Kill a Mockingbird, and rightly so given
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the storyline and comparable characters. However, as is the case with Lansdale's books, this is a much darker story. While I wouldn't recommend some of Lansdale's books to everyone, I would recommend this to anyone. Show Less
LibraryThing member creynolds
Decent book, though it was a little predictable. Too many similarities to To Kill a Mockingbird. Nevertheless, a good read.
LibraryThing member chibitika
The Bottoms is a fascinating, superbly written, dark murder mystery by a master story teller. Landsdale's atmosphere skills put you right there in the summer heat, experiencing everything with the characters. Highly recommended.
LibraryThing member Unkletom
Every time I finish a Joe R. Lansdale book I swear that I need to read more of his books. Often life gets in the way, though, and a good deal of time goes by before I pick up another. Having just finished The Bottoms, I am really, really, really determined to make Joe Lansdale one of my best
Harry Collins, 14, lives with his family along the banks of the Sabine River. His father, Jacob, has donned many hats (farmer, barber, town constable) in his struggle to stay afloat during the lean years of the Depression. One day while hunting with his sister, Tom (okay, Thomasina) they find the mutilated body of a black woman tied to a tree near the river. Soon more bodies turn up and the hunt is on for a killer. While Jacob is searching for a human killer, Harry and Tom are convinced that they have already seen the killer, the legendary Goat Man, rumored to stalk the river bottoms in search of prey. Things get complicated quickly when one of the victims turns out to be white and the local Klan gets involved.
Although this is an original tale in its own right it also has many undeniable similarities to To Kill a Mockingbird which I found inexplicably entertaining. Ordinarily I would find copycatting Harper Lee presumptuous in the extreme and earn the author a good horsewhipping. Lansdale, however, gets a pass from me because his remarkable character building skills and storytelling ability kept me fully engaged all the way through to its bittersweet ending.
On the downside, the whodunit aspects of the story aren’t as challenging as they could be so readers who consider the author’s skill at concealing the killer’s identity important, you may not be too impressed. If you are like me, however, and are just along for the ride, you will likely find it enjoyable.
4.5 stars (rounded up because, well damn it, because I can and I want to!)
FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star - The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire.
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friends. This standalone novel, written in the guise of an old man’s reminiscence, is an exceptional combination of murder mystery and coming-of-age tale set in East Texas during the Great Depression. Harry Collins, 14, lives with his family along the banks of the Sabine River. His father, Jacob, has donned many hats (farmer, barber, town constable) in his struggle to stay afloat during the lean years of the Depression. One day while hunting with his sister, Tom (okay, Thomasina) they find the mutilated body of a black woman tied to a tree near the river. Soon more bodies turn up and the hunt is on for a killer. While Jacob is searching for a human killer, Harry and Tom are convinced that they have already seen the killer, the legendary Goat Man, rumored to stalk the river bottoms in search of prey. Things get complicated quickly when one of the victims turns out to be white and the local Klan gets involved.
Although this is an original tale in its own right it also has many undeniable similarities to To Kill a Mockingbird which I found inexplicably entertaining. Ordinarily I would find copycatting Harper Lee presumptuous in the extreme and earn the author a good horsewhipping. Lansdale, however, gets a pass from me because his remarkable character building skills and storytelling ability kept me fully engaged all the way through to its bittersweet ending.
On the downside, the whodunit aspects of the story aren’t as challenging as they could be so readers who consider the author’s skill at concealing the killer’s identity important, you may not be too impressed. If you are like me, however, and are just along for the ride, you will likely find it enjoyable.
4.5 stars (rounded up because, well damn it, because I can and I want to!)
FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star - The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire.
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LibraryThing member magnumpigg
I agree with everything written by timdt below--well put. For me, I was a little disappointed with this Lansdale work, having enjoyed the Hap and Leonard books so much. If this tale had been a little more "original," or if perhaps the dialogue had been snappier like what I am used to from Lansdale,
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I would have given it more that 3 and half stars. It is, as with all Lansdale works, very well written and excellent at absorbing you into time and place. Show Less
LibraryThing member MiaCulpa
An atmospheric entry by Lansdale, who has become the Texan Poet Laureate. Set in rural Texas in the 1930s, it's a murder mystery that shows the racial politics alive at the time. More that that, "The Bottoms" is best as a coming of age story of the young protagonist.
LibraryThing member kittyjay
The Bottoms by Joe Lansdale takes place in 1930s East Texas. Narrated by the elderly Harry Collins, The Bottoms blends mystery, thriller, horror, and the best of literary fiction into a compelling story of racial relations in 1930s Texas.
Harry Collins, elderly and infirm and living in a nursing
Lansdale has been hailed as a master storyteller, and I would have to agree. The Bottoms is a wonderful example of how a setting can be a character of its own; as a native of East Texas, the dialogue, scenery, and country similes are on point. The small town is so convincingly portrayed that there were scenes I could almost feel the heat baking down, even in the middle of February.
As a mystery, I can't say the book will be quite as compelling; there were a few tells that gave away the game early on. Lansdale's forte is clearly in the suspense and horror aspect. One scene, while Harry and his grandma take shelter in a shack during a hailstorm, made me catch my breath while reading. Fair warning to readers who are faint of heart: the book is graphic, disturbingly so. While I felt Lansdale deftly included the graphic without ever edging into obscene, it may be a bit much for some.
What is truly impressive with The Bottoms, however, is that rarely do horror and literary fiction meet. Horror is generally a genre disdained upon, but Lansdale has blended the two so seamlessly that even the most pretentious of literary snobs would be forced to acquiesce. The book has definite elements of To Kill a Mockingbird (albeit much darker) - the father who stands up and shames the local KKK, the curious and innocent narrator who watches the story unfold, racial tensions rising centering around a horrific crime... The back summary of my copy says, "Powerfully evoking William Faulkner and Harper Lee..." and that's probably the most accurate cover summary I have ever seen. Take the dark, Southern Gothic tones of "A Rose for Emily" with the thoughtful and insightful To Kill a Mockingbird, and you have The Bottoms.
Popsugar 2016: A book set in your home state
Harry Collins, elderly and infirm and living in a nursing
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home, recalls the story of when he was a preteen. While out in the woods one day with his sister, Harry stumbles upon an African-American woman who has been gruesomely murdered and tortured by a serial killer. His father, a town constable, begins to investigate, meeting opposition from the local townspeople, who insist that a black woman being killed is none of their concern. As more bodies turn up, however, tensions rise in the small town, and the Collins family finds themselves at odds with the local townspeople and the local Klan members. Harry is convinced a supernatural force named "The Goatman" has committed the atrocities, and begins an investigation of his own.Lansdale has been hailed as a master storyteller, and I would have to agree. The Bottoms is a wonderful example of how a setting can be a character of its own; as a native of East Texas, the dialogue, scenery, and country similes are on point. The small town is so convincingly portrayed that there were scenes I could almost feel the heat baking down, even in the middle of February.
As a mystery, I can't say the book will be quite as compelling; there were a few tells that gave away the game early on. Lansdale's forte is clearly in the suspense and horror aspect. One scene, while Harry and his grandma take shelter in a shack during a hailstorm, made me catch my breath while reading. Fair warning to readers who are faint of heart: the book is graphic, disturbingly so. While I felt Lansdale deftly included the graphic without ever edging into obscene, it may be a bit much for some.
What is truly impressive with The Bottoms, however, is that rarely do horror and literary fiction meet. Horror is generally a genre disdained upon, but Lansdale has blended the two so seamlessly that even the most pretentious of literary snobs would be forced to acquiesce. The book has definite elements of To Kill a Mockingbird (albeit much darker) - the father who stands up and shames the local KKK, the curious and innocent narrator who watches the story unfold, racial tensions rising centering around a horrific crime... The back summary of my copy says, "Powerfully evoking William Faulkner and Harper Lee..." and that's probably the most accurate cover summary I have ever seen. Take the dark, Southern Gothic tones of "A Rose for Emily" with the thoughtful and insightful To Kill a Mockingbird, and you have The Bottoms.
Popsugar 2016: A book set in your home state
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LibraryThing member linusnc
This was one excellent book. A riveting tale. Highly recommend.
LibraryThing member burritapal
This story breaks your heart. Though it's fiction, it's based on all-too-real historical events in this country's past. It's written by a white author, and how he can bring himself to write a story with the characters using the "N" word throughout, is more than I can imagine.
It takes place in the
Despite having the unhealthy atmosphere of racism in their community, Marvel Creek has a few good-hearted souls, doing their part for the young folk of their town.
P.128:
"there wasn't an official library in Marvel Creek until some years later. Mrs. Conerton was just a nice widow lady that kept a lot of books in London out and kept records on them to make sure you gave them back. She would even let you come to her house and sit and read. She nearly always had cookies or lemonade on hand, and she wasn't adverse to listening to our stories or problems."
East Texas is tornado country, and during the telling of this tale, Marvel Creek suffers the disorder and disaster of a twister.
P.136:
"a twister is a horrible, fascinating thing. One moment there's a huge Dark cloud, then the cloud grows a tail. The tail stretches toward the ground, and when it touches it it begins to cry and howl and tear up the Earth.
it's winds can carry men and cars and buildings away as easily as a woman might tote a handkerchief. It can rip huge trees out by the roots and toss them about, knock a train off its tracks and tear it up like so much cardboard. It can pull worms from the ground, toss pine straw through tree trunks, spraying gravel like bullets.
this twister I'm telling you about tore through the bottoms and laid trees flat all along the riverbank for about 2 miles, ripped a swath through the woods that killed wildlife, demolished shacks, sucked ponds dry, toted off the fish and frogs and rained them on housees 3 miles away."
Harry's grandma, his mother's mother, comes to Live with Harry's family. She's a hearty woman, a lover of life, and she comes to them with her old car. She uses its horn enthusiastically. As the protagonist lays sleeping in his room in the Rest home, at the end of his life, from which perspective he is telling this tale, he wakes to the sound of a horn. The sound recalls his mind to the memory of his grandma.
P.207-8:
"I awoke thinking of her, and tears rolled down my cheeks. Not only because of her memory, but because I was even more reminded of then, and suddenly all pulled into now, and I do not like now, for I am old. So very old. Older than she got to be. And I'm not sure a person ought to live to be too old. For when you can't live life, you're just burning life, sucking air and making turds. Perhaps it's not age, but health that matters. Live long and healthy, it doesn't matter. But live long and unhealthy, it's a living hell. And here I lie. Not doing well at all."
This is the story of Cruelty done to innocent victims, and karma doing it's best to bring justice.
It takes place in the
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early 1930s, in East Texas, in and around a small town on the Sabine River. Whites and Blacks are segregated, and when any crime is done to a Black, it's considered not worthy of investigation. But let a crime happen to a White, and the least suspicion that it's been perpetrated by a Black, and the Klan break out their bathrobes and cone-shaped hats. Despite having the unhealthy atmosphere of racism in their community, Marvel Creek has a few good-hearted souls, doing their part for the young folk of their town.
P.128:
"there wasn't an official library in Marvel Creek until some years later. Mrs. Conerton was just a nice widow lady that kept a lot of books in London out and kept records on them to make sure you gave them back. She would even let you come to her house and sit and read. She nearly always had cookies or lemonade on hand, and she wasn't adverse to listening to our stories or problems."
East Texas is tornado country, and during the telling of this tale, Marvel Creek suffers the disorder and disaster of a twister.
P.136:
"a twister is a horrible, fascinating thing. One moment there's a huge Dark cloud, then the cloud grows a tail. The tail stretches toward the ground, and when it touches it it begins to cry and howl and tear up the Earth.
it's winds can carry men and cars and buildings away as easily as a woman might tote a handkerchief. It can rip huge trees out by the roots and toss them about, knock a train off its tracks and tear it up like so much cardboard. It can pull worms from the ground, toss pine straw through tree trunks, spraying gravel like bullets.
this twister I'm telling you about tore through the bottoms and laid trees flat all along the riverbank for about 2 miles, ripped a swath through the woods that killed wildlife, demolished shacks, sucked ponds dry, toted off the fish and frogs and rained them on housees 3 miles away."
Harry's grandma, his mother's mother, comes to Live with Harry's family. She's a hearty woman, a lover of life, and she comes to them with her old car. She uses its horn enthusiastically. As the protagonist lays sleeping in his room in the Rest home, at the end of his life, from which perspective he is telling this tale, he wakes to the sound of a horn. The sound recalls his mind to the memory of his grandma.
P.207-8:
"I awoke thinking of her, and tears rolled down my cheeks. Not only because of her memory, but because I was even more reminded of then, and suddenly all pulled into now, and I do not like now, for I am old. So very old. Older than she got to be. And I'm not sure a person ought to live to be too old. For when you can't live life, you're just burning life, sucking air and making turds. Perhaps it's not age, but health that matters. Live long and healthy, it doesn't matter. But live long and unhealthy, it's a living hell. And here I lie. Not doing well at all."
This is the story of Cruelty done to innocent victims, and karma doing it's best to bring justice.
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LibraryThing member DougGoodman
If Edge of Dark Water is a dark, Texas-centric version of Huckleberry Finn, then The Bottoms is a distant, disturbed cousin of To Kill a Mockingbird.
LibraryThing member mikedraper
This is a story that is narrated by a man approaching the end of his life, reminiscing about the most momentous event of his childhood.
In East Texas, during the depression, twelve-year-old Harry Crane and his nine-year-old sister, Tom, find the body of a black woman deep in the woods by their
Their father, Jacob, is the town constable. He brings the body to the next town because he fears that the young doctor in his town will lose customers if people find that he worked on a negro.
Jacob learns that two other black women have been murdered but that there wasn't much publicity due to their color.
Another complication is that the constable of that town, Red Woodrow, is narrow minded and he wants Jacob to stay out of his jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, Harry and Tom are convinced that a legendary killer is about. The killer is known as Goat Man and someone who fits this description follows them home in the woods.
After a period of quiet, another body of a black woman is found. This time the body is in Jacob's territory and he is able to investigate.
The story is told in a warm, visual style as if the reader was sitting in a living room and listening to the events unfold while having a drink of a warm beverage.
Harry and Tom are exellently portrayed and could be the children of Atticus Finch of "To Kill A Mockingbird." In fact, Scout Finch and the tomboy, Tom Crane, could be sisters, they are so much alike. Both stories have negro characters who are wrongly accused and in both stories, an honorable man defends the wrong-doing. In my opinion, both stories are masterpieces of literature.
In East Texas, during the depression, twelve-year-old Harry Crane and his nine-year-old sister, Tom, find the body of a black woman deep in the woods by their
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farm.Their father, Jacob, is the town constable. He brings the body to the next town because he fears that the young doctor in his town will lose customers if people find that he worked on a negro.
Jacob learns that two other black women have been murdered but that there wasn't much publicity due to their color.
Another complication is that the constable of that town, Red Woodrow, is narrow minded and he wants Jacob to stay out of his jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, Harry and Tom are convinced that a legendary killer is about. The killer is known as Goat Man and someone who fits this description follows them home in the woods.
After a period of quiet, another body of a black woman is found. This time the body is in Jacob's territory and he is able to investigate.
The story is told in a warm, visual style as if the reader was sitting in a living room and listening to the events unfold while having a drink of a warm beverage.
Harry and Tom are exellently portrayed and could be the children of Atticus Finch of "To Kill A Mockingbird." In fact, Scout Finch and the tomboy, Tom Crane, could be sisters, they are so much alike. Both stories have negro characters who are wrongly accused and in both stories, an honorable man defends the wrong-doing. In my opinion, both stories are masterpieces of literature.
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LibraryThing member BooksOn23rd
THE BOTTOMS, an Edgar-winning mystery, was originally written by Joe R. Lansdale in 2000. I was interested in reading it the n, but never quite got around to it. The book stayed on my 'to-read' list, and on my shelf, year after year. Now I've finally read it and I ask myself, "What took me so
This is quite simply one of the best suspense stories I have ever read. The suspense was real, the characters compelling, and the story moved right along so that before I knew it, the pages had flown by.
The story is told as the reminiscence of an old man who as a boy lived in the deep woods of east Texas in the 1930s. The low-lying woods, with its river full of water moccasins and moss-laced trees, are known as 'the Bottoms'. It's a perfectly eerie place to set a murder mystery.
The boy, Harry, and his little sister, Tom, find the mutilated body of a woman tied with barbed wire to a tree next to the river. Their father is the local constable, so Harry tries to taga long as his father looks for clues to the murderer's identity. The murdered woman was black, but her body was found in the predominantly white area. Racism is rampant in these parts, so there is a lot of racial tension. More grisly murders occur and the story gets more complicated.
Who is committing the murders? The Goat Man, a devil creature believed to live in the woods? Mose, the black man who lives in a shack by the river? Red, the prejudiced white constable of the next town, a man who also has ties to Harry's father and mother? Or one of the Nation boys, known to torture small creatures? The suspects are many and the clues are few.
I was really impressed with Lansdale's portrayal of his characters, especially Harry's father. Not being able to clear up the murders really takes its toll on him. Other characters show real emotion and empathy. This isn't a cozy story, and bad things do happen to good people.
The suspense in this book is great. If anyone had tapped me on the shoulder while I was reading this I would have jumped out of my skin! From crossing the rickety 'swinging bridge' over the river, to running through brambles at night with an unknown person or creature following, the outcomes were filled with trepidation.
Lansdale has written many other books, although this is the first I've read. Now I want to read more! Does anyone have recommendations on which one I should read next?
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long??"This is quite simply one of the best suspense stories I have ever read. The suspense was real, the characters compelling, and the story moved right along so that before I knew it, the pages had flown by.
The story is told as the reminiscence of an old man who as a boy lived in the deep woods of east Texas in the 1930s. The low-lying woods, with its river full of water moccasins and moss-laced trees, are known as 'the Bottoms'. It's a perfectly eerie place to set a murder mystery.
The boy, Harry, and his little sister, Tom, find the mutilated body of a woman tied with barbed wire to a tree next to the river. Their father is the local constable, so Harry tries to taga long as his father looks for clues to the murderer's identity. The murdered woman was black, but her body was found in the predominantly white area. Racism is rampant in these parts, so there is a lot of racial tension. More grisly murders occur and the story gets more complicated.
Who is committing the murders? The Goat Man, a devil creature believed to live in the woods? Mose, the black man who lives in a shack by the river? Red, the prejudiced white constable of the next town, a man who also has ties to Harry's father and mother? Or one of the Nation boys, known to torture small creatures? The suspects are many and the clues are few.
I was really impressed with Lansdale's portrayal of his characters, especially Harry's father. Not being able to clear up the murders really takes its toll on him. Other characters show real emotion and empathy. This isn't a cozy story, and bad things do happen to good people.
The suspense in this book is great. If anyone had tapped me on the shoulder while I was reading this I would have jumped out of my skin! From crossing the rickety 'swinging bridge' over the river, to running through brambles at night with an unknown person or creature following, the outcomes were filled with trepidation.
Lansdale has written many other books, although this is the first I've read. Now I want to read more! Does anyone have recommendations on which one I should read next?
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Language
Original language
English
ISBN
0446677922 / 9780446677929
Physical description
336 p.; 5.25 inches
Pages
336