The County Line - by Steve Weddle (Paperback)

About the Book

"Life has never been easy for Cottonmouth Tomlin. Raised by an uncle in a hardscrabble Arkansas town, Cottonmouth couldn't leave fast enough. As a young man, he set out to seek his fortune but was soon caught up in a life of low-level misdeeds, taking him from New Orleans all the way to Honduras. Now he's back in Columbia County, mourning his uncle and worrying on what to do with the broken-down outlaw camp that represents the sum of his family legacy. And legacy is no small matter in a county like his. The townsfolk remember Cottonmouth and his kin, just like they remember everyone who ever put down roots in the area. Folks do like the way the outlaw camp helps out the local economy: so long as criminals undertake their troublemaking across county lines, they're more than welcome to stay and spend some of that money in county establishments. But when Cottonmouth gets embroiled in some ill-conceived ransom plans with a few of those visiting scofflaws, he pushes the boundaries of the community's forgiving nature."--

Book Synopsis

From Steve Weddle, the author who the New York Times calls "downright dazzling," comes the story of a prodigal son returning home to hard times and harder choices during the Great Depression.

Life has never been easy for Cottonmouth Tomlin. Raised by an uncle in a hardscrabble Arkansas town, Cottonmouth couldn't leave fast enough. As a young man, he set out to seek his fortune but was soon caught up in a life of low-level misdeeds, taking him from New Orleans all the way to Honduras. Now he's back in Columbia County, mourning his uncle and worrying on what to do with the broken-down outlaw camp that represents the sum of his family legacy.

And legacy is no small matter in a county like his. The townsfolk remember Cottonmouth and his kin, just like they remember everyone who ever put down roots in the area. Folks do like the way the outlaw camp helps out the local economy: so long as criminals undertake their troublemaking across county lines, they're more than welcome to stay and spend some of that money in county establishments. But when Cottonmouth gets embroiled in some ill-conceived ransom plans with a few of those visiting scofflaws, he pushes the boundaries of the community's forgiving nature.

Set against the unyielding backdrop of the Great Depression and with an unforgettable cast of ornery characters, The County Line is a lyrical and loving celebration of community and opportunity in 1933 America.

Review Quotes

"With nostalgic reminiscences, some local dialect and wry humour, Weddle writes of hardscrabble times and ordinary people who are just trying to get by. A rollicking good tale about the meaning of community and little-people power, set in Depression-era Louisiana." --Historical Novel Society

"At once wry, thrilling, and full of heart, The County Line evokes the Coen brothers at their period best, while staking out a voice and milieu all its own." --Chris Holm, author of Child Zero

"A book both wistful for the past but also brutally honest about it. Steve Weddle has crafted a bluegrass hymn with the notes written in blood." --S.A. Cosby, author of All the Sinners Bleed

"It's like Faulkner had a love child with a couple of Elmore Leonard's 1930s-set novels." --Nick Kolakowski, author of Boise Longpig Hunting Club

"A slide into the American Abyss from one of our best fiction writers. Steve Weddle's spectacular novel dramatizes how, in this country, all that glitters is only a gleam away from all that guilt." -- Aaron Gwyn, author of All God's Children and Wynne's War

"The County Line is downright biblical. In his latest novel, Steve Weddle follows his truly unforgettable protagonist, Cottonmouth Tomlin, on a lyrical journey through Great-Depression-era Arkansas. As an Arkansawyer who's often struggled to reconcile my place in this world--this book hit home." --Eli Cranor, author of Ozark Dogs

"This is the book I have been waiting for and it does not disappoint. Every word in every sentence on every page is jam-packed with pure TNT. Steve Weddle delivers cracking dialogue, tense action, and most of all: heart, to transport us to another time and place that you won't want to leave. A perfect addition to the canon of Southern literature." --Eryk Pruitt, author of Something Bad Wrong

"With wit sharp as viper fangs and characters whose pulses vibrate on each page, The County Line is hilarious, tragic, thought-provoking, and relentlessly entertaining. Even the dust rising off dirt roads to drift between cypress limbs is vivid enough to pierce the veil between 1933 and now. This is a storytelling feat." --Chris Harding Thornton, author of Pickard County Atlas and Little Underworld

"I was lucky enough to get an early look at what is certain to be one of my favorite books of 2024. Cottonmouth Tomlin returns from running guns in Honduras to run the Arkansas outlaw camp left to him by his uncle. The camp is a safe place for criminals to lay low as long as their misdeeds take place over the county line. Cottonmouth has bigger plans, though author Steve Weddle keeps you guessing as to whether he has the brainpower to pull them off. There are echoes of Cormac McCarthy and Elmore Leonard in this drily witty tale, but Weddle's colorful characters and savory dialogue are all his own. A hugely enjoyable read that builds to a tremendously satisfying conclusion." --Scott Von Doviak, author of Lowdown Road