The Hunt Club - by Bret Lott (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"It started with a body, the head of it pretty much gone, the hands skinned. We found it the Saturday after Thanksgiving, out to Hungry Neck Hunt Club. Uncle Leland owns the Hunt Club, which might make him sound important, or rich. But he's not."

Huger Dillard is no ordinary 15-year-old from the Lowcountry of South Carolina. He may not have a father to help him grow up, but day-to-day guiding of his blind Uncle Leland--Unc, for short--and weekends spent at the Hunt Club have made him an expert on the habits of deer, the pompous attorneys and doctors of nearby Charleston, and the ways of the world. But with Unc's discovery of a mutilated body, Huger suddenly learns that he is expert at nothing--least of all his own life. Everything he knows and everyone he loves--Unc, his mother, his foundering teenage romance--is at risk, and Huger must use every ounce of resourcefulness and bravery to stay alive and protect what he believes in. Yet, when he finally discovers precisely what happened that Saturday morning, there is still one more secret to uncover, this one too dark, too deep, for him to even imagine.
From Bret Lott, the critically acclaimed author the "Los Angeles Times" called "one of the most important and imaginative writers in America today, " "The Hunt Club" is a novel of deft pacing and remarkable detail, and a sultry evocation of a land and culture that has existed for generations but soon may be lost forever.

From the Back Cover

In this lyrically written, hauntingly seductive novel, Bret Lott brings to life the beauty and flavor of the mist-covered swamps and backlands of South Carolina's Lowcountry in a story that is both mystery and rite of passage.

At fifteen, Huger ("you say it YOU-gee") Dillard already knows a great deal about the ways of the world--or so he thinks. He may not have a father, but with the guidance of his blind "Unc," Leland, and weekends spent at the Hunt Club--a tract of woods and swamp belonging to his family--Huger knows all about the land and the habits of its wildlife, from deer to the pompous Charleston doctors and lawyers who come to hunt them. But nothing can prepare him for the dark events that begin to unfold when he and Unc stumble upon the body of a well-to-do Charleston regular on their land.

Who wanted him dead? And why is the Hunt Club suddenly at the heart of a dark secret worth killing for? Caught in a treacherous labyrinth that stretches deep into the past, Huger and everyone he loves are about to discover painful truths that will irrevocably change them; truths that will shatter a young boy's innocence and test him as a man.

Review Quotes

"A gripping, wrenching, and devastating good book."-- Chris Bohjalian, author of "Midwives""Bret Lott has written a suspenseful mystery that is also, for its youngprotagonist, an intense emotional journey into adulthood with all its dangeroussecrets, its acts of grace and courage. As always, Lott writes with a fine feelfor the landscape of his fiction, and a gifted generous eye for the memorable people who live there."-- Michael Malone, author of "Handling Sin" and "Time's Witness""If you've ever found yourself chewing your fingernails while you're reading orskipping ahead almost unconsciously because you've got to know what happensnext, you'll love this book."-- "Men's Journal""Mystery fans who dote on stylish writing and strong characters will love "TheHunt Club."" -- Tony Hillerman "An emotionally charged thriller that places the reader in the labyrinth of thehuman heart, where such qualities as devotion, greed, love and dishonesty standout with near-terrifying clarity."-- "Chicago Tribune""Action, suspense, and a hint of Southern folklore."-- "Library Journal" "A wonderful read." -- Charleston Post & Courier"The writing is splendid."-- "Atlanta Journal-Constitution" "Reads quickly and compellingly. . . . Resembles a John Grisham tale . . . yetLott's writing is far superior to Grisham's. "The Hunt Club" unfolds like a movie, always in motion, always seeing its world with a camera eye." -- Hartford Courant "A gifted and expert storyteller."-- "Kirkus Reviews""One of the most important and imaginative writers in America today." -- "Los Angeles Times""Lott's characters are as vital as heartbeats, as is his sense of place...As a portrayal of a boy's acceptance through suffering of aworld riven by sin but grounded in love, the book is moving, memorable, even masterful." -- "Publishers Weekly"""The Hunt Club" combines the best of suspense and 'literary' writing...A tour de force that requires no label." -- "Virginian-Pilot"