Review: Gods of Howl Mountain by Taylor Brown

Title: Gods of Howl Mountain by Taylor Brown
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Historical, Mystery, Literary Fiction
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: C+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

In Gods of Howl Mountain, award-winning author Taylor Brown explores a world of folk healers, whiskey-runners, and dark family secrets in the high country of 1950s North Carolina.

Bootlegger Rory Docherty has returned home to the fabled mountain of his childhood – a misty wilderness that holds its secrets close and keeps the outside world at gunpoint. Slowed by a wooden leg and haunted by memories of the Korean War, Rory runs bootleg whiskey for a powerful mountain clan in a retro-fitted ’40 Ford coupe. Between deliveries to roadhouses, brothels, and private clients, he lives with his formidable grandmother, evades federal agents, and stokes the wrath of a rival runner.

In the mill town at the foot of the mountains – a hotbed of violence, moonshine, and the burgeoning sport of stock-car racing – Rory is bewitched by the mysterious daughter of a snake-handling preacher. His grandmother, Maybelline “Granny May” Docherty, opposes this match for her own reasons, believing that “some things are best left buried.” A folk healer whose powers are rumored to rival those of a wood witch, she concocts potions and cures for the people of the mountains while harboring an explosive secret about Rory’s mother – the truth behind her long confinement in a mental hospital, during which time she has not spoken one word. When Rory’s life is threatened, Granny must decide whether to reveal what she knows…or protect her only grandson from the past.

With gritty and atmospheric prose, Taylor Brown brings to life a perilous mountain and the family who rules it.

Review:

Set in the mountains of North Carolina in 1952, Gods of Howl Mountain by Taylor Brown is an interesting character study with just a hint of mystery and romance.

Rory Docherty is a veteran of the Korean War who lost part of his leg in battle. Now back home and living with his Granny May, he is right back in the thick of bootlegging for Eustace Uptree. With the help of his friend, Eli, they run whiskey down the mountain into the valley.Their thriving operation is complicated by  new revenuer, Kingman, who is determined to end Uptree’s bootlegging business for good. Rory is also locked in a battle with Cooley Muldoon whose daddy is one of Uptree’s competitors.  One of the unexpected bright spots in his life is Rory’s hopes for a relationship with Christine, a young woman who catches his eye when he spies a glimpse of her during a church service he sees after making a moonshine delivery at a local bawdyhouse.

Despite the loss of his lower leg, Rory easily steps back into his former life when he returns from Korea.  He and Eli work on keeping his souped up car (dubbed Maybelline) in tip top shape for his moonshine runs. He is immediately taken with Christine and although neither he nor Granny May are churchgoers, he goes to fairly extreme lengths to ensnare his love interest.  Rory is not one to back down from a fight and his altercations with Cooley are increasingly dangerous.

Granny May is only fifty-four but a lifetime of heartache and tragedy have hardened her. She has a colorful past and her only child, Bonni, has been in a mental institution since before giving birth to Rory. Granny May might have left behind her previous occupation, but the townspeople have long memories and they remain suspicious of her although they are quick to utilize some of her herbal remedies.

The mystery element of the storyline revolves around Rory’s mama Bonni and the circumstances that led up to her going into the mental institution. She was a  quiet, ethereal young woman  who struck up an unexpected friendship turned romance with Connor Gaston whose murder in 1930 is shrouded in mystery. Since Bonni has been mute since the night her life turned upside down, no one knows what happened the fateful night three nightriders caught up with the young couple. When someone threatens to hurt Bonni in the present, Rory is determined to find out what happened that night but are he and Granny May prepared for the shocking truth?

An atmospheric adventure that is a unevenly paced and features multiple story arcs, Gods of Howl Mountain is an intriguing novel. Unfortunately Taylor Brown’s overly descriptive prose  and long, meandering passages make it difficult to keep up with the unfolding storyline. Howl Mountain and its inhabitants are quite eclectic and both the setting and the residents spring vividly to life. The mystery about what happened to Bonni is fascinating and the revelation of what happened that tragic night is absolutely jaw-dropping.  A worthwhile but sometimes frustrating tale that fans of the genre will enjoy.