Lucian Wing is the sheriff of a backwoods county in Vermont, a hardscrabble place far from the picture-postcard gaze. He is also a man with a problem.

Multiple problems, in fact, including a threatening superior; a wandering wife; a hard-drinking father-in-law; a demented mother; a squad of deputies variously overzealous and moronic; a mysterious vigilante band operating in his jurisdiction; and a formidably bloodthirsty local carnivore...

Wing needs to draw on all his patience, knowledge, and (especially) humor to resolve things. Not least, to honour what one ambiguous ally refers to as Old Number Five.

Praise for Castle Freeman's novels:

‘A small miracle – sharp, sly, moving and full of heart' Nick Cave

‘Part comic romp and part nail-biting thriller ... Castle Freeman writes with both wit and a deep understanding of the human psyche, and he does not cheat us out of a dramatic climax’ Guardian

‘Shares many small-town, big-crime themes with Cormac McCarthy... it is impossible not to appreciate this’ The Times

'Wonderful... every paragraph a gem. Freeman – like Cormac McCarthy, like Annie Proulx – shows us the awkward realness of lives, and does it with humour, with wry perception, with great style' R. J. Ellory

‘Extremely funny... streamlined storytelling, dead-on dialogue and lyrical descriptions of the bleak, woodsy landscape. This is a meticulous New England miniature, with not a word wasted’ Oprah Magazine

‘A fast, memorable read gooey with atmosphere … a gem that sparkles with sly insight and cuts like a knife’ Boston Globe

‘Freeman has a flawless ear for dialogue and a sharp eye for quirky detail … Superb’ People Magazine

‘A brilliant book – laconic, spare, stylish and exciting’ Al Alvarez

‘A small masterpiece of black comedy and suspense … If all novels were this good, Americans would read more’ Kirkus Reviews

Castle Freeman is the author of seven novels, including the critically acclaimed Go With Me, which has been made into a film starring Anthony Hopkins, as well as two short-story collections. He has lived in rural Vermont since 1975.