Edge of Dark Water (edition 2012)

Addictive "hillbilly" noir

It is a pivotal moment when Sue-Ellen finds the murdered body of a friend. Nobody seems to care about anything but the stolen money, money that’s going to get Sue-Ellen away from the wandering hands of her father and a future of domesticated drudgery and violence.

I wasn't sure about this at first: narrated by a 16 year old, uneducated, Texan girl and I just wasn't sure if I was going to get along but Lansdale is consummately skilled at character and any issues vaporised as the plot drew me in, my assumptions quite nicely destroyed (I love a book I can't predict).

It is a fantastic, well plotted story. Meandering as much as its river but still managing to grip, delighting and scaring as its fancy takes it. It’s a very cinematic story, with vivid actions scenes, quiet moments of unsettling horror all cut with flashes of dark humour. I can smell the bad guy (Skunk), hear the roar of the river and the cadence of speaking and feel the terror of the chase.

I mentioned the great characters from Jinx who just delights with her bluntness, to the lost Preacher. It's a story where you root for the motley collective, whatever they have done, you can empathise with the fear of the unknown and that they hold themselves back rather than face a strange unimagined future. I have no idea how authentic Sue-Ellen’s voice is, nor how playful the story is with depression era setting or how much it riffs off [Huckleberry Finn]. It’s just a fine story, well told.

Recommended for crime/horror/thriller lovers ( )

Two teenagers are fishing with one of the teen's families when the teens pull in a dead body in their net. It is May Lynn, a sixteen-year-old who was friends with the other teens.

Being from a poor area and with no family, May Lynn is buried in a pauper's grave. Not much is said about her murder but three of her friends decide to dig her up and cremate her and then bring her ashes to Hollywood, where May Lynn always wanted to go.

Sue Ellen is the central character and narrator. The three teens include herself, Jinx a colored girl of age sixteen and Terry, the same age and who thinks he might be gay.

When they are digging up May Lynn, they find something in the grave and when they leave, along with Sue Ellen's mother, it makes Sue Ellen's token father and a constable chase after her.

The group is traveling down the Sabine River in East Texas. They meet obstacles along the way. They work together to overcome their difficulties and also tell more about each other. This is one of the beauties of the story.

The characters are memorable and full of courage and determination. At the conclusion, the reader will be able to catch their breath and nod that this is the only way the story could have ended. ( )

Edge of Dark Water is a perfect summer read. This morbid thriller is filled with terrific characters, loads of action, and an ideal setting for horrific fun. Channeling Mark Twain from the dead, Lansdale flips the coming-of-age story boating down a river onto its head, straying just shy of Deliverance territory. It is an ideal balance of murder mystery, adventure, and pulp. Three outcast teenagers and an addict mother journey together in order to escape their Depression era lives in East Texas, and come to realize the truth of the warped world they inhabit. And in typical Lansdale style, their journey is filled with vicious drama, upbeat laughs, and peculiarities that only he can deliver. A fun ride down a rough stream. Four and a half stars. ( )

Edge of Dark Water is another great story from Joe Lansdale. To be specific, the consistency of character in this book is impressive. Mr. Lansdale never loses his tone. The dialogue never loses its authenticity. The atmosphere always matches the action. I grew up in East Texas (the setting), and Mr. Lansdale's depiction of the denizens is rooted in reality, although taken to the Nth degree. If you like this book, try Mr. Lansdale's Edgar-winner The Bottoms - it's even better! ( )

Joe Lansdale KNOWS how to tell a tale. I've never read anything thing by Lansdale that wasn't good. he bats 100 per cent with me and Edge of Dark Water is no exception. A great book with fleshed out characters and a plot with a twist that I didn't see coming. ( )