Like Lions

Rarely does a book open with such an emotionally suspenseful scene. I felt stunned as I read the dramatic, heart wrenching story of a mother’s attempt to leave her abusive, criminal husband. Like Lions is a sequel to Bull Mountain and it’s just as dark and gritty. This story takes place on Bull Mountain, Georgia where a sheriff is determined to extinguish the crime and violence from his community. Such a tall order considering he is constantly fighting against his own family whose legacy is so powerful. This time, Sheriff Clayton Burroughs’ enemies come after his wife and child. Brian Panowich doesn’t just write really great novels; his story telling abilities are masterful. Panowich skillfully illustrates how easily the show more boundaries are blurred for Clayton as he navigates to protect his family. And, wow…the ending truly left me frozen. I had to sit and digest that one for some time. show less

Clayton Burroughs, county sheriff of this small north Georgia location, is still recovering from the major, near-death injuries of a year ago. His family and the legacy left by his father and brothers are never far from the tumultuous crime-ridden surface. It's Burroughs territory and they reined heavily until that confrontation. Their deaths and his lack of desire to take over the helm of the dynasty has begun to open the door for new and even darker gangs or clans.

There are unseen and powerful forces building a dreadful foreboding of the war to come. These factions play for keeps and when moonshine took a back seat to the drug trade, millions of dollars as well as the territory went up for grabs.

"Pride will kill you faster than a show more bullet."

This is a gritty, southern lit, hick lit, hillbilly noir or whatever you want to call it and I'll warn you, it's rude, crude, and socially unacceptable. The characters are raw, open, and come off totally real. Kate, Clayton's wife, is wonderful, strong, decent. She loves her man. But the man is damaged and he's drinking. He has a number of "family" who will cover his back--well, most that is because this is also a story of loyalty and betrayal. His office gal slash dispatcher, Cricket, is a great support character. Other characters have names like Scabby Mike and Nails McKenna, JoJo and Coot Viner. You'd expect that...

The conflict and turmoil have you reeling from the gut punches and flipping pages, unsure what will happen next. The plot moves with gathering speed until the explosive climax. Wow, is this guy a storyteller or what?
And just when you think it's over, the epilogue! Enough said. show less

Like Lions by Brian Panowich is a 2019 G.P. Putnam’s Sons publication.

An exceptional follow up to Bull Mountain

After the stunning events which led to the death of his brother, Sheriff Clayton Burroughs is struggling mightily. Despite his finally becoming a father, he is drinking excessively, while his marriage crumbles and his mental health deteriorates.

The fallout of damaging the lucrative drug and alcohol empire his family once controlled, has opened doors for others to gladly move into the North Georgia territory to pick up the slack.

With little trained help, Clayton finds himself sucked into the very void he has worked so hard to escape. With his back against the wall, Clayton fights for his marriage, his job, his life, and show more perhaps his very soul.

Panowich blew me away… again! My goodness this guy can write! I wouldn’t have thought he could top Bull Mountain, but this sequel shines just as bright, if not brighter.

This story held me in a vise like grip from start to finish. It’s every bit as dark as its predecessor, but the intensity at times was almost more than I could bear. If this had been a movie, I would have been trying to cover my eyes, as my worst fears begin to play out.

As I said in my review of Bull Mountain, the labels often applied to his book, doesn't do the book justice, and while some professional or editorial reviewers still cling to those descriptions, I noticed a few others called them out on it. Good. This is literary crime fiction at its finest and should be described as such!

All the stars for this one! show less

Hillbilly noir is a thing and it’s kinda awesome! At least it is in the hands of Brian Panowich in his new novel, Like Lions. Lions is the follow-up to his debut, Bull Mountain and takes us back to rural Georgia and the Burroughs clan. Clayton Burroughs is sheriff but also a member of the Burroughs crime family which formerly ran all the drug operations in that part of Georgia. A family looking for a new leader, since Clayton killed the last one.

Clayton is also recovering from injuries which nearly killed him several months earlier. He is in physical and emotional pain. This pain, along with his drinking, has put a strain on his marriage to Kate. Now one group wants to run their criminal enterprise through Clayton’s county and show more another thinks that the Burroughs are weakened enough to make them a target. Clayton is trying to break the chain of criminality that he was raised on, but when a member of a rival clan winds up dead, it threatens to kick off a war that threatens Clayton’s family and all of Bull Mountain.

Clayton is a strong but tortured character. He is determined to operate within the law -- mostly. He also recognizes that things operate just a little differently on Bull Mountain. He bears a passing resemblance to Elmore Leonard’s great character, Raylan Givens. Clayton skillfully balances the family who wants him to take over their operations, the Florida gang who wants him and his connections for their own criminal purposes, and the rival neighbors who think he is weak enough to topple. When Clayton’s wife and infant child are threatened, though, they’ll find out just what he’s made of.

Kate Burroughs is an outstanding character as well. She loves Clayton even as she hates what his pain and his drinking have made of him. She has a core of steel and when she is threatened as a way to get to Clayton, it turns out that she’s not exactly a shrinking violet.

Like Lions is fast-paced, gritty and violent. The story moves forward briskly as the various plot lines twist around until they all come together for a finale that is a punch in the face. Once the story crests, the action will have you flipping the pages all the way to the end to see what happens. Well-balanced action and character depth make this novel a cut above the rest. Highly recommended.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publishers. show less

Like Lions is an intense, vivid, uncomfortable, compelling, atmospheric, totally immersive story. It's the kind of book I had to keep putting down because it made me squirm, but then I'd take a few breaths and pick it right back up again.

Panowich's writing style commands an emotional connection from readers. He writes with an omniscient POV, so we constantly weave in and out of all the characters' thoughts. To be honest, this is not usually my favorite writing style. It's difficult to pull off well, but Panowich uses it to perfection.

The characters are incredibly well developed, complex, and truly fascinating people. The culture of this rural mountain setting comes alive on the pages.

If you're looking for something gritty, dark, a show more little violent, and totally believable, set aside an afternoon for this book.

Like Lions is the sequel to Bull Mountain, which I read way back in 2015 when it was first released. Panowich does an excellent job of weaving in backstory from that first book to help orient us and connect bits of the past. I don't think it's necessary to read Bull Mountain first, though I do recommend it because it's a great book.

*I received a review copy from the publisher, via Amazon Vine.* show less

I liked this quick read (a few hours) – really suitable for say air travel. The story is not overly complex, actually not much of a mystery (and it is not a detective story either), but the characters are interesting. Perhaps there is an overreliance on miracle escapes, although they are a natural progression of everyone making mistakes that puts them in jeopardy to begin with. The story moves at a very fast pace, although it moves mainly by revelation – everyone takes the time to explain the how and why. It does wrap things up a bit too neatly at the end.
I would recommend this if you want to read something without the need for in-depth focus and analysis and want to pass the time with some interesting characters.

This was a good follow-up to Bull Mountain, and I'd recommend reading that one first. This was pretty similar and I liked it a lot, although I occasionally got a little annoyed with Clayton, the sheriff. He kept doing things that he knew was wrong and self-destructive, yet did it anyway. There are lots of people who have problems with alcohol, drugs, or gambling, and get in a lot of trouble but don't realize they are making mistakes until it's too late. That's easier to take than someone that knows for sure they are making the mistakes, but do it anyway. But it's always easier to see the mistakes of others, I guess.

I'm not rushing in to read the next one of the series, though. I need a break from the violence although I probably won't show more wait very long before revisiting the gang to see what they get up to. show less