Publisher's Synopsis
When Johnny Richardson returns to Oakridge he has one thing on his mind - correcting a terrible mistake that caused him to flee his home town eight years ago. Revisiting the past, though, is a dark and dangerous game in small-town America. When a careless sexual episode leads to the suicide of the town's first lady, Johnny finds himself the target of a revenge campaign that threatens to tear apart the fragile world he's built among the gold-bearing mountains of Northern California.Left an unexplained piece of land when his father mysteriously disappears, Johnny must unravel its secrets in a desperate bit to protect those he loves. But his efforts to do this have deadly consequences and will ultimately force him to confront not only his own failings, but the very nature of guilt.A searing meditation on the futility of trying to right the wrongs of the past, Empty Mile blends elements of stark emotional noir with the wide-open spaces of outdoor adventure. Publishers Weekly called it "... heartbreakingly powerful contemporary noir..."Empty Mile was nominated for France's most prestigious crime writing prize: the Grand prix de littérature policière."Matthew Stokoe's Empty Mile is a contender for my crime novel of the year. This book has everything a good crime novel should: a suspenseful story with violence at its core, characters driven by lust, love and guilt, propelled with prose that's poetic and profound. Stokoe brilliantly mines what happens to a person when shame and guilt fester."- Carole Barrowman, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel"Beautifully written and deeply gripping, Empty Mile is a great read. I'm already looking forward to the next one from Matthew Stokoe."- Michael Connelly, author of Dark Sacred Night"Like the best noir, Empty Mile is rife with desire, desperation, and despair. Matthew Stokoe's people have dubious motives, ugly secrets, crushing guilt, and suffer dire consequences. But they're redeemed by the rarest gold in contemporary crime fiction ¬- an author's genuine empathy." - Eddie Muller, author of Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir"The tension builds unbearably in this magnificent 'Sierras Noir' novel. Stokoe writes damaged people worthy of James M. Cain and Jim Thompson. His star-crossed lovers and broken families will steal your heart, even as Stokoe drives the knife home. I couldn't stop reading."- Denise Hamilton, author of the best-selling Eve Diamond series"To say Matthew Stokoe's Empty Mile is dark is an understatement of Herculean proportions. But there are glimpses of light, moments of grace, and characters that, despite their bad acts and shortcomings, are honestly human. A story of brotherhood, imperfection, and the huge toll that unresolved guilt and shame can take on our lives, the book made each evening's return to its shadowy pages a gift."- Shelf Unbound"Danger permeates this expertly plotted story from start to finish..."- Washington City Paper"Stokoe stays true to a bleak vision of the world as he enmeshes his characters in the kinds of tragic setups reminiscent of a Thomas Hardy novel."- Publishers Weekly
