Book Review: Ain’t Nobody Nobody by Heather Harper Ellett
It’s my first book blog tour of 2020 and I’m kicking it off with a doozy with Ain’t Nobody Nobody, a dark southern noir/mystery debut by author Heather Harper Ellett.
Check it out, and enter our giveaway for a chance to win one of three copies of the book! Many thanks to the author and Lone Star Lit who provided me with a digital copy of the book for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
AIN’T NOBODY NOBODY
by
HEATHER HARPER ELLETT
Genre: Murder Mystery / Southern Noir / Dark Humor
Publisher: Polis Books
Date of Publication: September 24, 2019
Number of Pages: 336
Scroll down for Giveaway of Ain’t Nobody Nobody!
Named a Best Debut of Fall/Winter 2019 by Library Journal, Ain’t Nobody Nobody is the story of a disgraced East Texas sheriff, his dead best friend’s surly teenage daughter, and a naive ranch hand who find unlikely redemption in a murdered hog hunter on a fence.
Part Breaking Bad and part Faulkner, this tragi-comic mystery is perfect for readers who enjoy dark humor (think Fargo) and like their crime fiction with a literary flare.
A Best Mystery of 2019 by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Ain’t Nobody Nobody is an interesting – and unusual – work literary fiction. I could also describe it as a gritty mystery. Either way, it is darkly humorous and unfolds at a quiet pace. This isn’t a book to be impatient with – the story will reveal itself in due time.Poverty and tragedy surround all the characters in this East Texas town. The characterization was the strength of this book – it has a cast of characters that were either lovable or unlikable, but either way, tragically flawed, colorful, and fully fleshed out.Heather Harper Ellett’s writing was also descriptive and elegant, all the while capturing the feel and tone of its rural East Texas setting:
“He couldn’t breathe and his chest tightened in the confusion of it all – a baking soda and vinegar mix of shame and redemption that threatened to erupt in him.”
Heather Harper Ellett, Ain’t Nobody Nobody
I will say, I get cranky with misleading comparisons, and I didn’t really feel “Breaking Bad” meets Joe Lansdale was an apt one. Ain’t Nobody Nobody feels like it’s own, unique story. It felt a little slow in parts, and I attributed that to the various internal dialogues and introspections of most of the main characters (Randall, Birdie, Bradley and Dale.)
This was a remarkable debut for the author, and I can’t wait to see what comes next for her.
Born and raised in East Texas, Heather Harper Ellett is a graduate of SMU and a therapist in private practice. She lives in Dallas with her husband and son.
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AIN’T NOBODY NOBODY GIVEAWAY!
THREE SIGNED HARDCOVER COPIES
January 2-12, 2020
CHECK OUT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
1/2/20 | Review | Hall Ways Blog |
1/2/20 | Review | Max Knight |
1/3/20 | Review | KayBee’s Book Shelf |
1/3/20 | Review | StoreyBook Reviews |
1/4/20 | Review | The Librarian Talks |
1/5/20 | Review | Momma on the Rocks |
1/6/20 | Review | Chapter Break Book Blog |
1/6/20 | Review | It’s Not All Gravy |
1/7/20 | Review | Reading by Moonlight |
1/8/20 | Review | That’s What She’s Reading |
1/9/20 | Review | Librariel Book Adventures |
1/9/20 | Review | Missus Gonzo |
1/10/20 | Review | Forgotten Winds |
1/11/20 | Review | Jennifer Silverwood |
1/11/20 | Review | Book Fidelity |