Breakheart Hill

PRAISE FOR THOMAS H. COOK

AND BREAKHEART HILL

“Cook has crafted a novel of stunning power, with a climax that is so unexpected the reader may think he has cheated. But there is no cheating here, only excellent storytelling.”

—Booklist

“Cook’s writing is distinguished by finely cadenced prose, superior narrative skills, and the author’s patient love for the doomed characters who are the object of his attention.… Highly recommended.”

—Library Journal (starred review)

“Gripping.… The simple plot becomes more than the sum of its parts—a haunting evocation that gains power and resonance with each twist of its spiral-like narration.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Cook is a gifted writer, and here he infuses every page with the kind of melancholy that has defined the southern gothic novel for years.”

—Plain Dealer, Cleveland

“I’m a pure fool for the kind of cadenced, melancholy, distanced-in-time prose that Cook uses here. It reminds me of To Kill A Mockingbird.… This is the best crime novel I’ve read so far in 1995 against some strong opposition, and it may well be the best on December 31st. Cook does a superb job of building and maintaining an almost relentless suspense from the opening paragraphs to the final few pages of the book. You’ll think you know who (and maybe you do) and you’ll think you know why (and I suppose it’s possible); but trust me, you won’t have guessed everything. Breakheart Hill is one of the best written and most marvelously crafted books I’ve read in a long, long time. It’s dark, and it’s sad, and it’s very, very good, a personal best from a fine writer. Read it.”

—Mystery News

“One of Cook’s most evocative, captivating and haunting [novels]…. Cook is a truly lyrical writer.… Breakheart Hill is a book to read slowly and savor, but it is so compelling that readers will be turning the pages as fast as they can. This haunting story will stay with you long after you’ve read the last page and reluctantly set it aside.”

—Flint Journal

“A thrilling story of close to unbearable suspense.”

—The Neshoba Democrat

“An opening line to rival the best. A story that also rivals the best. Breakheart Hill is first and foremost an outstanding mystery, but it is also a distinguished novel.”

—Deadly Pleasures

“A seductive mood piece.”

—The New York Times Book Review

“There’s something Conroyesque in Thomas H. Cook’s Breakheart Hill.… A book to be read for the intensity of its plot and the beauty of its words. This is a rare combination from any author, but Cook manages to pull it off. A triumph.”

—The Rockdale Citizen

“The writing here is extraordinary.… A haunting read that will stay with you a long, long time.”

—Contra Costa Times

“In the style of Pat Conroy, Thomas Cook poetically weaves a tapestry of love and deceit that will not soon be forgotten.”

—San Antonio Express-News