Overview

Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, said his breakthrough third crime novel deserves comparison with the best of James Ellroy. And Crimetime calls him a name to watch. Now, Zeltserman has written the book his fans have been waiting for?a classic unlike anything you've ever read. Jack Durkin is the ninth generation of Durkins who have weeded Lorne Field for nearly 300 years. Though he and his wife Lydia are miserable and would like nothing more than to leave, Jack must wait until his son has come of age to tend the field on his own. It's an important job, though no one else seems to realize it. For, if the field is left untended, a horrific monster called an Aukowie will grow?a monster capable of taking over the entirety of America in just two weeks. Or so it is said. . .

Full Product Details

9781590203033

Table of Contents

Reviews

If Stephen King had a true Noir calling and Peter Straub added contemporary horror... and Dean Koontz threw in his fine depiction of ordinary life on the edge of the unknown... then bring the specter of James M. Cain to write the narrative, you'd come close to describing the whole effect of this stunning slice for the zeitgeist wondrous novel and the writing is... pure dark bliss. -- Ken Bruen, author of

]If Stephen King had a true Noir calling and Peter Straub added contemporary horrorS and Dean Koontz threw in his fine depiction of ordinary life on the edge of the unknownS then bring the specter of James M. Cain to write the narrative, you]d come close to describing the whole effect of this stunning slice for the zeitgeist wondrous novel and the writing isS pure dark bliss.] -- Ken Bruen, author of London Boulevard <br>] The Caretaker of Lorne Field is a magnificent novel, with truly believable characters and suspense that keeps building to an explosive climax. There it is, plain and simple.] -- Seymour Shubin, Edgar Award finalist, author of Anyone's My Name <br> This superbly crafted horror story explores the dichotomy between belief and rationality. Why has a small town maintained a contract since the eighteenth century with a member of the community and his heirs to pull weeds in Lorne Field? Jack Durkin, the current and ninth generation of Lorne Field caretakers, says the things he pulls from the ground aren]t weeds; they are something called Aukowies, and if they]re not pulled up by the roots and burned every day, the world will end. Under pressure from his wife to get a real job; from the town fathers (looking to save a few bucks and end the contract); and from his sons, who don]t see themselves as career weed- pullers, Durkin is finally out of a job. No more weed pulling. So is he just a nut case, or does the novel segue into another Little Shop of Horrors? Sorry, we don]t do spoilers. Horror fans will have to read this first-class cautionary tale themselves. -- Elliott Swanson, Booklist <br> ]Zeltserman is the author of increasingly accomplished crime novels, distinguished by spare and crisp prose, believable dialogue, imaginative plot twists and tightly wound characters who don't wear out their welcome.] -- Newsday <br> ]Delicious horror-ish novelSZeltserman is fully in control.] -- Newsday (Long Island) <br> Dark and excitinga

]If Stephen King had a true Noir calling and Peter Straub added contemporary horrorS and Dean Koontz threw in his fine depiction of ordinary life on the edge of the unknownS then bring the specter of James M. Cain to write the narrative, you]d come close to describing the whole effect of this stunning slice for the zeitgeist wondrous novel and the writing isS pure dark bliss.] -- Ken Bruen, author of London Boulevard ] The Caretaker of Lorne Field is a magnificent novel, with truly believable characters and suspense that keeps building to an explosive climax. There it is, plain and simple.] -- Seymour Shubin, Edgar Award finalist, author of Anyone's My Name This superbly crafted horror story explores the dichotomy between belief and rationality. Why has a small town maintained a contract since the eighteenth century with a member of the community and his heirs to pull weeds in Lorne Field? Jack Durkin, the current and ninth generation of Lorne Field caretakers, says the things he pulls from the ground aren]t weeds; they are something called Aukowies, and if they]re not pulled up by the roots and burned every day, the world will end. Under pressure from his wife to get a real job; from the town fathers (looking to save a few bucks and end the contract); and from his sons, who don]t see themselves as career weed- pullers, Durkin is finally out of a job. No more weed pulling. So is he just a nut case, or does the novel segue into another Little Shop of Horrors? Sorry, we don]t do spoilers. Horror fans will have to read this first-class cautionary tale themselves. -- Elliott Swanson, Booklist ]Zeltserman is the author of increasingly accomplished crime novels, distinguished by spare and crisp prose, believable dialogue, imaginative plot twists and tightly wound characters who don't wear out their welcome.] -- Newsday ]Delicious horror-ish novelSZeltserman is fully in control.] -- Newsday (Long Island) Dark and exciting as all hellS With every chapter Zeltserman turns up the tensionS This is one of those novels, like Cormac McCarthy]s The Road, that should be shoved in the hands of young readers to show them that books can be complex thematically while also fucking thrilling at the same time. The prose, typical of Zeltserman]s work, is tight, no-bullshit stuff and the story masterfully never tips its hand or oversells its message. - Spinetingler Magazine Zeltserman deftly drags the reader through the story, keeping you wondering about the truth.] -- Dallas Morning News ]Superb mix of humor and horrorSZeltserman orchestrates events perfectlySReaders will keep turning pages to see how the ambiguous plot resolves.] -- Publishers Weekly Harrowing. Zeltserman colors it black with the best of them.] -- Kirkus Reviews The black comedy of errors that ensues invites comparison to storiesby Kafka, David Prill, James Hynes, William Browning Spencer, and other authors who have mused on the dark side of daily breadwinningS Though Zeltserman]s approach is clearly tongue-in-cheek, he deftly balances the competing interests of the characters to keep the truth of the narrative events ambiguous. A few deaths at conveniently inopportune moments and several coincidental fades to black only add to the dramatic tension of the narrative. Stories of this kind are hard to pull off and often collapse under the weight of their outrageous premises long before they end. It]s to Zeltserman]s credit that his novel holds together up to and through the final paragraph, and that it compels the reader to stay with it for that long. -- LOCUS Magazine Crime writer Zeltserman has produced a nail-biter...The narrative is straightforward and gritty, reminiscent of works of Dashiell Hammett...gripping and actually Ohorrifying, ] this title is recommended for horror fans and readers who may relish unpleasant surprises. -- Library Journal ] The Caretaker of Lorne Field is a fabulous amusing tale that grips the reader with a need to know whether the monster is real, a centuries old con, or generational lunacy] -- Midwest Book Review ]Part noir and part Stephen Cain, with a dash of James M. Cain thrown in for good measure. Zeltserman is one of the more cogent of the neo-noirists, and this might be his best yetS Book by book, Zeltserman is proving himself to be one of the best.] -- CrimeTime Blog ]The Caretaker of Lorne Field succeeds as a horror novel, a psychological thriller and a haunting parable, even in some ways that Zeltserman may not have intended. There are dark levels to this work, some of which are immediately evident and others of which reveal themselves only upon later reflection. I don]t know if the book will come to be regarded as a classic, either now or at some point in the future, but it deserves to be.] -- Bookreporter

If Stephen King had a true Noir calling and Peter Straub added contemporary horrorS and Dean Koontz threw in his fine depiction of ordinary life on the edge of the unknownS then bring the specter of James M. Cain to write the narrative, you d come close to describing the whole effect of this stunning slice for the zeitgeist wondrous novel and the writing isS pure dark bliss. -- Ken Bruen, author of London Boulevard The Caretaker of Lorne Field is a magnificent novel, with truly believable characters and suspense that keeps building to an explosive climax. There it is, plain and simple. -- Seymour Shubin, Edgar Award finalist, author of Anyone's My Name This superbly crafted horror story explores the dichotomy between belief and rationality. Why has a small town maintained a contract since the eighteenth century with a member of the community and his heirs to pull weeds in Lorne Field? Jack Durkin, the current and ninth generation of Lorne Field caretakers, says the things he pulls from the ground aren t weeds; they are something called Aukowies, and if they re not pulled up by the roots and burned every day, the world will end. Under pressure from his wife to get a real job; from the town fathers (looking to save a few bucks and end the contract); and from his sons, who don t see themselves as career weed- pullers, Durkin is finally out of a job. No more weed pulling. So is he just a nut case, or does the novel segue into another Little Shop of Horrors? Sorry, we don t do spoilers. Horror fans will have to read this first-class cautionary tale themselves. -- Elliott Swanson, Booklist Zeltserman is the author of increasingly accomplished crime novels, distinguished by spare and crisp prose, believable dialogue, imaginative plot twists and tightly wound characters who don't wear out their welcome. -- Newsday Delicious horror-ish novelSZeltserman is fully in control. -- Newsday (Long Island) Dark and exciting as all hellS With every chapter Zeltserman turns up the tensionS This is one of those novels, like Cormac McCarthy s The Road, that should be shoved in the hands of young readers to show them that books can be complex thematically while also fucking thrilling at the same time. The prose, typical of Zeltserman s work, is tight, no-bullshit stuff and the story masterfully never tips its hand or oversells its message. - Spinetingler Magazine Zeltserman deftly drags the reader through the story, keeping you wondering about the truth. -- Dallas Morning News Superb mix of humor and horrorSZeltserman orchestrates events perfectlySReaders will keep turning pages to see how the ambiguous plot resolves. -- Publishers Weekly Harrowing. Zeltserman colors it black with the best of them. -- Kirkus Reviews The black comedy of errors that ensues invites comparison to storiesby Kafka, David Prill, James Hynes, William Browning Spencer, and other authors who have mused on the dark side of daily breadwinningS Though Zeltserman s approach is clearly tongue-in-cheek, he deftly balances the competing interests of the characters to keep the truth of the narrative events ambiguous. A few deaths at conveniently inopportune moments and several coincidental fades to black only add to the dramatic tension of the narrative. Stories of this kind are hard to pull off and often collapse under the weight of their outrageous premises long before they end. It s to Zeltserman s credit that his novel holds together up to and through the final paragraph, and that it compels the reader to stay with it for that long. -- LOCUS Magazine Crime writer Zeltserman has produced a nail-biter...The narrative is straightforward and gritty, reminiscent of works of Dashiell Hammett...gripping and actually Ohorrifying, this title is recommended for horror fans and readers who may relish unpleasant surprises. -- Library Journal The Caretaker of Lorne Field is a fabulous amusing tale that grips the reader with a need to know whether the monster is real, a centuries old con, or generational lunacy -- Midwest Book Review Part noir and part Stephen Cain, with a dash of James M. Cain thrown in for good measure. Zeltserman is one of the more cogent of the neo-noirists, and this might be his best yetS Book by book, Zeltserman is proving himself to be one of the best. -- CrimeTime Blog The Caretaker of Lorne Field succeeds as a horror novel, a psychological thriller and a haunting parable, even in some ways that Zeltserman may not have intended. There are dark levels to this work, some of which are immediately evident and others of which reveal themselves only upon later reflection. I don t know if the book will come to be regarded as a classic, either now or at some point in the future, but it deserves to be. -- Bookreporter

If Stephen King had a true Noir calling and Peter Straub added contemporary horror ... and Dean Koontz threw in his fine depiction of ordinary life ... then bring the specter of James M. Cain to write the narrative, you'd come close to describing the whole effect of this stunning, slice-of-the-zeitgeist, wondrous novel. And the writing is pure dark bliss. -- Ken Bruen

Author Information

Dave Zeltserman is the author of ten horror and crime novels, including Monster, a Booklist Top 10 Horror Fiction selection; The Caretaker of Lorne Field, shortlisted by the American Library Association for best horror novel of 2010; and A Killer's Essence. He lives in the Boston area.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available