Sunsetter, Curtis LeBlanc
Sunsetter, Curtis LeBlanc
List: $17.50 | Sale: $12.25
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Sunsetter

Author: Curtis LeBlanc

Narrator: Sophie Amoss

Unabridged: 7 hr 26 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 04/25/2023


Synopsis

A fast-paced literary thriller that peels back the layers of small-town police corruption, drugs, and teen disillusionment to expose unlikely heroes and unexpected villains

When two teens, Dallan and Hannah, attend the opening night of the infamous Sunsetter rodeo, they find themselves entangled in the suspicious deaths of their two closest loved ones. Driven by loss, rage, and their gut instincts for justice, they channel their grief and confusion into uncovering the criminal truth about their small town of Perron, a prairie community that has been long deserted by industry, leaving a ghostly emptiness of abandoned gravel pits, golf courses, and storefronts. They soon discover that Perron — with its population of bored and discontented youth, as well as police officers who are only looking out for themselves—is the ideal place for a mysterious and omnipresent drug trade to flourish. Soon enough, Dallan and Hannah are being tailed by Deputy Arnason, who has been tasked with protecting the reputation of the local police, even as his conscience screams in protest with every move he makes.

Equal parts crime novel and literary fiction, Sunsetter is an unflinching story about the opioid crisis, teen isolation, police brutality, and the fickleness of late-stage capitalism.

About The Author

Curtis LeBlanc is the author of two poetry collections, Little Wild and Birding in the Glass Age of Isolation. He is the co-founder and managing editor of Rahila’s Ghost Press, and his work has appeared in Joyland, The Fiddlehead, the Malahat Review, PRISM International, and elsewhere. Curtis lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.


Reviews

Goodreads review by James

This was overall an entertaining read; it was fast-paced, dark & gritty - a solid 4-star thriller. The lack of quotation marks was annoying, but it didn't make the book unreadable. Thanks to ECW Press for the ARC.......more

Goodreads review by Maria

I was looking forward to this one. Unfortunately I found this novel difficult to get into. I felt the premise went around and round, so I guess I'm not the target audience. The story was descriptive, albeit a little too much. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC......more

Goodreads review by Ann

I got this as a free Goodreads Giveaway. I absolutely loved this book. This is proof that small presses have great talent. I liked the format and focus on just key characters; the weekend timeline; the dialogue; and the description. It was well paced and told a devastating yet story of people in a sm......more

Goodreads review by Andy

Curtis LeBlanc’s Sunsetter is the Canadian little brother of Stephen Markley’s Ohio—it’s gritty, it’s rough, and it’s a heck of a slow-burn literary thriller. Set in a rural Canadian town that had me picturing the boonies of Appalachia or a dying Rust Belt burg, this novel follows several different......more