Critically-acclaimed novelist and naturalist Peter Matthiessen deftly weaves together the fortunes and tragedies of Florida Everglades folk in this foreboding thriller. Haunted by the legacy of his father's violent reputation and brutal death, historian Lucius Watson seeks to understand the man behind the legend. In 1910, an enraged mob of neighbors gunned down murder suspect E.J. Watson-each claiming it was self-defense. Over four decades later, his son Lucius returns to Lost Man's River to discover the truth behind that horrible day. Was his father really a cold-blooded murderer, feared by all? Or was he a man of progress and vision, killed by those who envied him? Alternately threatened and shunned, Lucius relentlessly digs for answers, even while he fears the truth. In this dazzling sequel to Killing Mr. Watson, Peter Matthiessen presents the story of a family riddled with scandal through colorful recollections of renegades and their descendants. Veteran narrator George Guidall brings the rich oral history dramatically to life.
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"ONE OF MY BEST-LOVED BOOKS OF ALL TIME. The wild and wooly days of SW Florida -- with race-mixing!"
— Jane (5 out of 5 stars)
“A project of enormous ambition, laying out the interconnected lives of at least two dozen families whose fortunes and misfortunes betoken the history of the entire state, especially as those lives impinge on that of the pioneer entrepreneur, probable murderer—and certainly murdered—Edgar J. Watson.”
— New York Times Book Review“Through a miasma of shadows and dopplegangers, slippery nomenclature, rumor and fact, a grand, tragic history of the Watson Clan coalesces, against an indelible vision of Florida's sublime and imperiled Gulf Coast.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“This work depends on oral histories, and its numerous reminiscences create a rich story…[A] labor of love from the famed wilderness writer.”
— Library Journal“Interweaving a lament for the lost wilderness, a shrewd, persuasive study of character, and a powerful meditation on the sources of American violence, Matthiessen has produced one of the best novels of recent years.”
— Kirkus Reviews" I don't typically find Matthiessen's fiction as compelling as his nonfiction. It's still an interesting story, though. "
— Charles, 10/25/2013" Read my review on Amazon. It's tasty, if I do say so myself. "
— John, 6/7/2013" I really wanted to like this book - but maybe I must give Peter Matthiessen another shot, if/when I can find a copy of The Snow Leopard (the book that was recommended by the person who said Matthiessen was wonderful). "
— Sherry, 1/17/2013" 2nd volume in the Watson trilogy. Exquisite writing. Great chunk of history... "
— Roy, 1/2/2013" FINALLY, I finished it. This one was more of a slog than Killing Mr. Watson, but I'm so stuck on the story that I have to immediately start the third and final book in the series. "
— Sarah, 3/1/2011" The second book in a series of three about the mysterious Mr. Watson. "
— Barbara, 1/2/2011" FINALLY, I finished it. This one was more of a slog than Killing Mr. Watson, but I'm so stuck on the story that I have to immediately start the third and final book in the series. "
— Sarah, 1/2/2010" I don't typically find Matthiessen's fiction as compelling as his nonfiction. It's still an interesting story, though. "
— Charles, 2/25/2009" 2nd volume in the Watson trilogy. Exquisite writing. Great chunk of history... "
— Roy, 12/19/2008" Read my review on Amazon. It's tasty, if I do say so myself. "
— John, 1/6/2008Peter Matthiessen (1927–2014) was the author of more than thirty books, including the New York Times bestseller The Snow Leopard. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1974. He was cofounder of the Paris Review and won two National Book Awards, the 2000 Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities, and the 2010 Spiros Vergos Prize for Freedom of Expression.
George Guidall, winner of more than eighty AudioFile Earphones Awards, has won three of the prestigious Audie Award for Excellence in Audiobook Narration. In 2014 the Audio Publishers Association presented him with the Special Achievement Award for lifetime achievement/ During his thirty-year recording career he has recorded over 1,700 audiobooks, won multiple awards, been a mentor to many narrators, and shown by example the potential of fine storytelling. His forty-year acting career includes starring roles on Broadway, an Obie Award for best performance off Broadway, and frequent television appearances.