THE HEMLOCK COUNTY NOVELS

by David Poyer

Hemlock County is my fictional re-creation and evocation of the country and people with which I grew up.  In some ways I think they're my best work; but they never achieved the sales levels my sea books have.  I accepted substantial sacrifices to write them, but I've never regretted that.  They were simply something I had to do, for love.  With the exception of WINTER LIGHT, which is as of this writing still available from Forge Books, all the Hemlock novels are currently out of print.   I'm currently the only source for all new-condition books -- that is, for those I still have copies of in stock.

The chronology of these books, well . . . as they were published it was The Dead of Winter, Winter in the Heart, As the Wolf Loves Winter, and then Thunder on the Moutain.  But Thunder takes place in 1936, long before the generic present settings of the first three books.  Read them as you will, is the only advice I can offer!  Each book stands by itself nonetheless.

WINTER LIGHT, published by Forge books in January 2001, contains the full text of both WINTER IN THE HEART and AS THE WOLF LOVES WINTER.  Like the other Hemlock County books, they got great reviews but didn't sell a heck of a lot of copies.  This is your chance to read them, if you missed them the first time around.

In WINTER IN THE HEART, originally published in hardcover in 1993, a reclusive outdoorsman, a teen-aged boy, and a jilted beautician take on a well-financed and ruthless hazardous-waste dumping ring in a remote, isolated town in Northern Pennsylvania.  Dragged into a Pittsburgh courtroom in shackles, reclusive old W. T. Halvorsen must convince a judge and jury that everything they think they know about their state, their government, and the rich and powerful of Hemlock County is a lie.  His is a tale of organized crime and a corrupt oil company executive; of toxic waste dumped for profit; of one honest man who is willing to fight for his life, his friends, his home, and his beloved woods.  Mystery Scene said:  "Poyer's new book has the relentless force of a choke-hold.  He has managed to pack his book with suspense, anger, violence, and a powerful concern for the fate of America.  Page-turners just don't get much better than this.  One of the year's truly outstanding novels."  The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review said: "David Poyer knows the smell of Pennsylvania gas wells, the creak of pumps coaxing underground oil to the surface.  He knows the northwestern woods, and the small-town isolation they engender.  Most of all, he knows the people who live in the shadow of the Allegheny Forest . . . Dark and gritty as a gravel road."

The second novel in the volume is AS THE WOLF LOVES WINTER.  Set in remote, mysterious Hemlock County, this book twines together four strands of story.  The reintroduction of the gray wolf to Pennsylvania, and the passions that erupt among hunters, farmers, and ecologists; an old man's struggle to come to terms with his past; a young girl's battle against AIDS, which is killing her little brother; and a greedy corporation's pirating of natural gas, and willingness to kill for profit.  Interwoven with these is the overarching question, what is man's proper relationship to nature?  Exploitation?  Conservation?  Or hands off? Kirkus Reviews called this book "A grim, moving thriller . . . a subtle, highly original blend of eco-thriller and novel of character." Publisher's Weekly said "A magnificent wintry climax involving the wolves, Halvorsen, and a brave twelve-year-old girl won't be forgotten soon by anyone who appreciates superb storytelling and characterization."  Forge Books, trade paper edition ISBN 0-312-87904-0.  I have a few -- see the First Editions/Collector's Items page to order autographed copies.  

THUNDER ON THE MOUNTAIN: A Novel of 1936. In the depths of the Depression, young W. T. "Red" Halvorsen starts a strike in the Pennsylvania oilfields after a refinery disaster exposes the Thunder Oil Company's neglect of workers' safety. As the violence escalates, Halvorsen, CIO organizer and secret Communist Doris Gurley Golden, strikebreaker Pearl McYeo, and Thunder Oil owner Daniel Thunner battle to decide the fate of Hemlock County -- and whether the bloodshed there will ignite a revolution that will shake all America. Forge Books, ISBN 0-312-86494-9.  See the First Editions/Collector's Items page to order autographed copies of the first edition hardcover.   An unabridged audio book read by Norman Dietz is available  from Chivers North America, phone (800) 621-0182 or order thru local bookstore; its ISBN is 0-7927-2323-6. Download first chapter and reviews.

THE DEAD OF WINTER. "It was on that first day of the hunt, an hour after dawn, that the old man found the body of the boy." The first Hemlock County novel opens during deer season in remote Northwestern Pennsylvania. Paul Michelson is searching for the killer who shot his son, then walked away, letting him bleed to death in the snow. Teresa Del Rosario is searching for Michelson, fighting her growing fear he has murder in mind. Retired hunter and oilfield worker W. T. Halvorsen takes on one last quest after Michelson begins killing hunters at random in the winter woods. An epic tale of justice and survival. Forge Books, ISBN 0- 812-50787-8.  I have no more copies of this book, sorry!

WINTER IN THE HEART. Greed, corruption, and violence in remote Hemlock County, Pennsylvania. Dragged into a courtroom in shackles, old W. T. "Racks" Halvorsen must convince a jury that everything they believe about their government and their town's chief employer is a lie. A tale of organized crime, nursing home scams, teenage suicide, toxic waste dumping, and of one honest man's fight for the truth. "Dark and gritty as a gravel road" -- Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Forge Books, 0-312-85421-8.   See the First Editions/Collector's Items page to order autographed copies of the first edition hardcover.

AS THE WOLF LOVES WINTER. In the old days wolves roamed Hemlock County. Then the earth was raped and left to die. Now these deserted hills are being haunted by new atrocities. What beast or man is leaving frozen, mangled bodies in the woods? Three unlikely heroes will set out to find the answer: "Racks" Halvorsen, retired oil worker and ex-hunter; Becky Benning, a twelve-year-old who knows only she can save her dying brother -- with magic; and Leah Friedman, a New York doctor who suspects the truth behind the killings. "Poyer knows what he is writing about." -- NY Times Book Review. Forge Books, ISBN 0- 812-53433-6.  Download first chapter.     See the First Editions/Collector's Items page to order autographed copies of the first edition hardcover.   I have only a few copies left of this book.