The Lonesome Trials of Johnny Riles

Praise for East of Denver:

Hill gives up plenty of laughs to go with the pain . . . a fine first novel from a writer with a great sense of character.--Booklist

One of this summer's most pleasant surprises.--Austin American-Statesman

A slow burn, but by the end it's burning hot. . . . This is writing on a par with that of top-flight black-comic novelists like Sam Lipsyte and Jess Walter.--Lev Grossman

A witty, snarky, thoroughly enjoyable read.--Portland Book Review

A keen, at times riveting, understanding of the absurdities and freedoms of small-town isolation and the dying way of life that was once the American standard.--Shelf Awareness

[An] agreeable, offbeat debut novel. . . . Quirkily satisfying.--Kirkus

An eye for detail, an ear for dialogue, and a knack for storytelling distinguish this unflinching novel of rural America.--Publishers Weekly

Johnny Riles is in a rough patch. He's lonesome, he's drunk, and someone's murdered his horse. He spends his days searching--for the mysterious killer, for his brother's soul, for a sober reason to live. In this off-kilter tale spun out with dry humor, Johnny delves beneath stark Western landscapes both literal and figurative to unearth the truths behind his nightmares.

Gregory Hill lives, writes, and makes music on the Colorado High Plains, and is a book buyer for the University of Denver library. He was the 2012 Boulder County Artist in Residence; his previous novel, East of Denver (2012, Dutton), won the 2013 Colorado Book Award for Literary Fiction and the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.