Holding Lies

A Novel

By: John Larison

Narrated by: James Jenner

A fresh new voice in fiction - one steeped in tradition, stirred by devotion, and struck by tragedy.

With Holding Lies, John Larison takes us deep into a thriving subculture of the Northwest, one born of the ferns and firs, rain and hot-springs, firebombs and whitewater. He takes us even deeper into the troubles of Hank Hazelton, a 59-year-old river guide, as he struggles to reconnect with his only daughter after a 14-year estrangement. His failure as a father haunts him, along with other deep regrets, tragedies, and longings.

In the days before his daughter's arrival, Hank discovers a drift boat stranded below a rapid, empty except for a long smear of blood on its seat. Search and Rescue fails to discover the owner, and within days the sheriff has begun a murder investigation, which, to Hank, appears to be more about old grudges than objective evidence. When Hank himself becomes a suspect, he begins his own search - one that will lead him deep into the violent past of his home valley.

In a novel about fathers and daughters, friends and mentors, sins ancient and repeated, Larison illuminates our commitments to those who've come before and those who'll come after. Holding Lies is a taut, big-hearted novel. It brings to life a tapestry of community sustained by the river, with the steelhead at its core. Steeped in the ecology of place and peopled with unforgettable characters, Larison creates a world we will want to return to again and again.

©2011 John Larison (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Slow start

I really liked the other book this author wrote, but this one fell a little flat for me. It got better the second half but i wouldn’t read it again. Kinda sad , it’s well written but lots more fishing terms and fishing content and less time with the characters

PERFECT FOR SEPTEMBER 2020

Truly, lose yourself in the scenery of what I imagine as the Rogue River Valley in W OR. Have good memories of both fishing and ww rafting. Lovely story and wonderful characters.

It moved very slow.

This book should have been. 100 pages. The story was very slow and u raveled poorly. Character development was poorly done. I wonder why he used profanity as it just seemed out of place and unnecessary. I did not enjoy this listen much. There were a couple parts where I thought, ok now it’s going to be good but nope.

If you like fishing this is for you

Story moves slow and without much drama. It’s mostly about fishing. If you love fishing this is for you.