The Backwoods

Deep in the rugged backwoods of Bennett County, Virginia, Mason Cartwright had it all-looks; money; a thriving business with his father, Sheridan; and a beautiful wife, Noelle. But one fateful night, eighteen months ago, everything was taken away. Sheridan and Noelle were killed on a snow-slick road, and Mason drowned his grief in the bottom of a bottle, shutting out the world.

Then after another evening of blackout drinking, Mason wakes up battered, bruised, and blank on the details of what happened. That same night, a local hothead, Jeremy Clements, turns up dead. Deep in his gut, Mason fears the worst-that he played a role in Jeremy's murder.

He knows he has little time to uncover the truth before Jeremy's father, Ezra Clements, a ruthless kingpin of backwoods crime, comes hunting for answers. Ezra commands a shadowy army of moonshiners and drug runners hidden in the mountains, and he'll stop at nothing to avenge his son's death-or protect his empire.

With his best friend, Sheriff Jimmy Robertson, by his side, Mason races against the clock to piece together what really happened. But as tensions ignite and secrets unravel, one thing is certain-if Mason doesn't find the truth fast, Bennett County will burn.

In the gritty tradition of The Wettest County in the World and Razorblade Tears, The Backwoods is a heart-pounding tale of murder, vengeance, and the violent underbelly of Appalachia-a world few outsiders ever see and even fewer survive.