Bad Country is C.B. McKenzie’s debut novel, a Western noir set in Arizona’s Indian country and the seedy sections of Tucson. The protagonist, Rodeo Grace Garnet, is a former rodeo star who turned private investigator after he broke his back rodeoing. He is disparagingly called a “cowboy Indian” by some. He has more problems than money and lives a bleak existence in the headquarters of a now-deserted, rundown trailer park. When he returns from vacation, he finds the dead body of an Indian in front of his home. This incident starts a remarkable plot.
The novel is populated by difficult, if not bizarre, characters. It’s well-written with wonderful lines like: “Plastic shopping bags flagged creosote bushes like the Res equivalent of prayer flags.” You can feel the Arizona heat sizzling the seats of Rodeo’s ancient pickup, and the landscape itself becomes a character. The plot is ambitious and enthralling with multiple deaths by a serial killer, even more suspects, and a surprising finale. Bad Country won the Tony Hillerman Prize, and that honor is well-deserved. I hope this becomes a series as is listed as I looking forward to reading more from McKenzie.
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Bad Country (Minotaur Books, July 2, 2024) is available through:
Your local independent bookseller | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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