The Outlaw Album: Summary and book reviews of The Outlaw Album by Daniel Woodrell, plus links to an excerpt from The Outlaw Album and a biography of Daniel Woodrell.

Granted, this is not recommended general reading. It's for the sort of person who craves the gothic, the real life horror of such writers as Stephen King, mated with William Faulkner's Snopes clan, tossed with a dash of the worst violence from the daily news. There's no uplift, no sun coming out tomorrow. This short volume is masterful dark writing at its best, set in a distinct, culturally isolated area, filled with characters no one in his right mind would ever want to know. This is the grotesque told with a sly wink.  (Reviewed by Lisa Guidarini).

Full Review (1105 words).

Media Reviews

Publishers Weekly Starred Review. Woodrell's spare, brutal prose, a kind of 'country noir,' captures the true essence of a rough little pocket of America's heartland that has yet to be - and may indeed never be - smoothed over.   Kirkus Reviews Starred Review. Hard words and harsh trials from a writer who knows all too well the frozen ground he occupies.   Library Journal Dark, tough, and chilling, this collection packs a wallop, leaving readers to draw solid comparisons to works by Ken Bruen and James Ellroy. Some of these 12 tales are tragic, and some are funny, but all are unforgettable.

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