The Hunt Club

February 2, 1998
The publisher calls Lott's fertile new novel both a mystery and a thriller. Whatever its genre, the book represents a departure in form for this author of four literary novels (Reed's Beach, etc.), two story collections and a memoir. There's no departure in theme or tone, however, as 15-year-old narrator Huger Dillard comes of age in a crucible of fear fired by the discovery of a headless, partially skinned corpse on his family's tract of wild South Carolina land. Lott skillfully explores the penumbra of family-centered despair that has shadowed his previous work, and does so in the loamy prose that has won him praise. Huger finds the body while acting as a guide, along with his "Unc," to a group of physicians from Charleston--the Hunt Club of the title. Within hours, Huger's life is threatened and his mother kidnapped, apparently to force Unc to sell the family land to those doctors. Lott works a tight, complex plot, however, and reveals only incrementally the link between the corpse and that conspiracy, which masks further conspiracies involving illegal drugs, insurance fraud and buried treasure. Devastating family secrets are exposed, as well. Lott's characters are as vital as heartbeats, as is his sense of place, but he occasionally chafes against the genre form. The novel's central sequence--a chase in the woods--goes on too long, and too many questions are answered by villains who can't stop talking. Lott's motifs, particularly regarding human fallibility (Unc is blind, there's a deaf and dumb girl, etc.) are too visible. Suspense runs high, however, and as a portrayal of a boy's acceptance through suffering of a world riven by sin but grounded in love, the book is moving, memorable, even masterful. Author tour.

Starred review from January 1, 1998
Lott (Reed's Beach, LJ 9/1/93) unleashes his imagination and displays great versatility as a writer with this, his first thriller. In a dark tale of greed and violence, somewhat reminiscent of Davis Grubb's Night of the Hunter (Kensington, 1992), Lott leads the reader through a harrowing weekend in November in which a blind man and his teenage nephew are targeted for death. Set in the Ashepoo River backwater of South Carolina, the story is told from the perspective of 15-year-old Huger Dillard, who serves as eyes for his uncle, proprietor of a hunt club for wealthy Charlestonians on the family's 2200 acres of swamp and woodland. Wise beyond his years, Huger is nevertheless unprepared to cope with murder, suicide, kidnapping, and a night of being stalked by a pathological killer intent on gaining ownership of the Dillards' seemingly worthless land. A good read with action, suspense, and a hint of Southern folklore.--Thomas L. Kilpatrick, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale

November 1, 1998
YA-This coming-of-age tale moves at a swift clip and has an intriguing plot. Huger Dillard, 15, and his blind Uncle Leland enjoy an almost father-son relationship as Huger helps the man run the Hungry Neck Hunt Club. Discovery of a decapitated body with skinned hands and a note pointing to the dead man's wife as the murderer cancels the annual Thanksgiving hunt and signals the beginning of what seems to be a land-development scheme. As the plot moves forward, Huger, his mother, and Leland are kidnapped and have to fight for their lives as they discover that there is more at stake than prime land. Layer after layer of secrets unfold that explain the disappearance of Huger's father as well as the real demands of the kidnappers. Huger and Leland's roles reverse until the teen is the stronger of the two and assumes the position of decision maker. The novel's action and excitement will be enjoyed by YAs who like John Grisham and John Gilstrap.-Pam Spencer, formerly at Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

February 1, 1998
Lott is known for his relationship-centered literary novels, but his publisher is billing this one as a thriller. Don't be fooled, for at the heart of this wonderfully well written novel is a haunting coming-of-age story. Fifteen-year-old Huger Dillard and his blind "Unc" run a hunt club on the weekends, playing host to the town's celebrated circle of wealthy doctors. One Saturday, they stumble upon a headless corpse bearing a cardboard sign identifying the body as Dr. Charles Middleton Simons, and the murderer as his wife, who is later found hanged in a motel room. The story unfolds to encompass greed, slave history, and the black market in rare artifacts. The thriller aspect of the tale, though suspenseful, is somewhat convoluted and suffers from erratic pacing; however, Lott's lyrical descriptions of the landscape in the Low Country around Charleston and his delicate unveiling of the mystery of Huger's parentage are terrific. This may well give Lott and his layered, hypnotic prose the visibility they so richly deserve. ((Reviewed February 1, 1998))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1998, American Library Association.)