FICTION by C. JOSEPH GREAVES
You can never go home again. Whether as caution or lament, the adage meant nothing to Addie Decker because when she left the rural Southwest for college in Los Angeles, she vowed never to return. But when her grandmother’s death calls Addie back, she confronts a landscape both familiar and foreign as a sudden boom in gas development threatens her family’s ranching heritage even as it promises vital prosperity to her old hometown. With her lover in tow, her high school sweetheart in waiting, and a sagebrush militia lurking in the wings, Addie must learn difficult lessons about loyalty and family while navigating a minefield of greed and obstinacy, love and violence.
THE “FOUR CORNERS/ONE BOOK” SELECTION FOR 2019-2020
“The landscape looms large in this contemplative novel . . . with both passion and compassion [Greaves takes] readers on a lyrical, vivid tour of the West.”
— Publishers Weekly
One of “this season’s best reads.”
— High Country News
“Greaves’ environmentalist passions echo on every page without interfering with the story, thanks to his convincing characters, breakneck pace, and lyrical depictions of rural life.”
— Booklist
“A rich novel with many layers, Church of the Graveyard Saints crackles with fully realized characters in a vivid setting.”
— The New York Journal of Books
“A wild ride, both figuratively and literally . . . Don’t expect formulaic heroes and villains and endings in this story. Greaves gives the subject every bit of nuance it deserves . . . this title seems ready-made for a movie, so it could just as easily wind up in your Netflix queue as on your bedside bookshelf.”
— Telluride Magazine
“Call this Tony Hillerman meets The Monkey Wrench Gang with a little bit of David Morrell and a touch of Craig Johnson, all woven together expertly with the wit, style, and confidence of C. Joseph Greaves.”
— WWA Roundup Magazine
“Timely and well-told . . . this compelling tale could have been ripped from the headlines.”
— Anne Hillerman, author of The Tale Teller
“Greaves has created a masterful sense of place in his depiction of the Southwest, especially of a small town with ranching roots. The history of the land and the people who populate it are interwoven into the very fabric of a plot that could grace the headlines in current news cycles. “
— Durango Herald
“A spellbinding tale of multigenerational love and conflict.”
— Scott Graham, author of the National Park Mystery Series
“Can we ever go home? Greaves tackles this question and many others in this beautifully-rendered Western novel.”
— San Juan Silver Stage
“Take a walk through the Church of the Graveyard Saints, take a walk into one hell of a book with one of my favorite authors, Chuck Greaves.”
— Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire Series,
the basis of the Netflix drama Longmire
“A compelling work of fiction with elements of eco-thriller and contemporary romance. Employing prose that is at once lyrical and propulsive, Greaves has crafted a tale that will appeal equally to readers who enjoy a good yarn and to those who favor fine writing.”
— The Gulch
“No stranger to the landscape of the modern west, Greaves produces a tightly plotted drama that explores the extremes of preservation and development, and the political theater that can destroy everything in between.”
— Beau L’Amour, author (with Louis L’Amour) of No Traveler Returns
“In the midst of violent armed conflicts, this modern Western delves into the cold truths about the price of progress, the bonds of family, and the journey of self-discovery.”
— Boulder Lifestyle