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Praise for BENT ROAD

2012 Recipient of the Edgar for Best First Novel

Named 2011 Notable Crime Book by the New York Times

Named a 2012 Kansas Notable Book by the state of Kansas

"Writing with a delicate touch but great strength of purpose, Roy creates stark studies of the prairie landscape and subtle portaits..." — The New York Times

"A remarkably assured debut novel. Rich and evocative, Lori Roy's voice is a welcome addition to American fiction.”— Dennis Lehane

''Dropping us in a world of seeming simplicity, in a time of seeming calm, Lori Roy transforms 1960s small-town Kansas into a haunting memoryscape. Bringing to mind the family horrors of Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres and the dark emotional terrain of Tana French's In the Woods, Bent Road manages to be both psychologically acute and breathtakingly suspenseful, burrowing into your brain with a feverish power all its own.'' - Megan Abbott, Edgar Award-winning novelist

''In her promising debut novel Bent Road, Lori Roy proves that dark secrets hide even in the most wide-open places. Set in the beautifully rendered Kansas plains, Bent Road is a family story with a suspenseful gothic core, one which shows that the past always has a price, whether you're running from it or back toward it. Crisp, evocative prose, full-blooded characters, and a haunting setting make this debut stand out.'' 
— Michael Koryta

"Don't be fooled by the novel's apparent simplicity: What emerges from the surface is a tale of extraordinary emotional power, one of longstanding pain set against the pulsating drumbeat of social change."— Sarah Weinman, NPR

"Roy...proves herself to be a new talent to watch in the mystery genre. "Bent Road" is one of the best debuts of 2011."

— Oline Cogdill, Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel

''Roy's outstanding debut melds strong characters and an engrossing plot with an evocative sense of place . . . . Roy couples a vivid view of the isolation and harshness of farm life with a perceptive look at the emotions that can rage beneath the surface. This Midwestern noir with gothic undertones is sure to make several 2011 must-read lists.'' --Publishers Weekly (starred review) 

''This tautly written, chilling piece of heartland noir is . . . an impressive debut. Roy takes a bucolic setting--rural Kansas--and makes it an effective stage for a suspenseful tale of tragedy and dread . . . Bent Road is rich in sensory details . . . that anchor the story in its place and time. Roy populates that world with a believable cast of characters, deftly marrying a story of domestic violence and familial love with a gothic mystery that is compelling at each turn of the page.''

- Colette Bancroft - Tampa Bay Times

“...even the simplest scenes crackle with suspense.”— People Magazine

''Roy's exceptional debut novel is full of tension, complex characters, and deftly gothic overtones. Readers of Tana French's In the Woods will find this dark and satisfying story a great read. Highly recommended.'' --Library Journal (starred review) 

''Roy's suspenseful debut novel presents readers with a rich mix of troubled characters planted against the backdrop of a small Kansas farming town and the mysterious deaths of two young girls . . . This odd, dark, and often creepy tale of a dysfunctional community and a family that fits right in will keep readers wondering right until the last page.''

-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

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