The Kestrel Waters: A Tale of Love and Devil

by Randy Thornhorn

Alternate cover edition can be found here , here , here and here.

Hear the twilight song of Kestrel. He has not always been this night-winged angel. He was once a star, a guitar star so righteous. He was once a lost boy in love.

In The Beginning were two grassroots singers, The Brothers Brass. In The End there is no end to what one wounded girl's heart will give. And no end to what one brother will give for the other.

Raised in Savannah by the sea, together, The Brothers Brass voices chime like heavenly bells. The oldest brother Kestrel falls in love with a girl named Bettilia, a wild child who hides in the treetops—hiding from her bad daddy on a haunted mountain called Riddle Top.

Soon all the Family Brass falls for Bettilia. She touches Kestrel, she touches everyone. And they touch sweet Bettilia, forever. Then comes that fateful day when Kestrel says "I do" to his dance with the devil—his devil within and without.

The Kestrel Waters is an eerie, heroic, and beautiful Southern Gothic tale of human love, like none you’ve ever known. An epic fable of an epic family whose hearts are comic, profane, and profoundly true.

Genres: Southern Gothic, Southern, Magical Realism, Mystery, Fiction, Gritty, Gothic

572 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 18, 2013

About the author

Randy Thornhorn is the teller of many tales, including this one. His most recent work is the acclaimed Southern music novel The Kestrel Waters, the epic sequel to his novel Wicked Temper. Author of the longest fiction ever published in The Oxford American Magazine, most of Mr. Thornhorn's stories occur in a displaced world, a fable-infested Southern region some would surely deem unsafe. He visits often, sometimes stays the night. Other nights he might be found on a wooded hilltop somewhere east of Montgomery in the land of Alabama.

He seldom sees angels fly his skies. But magpies are another story.

Reviews

[Lawyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Randy Thornhorn's The Kestrel Waters:Gospel Music,Love, Bobnots, Lychs,and Life


Randy Thornhorn, a teller of tales of places you do and don't want to be

Mama may have, papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own

Them that's got shall get
Them that's not shall lose
So the Bible said and it still is news
Mama may have, papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own
That's got his own

Yes, the strong gets more
While the weak ones fade
Empty pockets don't ever make the grade
Mama may have, papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own
That's got his own

Money, you've got lots of friends
Crowdin' 'round the door
When you're gone and spending ends
They don't come no more

Rich relations give, crust of bread and such
You can help yourself
But don't take too much
Mama may have, papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own
That's got his own

God bless the child
God bless the child got his own

Billie Holliday, Arthur Herzog, Jr., 1941

If you read The Kestrel Waters: A Tale of Love and Devil, and I recommend you do, prepare to set your imagination free. Randy Thornhorn has created a work combining elements of the Appalachian tall tale, Southern folklore, gothic literature, that draws together threads of Celtic and Germanic mythology.

Thornhorn strongly believes that Southern literature is one of the true genres of regional story telling that exists in this country today. I happen to agree with him. You'll find many of the markers of that genre in these pages, but much more. There is a strong sense of place and setting here. A strong sense of family, dysfunctional though it may be. There is a definite degree of eccentricity displayed by particular characters. Plot lines meander leisurely. Some of these characteristics drive folks nuts. They don't get it. My wife and I have a saying, "Quirky? We like quirky." Think of one of Robert Altman's later films, "Cookie's Fortune," filmed in Holly Springs, Mississippi in 1999, and you have the lighter side of "The Kestrel Waters."

This is the story of the Family Brass. The patriarch is Daddy Malakoff Brass who runs a somewhat shady business down on the Savannah waterfront. Daddy left the family home, inherited by Mother Georgianna Brass from her father, a naval officer. It's down on Officer's row, a magnificent mansion, that requires a tremendous amount of upkeep.


Are the Brothers Brass in today?

Mama has done her connubial duty producing two sons, Glenn and Kestrel, the title character. And that's enough connubial bliss for Mother Brass. Daddy Brass, a force of nature, larger than life, a man of great appetites, carnal and otherwise, has a peach of a secretary, Miss Plum who attends to his business, personal and private.

Turns out Glenn and Kestrel are gifted with voice and instruments. Mother Brass promotes her two sons as gospel singers. They become the Brothers Brass. And they will become hits at gospel jamborees, tent shows, you name it. Picture them as very, very wholesome Everly Brothers who have the natural gospel pitch to their audiences.


The Brass Brothers have a surprising resemblance to the Everly Brothers

But that tag, the Brothers Brass, has a familiar ring. Think the Brothers Grimm.


Because this tale can be rather grim

While there's a bright and sunny side of life, there's a very dark and stormy side, too. It's far away from Savannah. Somewhere in the hills of Appalachia. In this dark world there's a place where you don't belong to be. It's Riddle Top, a mountain, where a fellow named Bob Nottingham rules. Think an endless night on Bald Mountain.


A place you don't belong to be

Now, reader, you have a choice here. You may decide, as I did, that Bob Nottingham is the Devil. Or, you may decide he is a twisted, malevolent god.

Frankly the road of Faith has been a rocky one for me. Many times during my long years as a career prosecutor I have often thought it easier to believe in the existence of a Devil than God. Or is it that troublesome question of free will? Does anyone truly know? I don't.

Whatever you decide, reader, this much is true. Bob Nottingham wants to get back whatever he loses. And he will stop at nothing to retrieve his lost treasure. Anything or anyone who stands in his way is forfeit.

Who, or what is it that Bob Nottingham seeks? It is a young girl named Bettilia, child like, but fortunate enough to have escaped from Riddle Top. She loves to sit among the high limbs of trees. My mind immediately went to Rima of Green Mansions by William Henry Hudson.


This is Bettilia to me

The only book Bettilia owns is a child's reader. Tiny in stature, she is great in spirit and the power of love. It will come as no surprise that she and Kestrel fall in love and that she is completely accepted by every member of the Brass family. Bettilia is the epitome of the meaning of love and the willingness to do anything to show that love to those whose circle she enters.

A Devil has his demons, or, if you prefer another term, his thralls. These are strangely sharp featured creatures, seemingly without will, who serve as Bob Nottingham's messengers and spies. In the world of Riddle Top they are known as Lyches. The leap to the image of leaches is not difficult. When one of them appears, Nottingham is not far behind.

It is incredibly difficult to review this novel without revealing too much. However, it should come as no surprise that Kestrel loses Bettilia. The question is will he get her back? Will Kestrel and Bob Nottingham meet on Riddletop? Who will prevail? Love or Devil? There will be a reckoning.

I sat down for lunch yesterday with Randy Thornhorn. It was a very interesting conversation. Thornhorn is a native of East Texas. He began writing at the age of fourteen, although he was not writing professionally until his late twenties. The world of Riddle Top is a kingdom that began to take shape in Thornhorn's mind in childhood. Sitting in the dark, in his aunt's living room, as she would be cooking breakfast, the moving shadows became the Lyches that would one day become part of Riddle Top. Yes, Celtic mythology influenced him. As did Germanic. Was he a reader of H.P. Lovecraft? Why, yes. He was. Thornhorn begins writing at 3:15 am. That's the time I was just getting to bed reading this novel. Curse you, Brother Thornhorn!

Will there be a sequel to "The Kestrel Waters?" He's not saying. Will there be other Riddle Top stories? Definitely.

For a read that is definitely a refreshing break from the norm, allow your imagination to take flight. Settle back, remember the magic and power of the tales that entranced you in your youth and rejoice that such stories still exist. If you can't return to the days a book could do that, don't even try. You won't get it.


EXTRAS!

Listen to Music Videos from "The Kestrel Waters."

[Diane Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, full disclosure here. I didn't think I was going to like this book at all, in fact, was dreading the read. Didn't sound like "my kind of book" at all, and I figured I'd have to wade through the first part til I felt I had read enough to toss it aside without guilt.
So I guess my first thing here has to be an apology to Randy Thornhorn, because, Boy, was I ever wrong! After the first chapter, which is admittedly confusing and difficult, I was increasingly charmed, then captivated by the Brass family and Bettilia, the little tree girl, who needed them as much as they needed her. This book has so many things that I demand of a good book: completely original characters, sparkling dialogue, fast-paced plot, and the ability to keep me turning pages when I have other things to do. It's hard to put this novel in any one category. It's part folktale, part mystery, part horror story, part love story, and there's a lot of humor thrown into the mix as well. And there's something else that's always nice and puts a book over the top for me. Wisdom. There are truisms and comments all through the book that had me shaking my head in agreement, or going, "Wow, I never thought of that before!"
My very favorite line: "We're all psalm singers. And everybody's got two psalms in them. That song they sing out loud, for others to hear. And the song they sing only to themselves."
Again, my apologies to Randy. You really CAN'T judge a book by it's cover.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not just "boo smoke and gossip" but this is a great and enjoyable read. Tons of these great little sayings through out the book. Read it for yourself to see how they fit together in this engaging tale. This was a group read for November in the group, On the Southern Literary Trail. The Brass Family is dysfunctional but this reader loved each and every one of them. They just make you smile and laugh at the way they interact with each other. Each bring something different to the table. I also fell in love with the supporting characters. The author still brings to light the folklore feel to this story that you as the reader can find in his short stories and prequel to this book. It's strange, it's scary, it's disturbing, it's sweet, it's tender, it's thoughtful all in one book and it drew me in. In the final parts of the book, I felt like I was reading a horror book or living through a nightmare. It twists your guts! So, is it a tale of love and Devil? Absolutely, give it a try. I wasn't disappointed.

[R.W. Ridley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here’s what you should know about Randy Thornhorn. He dives deep as a writer and creates a lyrical wonderland as a storyteller. He has the talent to blend a kind of mystical back drop with gritty southern realism that I didn’t think was possible. He did that with Wicked Temper, the first book I read written by him, and he did it again with Kestrel Waters, the second book I read by him. And I will read a third and fourth and onward until his pen stops bleeding or fingers stop tapping. He’s a writer you read obsessively, compulsively – pick your adverb of need.

In Kestrel Waters you have a tale of bluegrass playing brothers, the Brothers Brass. The way Mr. Thornhorn draws us into this musical fantasy is seamless from the opening pages. It’s incredibly easy to see them spontaneously and feverishly playing a tune on a train ride to their next gig. Using their southern charm to chat up pretty girls and looking for trouble. This is a love story at its core, and the reader is taken their experiencing the passion, appetites and misfortune that such a “nail to the head” provides the oldest brother, Kestrel. It’s a story of family ties and sacrifices that are at once beautiful and tragic.

If I had to pick one thing that sets this author apart from other southern storytellers (beyond his ability to mix of fantasy and realism), it would be the masterful way the sprinkles backwoods dialect into meaningful dialogue. You almost get the sense that you’re learning a long lost language, one that is simple and alluring.

Once again, my hat is off to Mr. Thornhorn. Here’s hoping he gets the recognition he deserves.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Randy Thornhorn delivers a masterpiece with THE KESTREL WATERS

Randy Thornhorn The Kestrel Waters

I enjoyed The Kestrel Waters from the first page to the last. I didn’t want it to end. The journey (a musical odyssey really) Randy Thornhorn takes you on is vast and transcendent. And it's all so damn ENTERTAINING. His characters: Glenn, Kes, Betillia and especially Daddy Brass, are some of the most enjoyable I have ever had the pleasure to meet. Their story is so richly drawn as they rise and fall, transporting the reader to places before unknown. There are such twists and turns and the real genius of the book lies in the great love story that is at its very heart. Once finished I realized that I would not want to change a word. Not a word. Rarely have I ever said of a book: “I want more!”

[Patrisia Sheremeta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book kept showing up in my recommendations and in little ads on the right side of my screen. So I finally just downloaded it and gave it a try, and I am so happy I did because it blew mw away. This author has exactly what I love - a unique, sure, and strong voice. He's also a damn good storyteller. I can't wait to read every other book he has - which are all available on Kindle Umlimited by the way.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Kestrel Waters was a fantastic trip into the deep and wicked South! Rich with texture and imagery, one can get lost in the imagination of author Thornhorn, and that is a good thing! Touching and moving, with heart and soul; mesmerizing and poetic (and did I say wicked?)

[Leslie Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Tour De Force for Mr. Thornhorn!
By Leslie Bailey

I received a copy of The Kestrel Waters and once I began reading it I was hooked! I could not put it down! There was a magical, mystical feel about it and I adored the way Mr. Thornhorn made his characters so real.....so alive on the pages of his book. I enjoyed it so much that I downloaded "Wicked Temper" and spent another delightful day in the world of this amazing author's mind. Read these books. Enjoy the way that his words paint the most delicious pictures in your mind. Read and celebrate a new exciting voice for now and forever!

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in one sitting. It is beautifully written. The characters are compelling and the story is solid. There is an overall haunting quality to the book that is hard to explain. If I had a lick of talent, I'd write a review worthy of this book. Unfortunately, I'm just a reader who knows a good book when she finds one. Read the book. You won't be disappointed.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author of The Kestrel Waters, Randy Thornhorn, has a style that is unique and addictive. I have read some of his other works, I be The Christis, the Kid Beheaded, and Wicked Temper. It would be disappointing to read this author and not be immersed in the rich, archaic, and almost biblical language that does so much to create the world his characters live in. In the Kestrel Waters that world, for the majority of the story, is Savannah GA in the late sixties. Although, to me it seems a parallel world to the one I'm familiar with. In this world the characters are more vibrant, the prose more lyrical, the written music more audible and the laws of nature more transient.

The colorful and musical Brass family are highly dysfunctional (who's family isn't?), but also undeniably loving and supportive of each other. The Brothers Brass lives change forever the minute they hear
Bettelia's sweet voice from high up in a tree. Kes's journey now becomes a slow train ride that begins in the light of love and takes a dark detour. We all have both light and dark and all it takes is push one direction or the other.

I believe there are evil people and evil places, I think Mr. Thornhorn feels the same. One hopes that evil will never turn its depraved eye toward us or our loved ones as once it does we are lucky to escape. Through no fault but fate brave little Bettelia has been born to Riddletop Mountain and chosen by the devil, but she will sacrifice everything to protect her new family.

Read the book you will understand! I intend to read it again!!

[Laura Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Opening the cover of The Kestrel Waters was like stepping off a plane into a vastly different time and place. Despite being unfamiliar-- but not entirely unknown to me, gospel music began to fill my head. Once I began to flow with the Southern cadence that lifted from the pages (was I too Northern to inhale all this Southern-ness?)-- I was anxiously pulled into this extraordinarily fine tale. The Brothers Brass seemed to share a heartbeat during their youth, yet their responses to love, song, family dysfunction--- and a haunting slew of challenges that came tumbling down from a mountain called Riddle Top-- had their life paths divide like a fork in a river. The depth of every character had me imagining them in detail long after the pages were closed for the night… and Bettilia… nearly other-worldly, was purer in her wrenching strength of heart than any other. This is a book that you will actually miss when you have to close it, until you can steal the next stretch of free time to resume reading. Revival tents, local fairs, freak-shows, and circuses-- the ensemble that exploded from Thornhorn's head left me wishing I could really step off that plane...

[John Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Kestrel Waters" fits squarely in the genre of Magical Realism. More Cormac McCarthy than García Márquez, the novel explores issues of race, class and religious fundamentalism in a very real South that is persistent in the world of today. The dramatic arc of the story builds through elements of uniquely Southern mythology that underpin and sustain religious fundamentalism as well as racial and class divisions, through a climax where reality ultimately intersects with the supernatural.

I wasn't sure I was going to be drawn into a story about itinerant gospel singers in the deep South, but Thornhorn manages to paint love, loss, the Devil and human imperfection with such vivid creativity that I found myself consuming this story in a single sitting. Then I went back and read it again. And again. Ask yourself when was the last time you read a novel three times in a row, for the sheer pleasure of it. Then pick up a copy for yourself.

[Catherine S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Living in Savannah, there is no fiction here with street names, the mind of its people, or the culture, unlike Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. An acutely accurate portrait of Savannah and an immersion in southern culture, from the pot liquor of collards, pone cakes, and pool halls to white gloves purchased on Broughton Street, probably at Adler's, " where fashion makes its debut". Refreshing for an author to actually use the real Savannah as a backdrop for a novel and be accurate in that portrayal. A very engaging novel that is hard to put down, with very well defined characters and a suspenseful plot. Read this one before Wicked Temper. But please read everything this author writes. Such talent is rare.
C

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kestrel Waters is such a great read. I am an avid reader and have certain authors that I follow and now I have a new favorite! Mr. Thornhorn has done an outstanding job of creating a story so good that you do not want to put the book down. I love how this story jumps off the page at you and how you can just picture yourself right there, it is so vivid! This is definitely one of those books that you will read over and over! This type of talent is very rare. Thank you, Mr. Thornhorn!

[D.j. Broussard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kestrel Waters is so well written and pulls you in from the beginning. Can't wait to read the next one!

[Angela Guilford · Rating 5 out of 5]

The majority of this book transpires in Savannah, Georgia--a long lost Savannah back in the Sixties and World War II. In fact, it's probably the best book ever written about Savannah, the best bluegrass music novel ever written--one of the best books about music and love and loss ever written. And the scary parts blow Stephen King out of the water! It was intense.

[Peggy T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I especially appreciate books about redemption and love. Add great characters, an absorbing plot, and a soupçon of horror, and you get The Kestrel Waters. The book takes place in the early ’60’s world of Savannah and Appalachia, and captures that sense of place and time beautifully. You won't regret giving this one a read.

[Lisa Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book and a must read. Kestrel Waters is beautifully written and Mr. Thornhorn is very talented. The author’s creativity takes the reader into the Deep South and into the crazy lives of a couple of brothers. Now, I can’t wait to read “Wicked Temper” the prequel.

[Amberlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written, this is a story that comes alive and compels the reader on. These characters feel real, the story captures your imagination and stays with you long after you read the last page. I will be keeping it for a re-read in the future.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could. Not. Put. It. Down. This is an absolutely thrilling page turner! I'm going back to order the prequel "Wicked Temper" now! Well played, Mr. Thornhorn!

[Janice Radcliff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unique and captivating. It is a wild ride and a really great read. Story telling at its best.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a free copy of The Kestrel Waters through a giveaway on Goodreads, in return, this is my review.

Oh. My. God.
While I am quite the picky reader, I found myself lost in this story. I never wanted to put the book down. The characters are beautifully crafted with so much mystery that leaves you wanting to learn more. Bettilia is the most mysterious. She has a past that leaves you questioning everything about her. She is wild and unorthodox. Kestrel is more of the curious and rebellious sort- though Glenn seems to be the one the consequential hardships fall upon. Chalice seems more of the pretty, to-good type and she seems lost in the sidelines quite often. I do have to thank the author, though. I questioned what happened to her several times and I was not left disappointed with no answers, but also not overwhelmed with too much needless information on a side character.

Throughout the story, I was left with hundreds if new questions and only a few answers. Bettilia takes on a spiritual feel near the end of the book- which left me confused and needy for more answers. I am still left with several "why"s now that I have finally finished the book, but what else would make me want to buy another book in the series (say, Wicked Temper, the prequel?)

Randy Thornhorn's writing is poetic and so deep that I cannot help but want to keep reading. There is never a dull moment, yet his style is paced well enough to prevent the reader from feeling rushed. The meaningful parts were obviously meaningful by the extra emphasis he placed in his descriptions where the side events were short and to the point (but, again, not rushed!).

One of the things I noticed; now that I have finished reading; is that, unlike many other books I have read in the past, this book would be just as good the second read through. I will definitely be rereading this one- I'd hate to miss something huge that I may have rushed over the first time (I always tend to rush over those heated scenes with that need to know what happens next or how it ends)!

I will definitely be looking for more of Mr. Thornhorn's books.

Finally, I would like to thank Randy Thornhorn (and RosaSharn Press) for providing me with this copy and allowing me the opportunity to read such a great book. I will definitely be recommending this to others.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book through goodread's giveaway program.

"I didn't expect to care for the characters the way I do....or be as concerned for them as I became. And I certainly didn't expect to finish this book with a lump in my throat, tears in my eyes, and the sense of having experienced something profound." - Jeffrey Lindner


There are no better words to describe how I felt about this book. Jeffrey was right. While I may not have had tears in my eyes, I did feel like I experienced something profound after that last page....On with the review.

If you follow my reviews you know I did not really enjoy Wicked Temper, the prequel to this book. I am very happy to say that The Kestrel Waters was much better and I liked it.

Premise: Reading the premise of this story makes you feel like its an ordinary run of the mill love story. But its everything but that. This story is DEEP and so much more then just a simple tale of love.

Writing: Lyrical and poetic, with a flare of the haunting....just like Wicked Temper. But unlike Wicked Temper, I was not confused by the descriptions at all. Perhaps I had gotten used to Randy Thornhorn's style.

Humor: Some of the characters could be down right hilarious, especially Daddy Brass who was perhaps my favorite character.

Characters: The characters really make the book. They are very memorable and they grow on you over time, almost like how real people do. Just like the quote says, I did not expect to end up caring about them the way I do. I certainly didn't at the beginning, but somehow Kestrel, Daddy Brass, Glenn, and of course sweet little Bettilia captured my heart. I liked how each character had a distinct voice and certain words or phrases they would use, and this was a very important element later on in the story creating a huge impact during the climax.

Journey: All in all a enjoyable read, but best absorbed at a slow pace. Really take your time to digest this story. I did...and I even really started to appreciate the fact that I read Wicked Temper first. This story ties in very nicely to that tale and I feel like it made it even more profound. Despite me not liking that first book....I am very glad I read it regardless.

[Lisa Mahaffey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes us away, to another place, days gone by, to be with people who "are real", more real than we are at times. They make us feel and think, and wish for those feelings, that love, that realness. It showed us two people who were able to be "in the warm" of each other; real love.

I loved Bettilia. I needed and wanted to read about her horrible past, and how it made her the force and the presence that she became; an old soul, with a sensitive and spiritual nature, without ego, fostering love and peace; an old soul plagued with reminders of not only her own mortality, but that of everything and everyone around her; ancient wounds; wary and at times withdrawn, but wisely dictating the way she lived her life. She, at such a young age, has learned so many lessons, is so insightful, is able to quietly and carefully observe what is going on around her (from a tree); her patient and detached calmness. Thank you for creating Bettelia so beautifully, and making Kes, his family, and us fall in love with her. Thornhorn’s little touches , like her "observing " life, and running away from it, in a tree, and Kes "joining" her there; the symbolism of the tree, the waters, the treehouse... the wonderful dog: her gift that contributed richness throughout; This book encourages us to realize our basic needs for "richness": music, family, home/a haven, euphoria, traditions, community, sentimentality, love.

I realized, again, that I prefer people with layers, depth; and that people who have experienced hardships, and survived are the ones I am drawn to, just as Kes and his family were. Bettilia created meaning, memories that are sustaining in life, and sustain us after she is gone. When we are truly, "in the warm of a person", we remain "in the warm of them" and in the warm of life forever.

This book is full of small gestures of kindness and love, meaningful acts, symbolism, and two people with meaningful lives, which is what makes the book so meaningful.

[Elaine St john · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I had a really hard time putting this down; fabulous characters and a perfect amount of mystery to keep me going. I was transported back in time to the 1950s (?) to places familiar and worlds fantastic; - bizarre and frightening places like Riddletop and the carnival with their freaks both real and manufactured, - genteel Southern society and other side of the tracks honky-tonks. Thought-provoking issues of race, dysfunctional families and characters battling their demons would pull me in deeply and then some name, turn of a phrase, revelation, or realization of an easter-egg of irony would make me laugh out loud. What a roller-coaster of brain candy.
Even though Mr. Thornhorn's writing is itself musical, I can't help wanting to hear this as an audiobook with the magical music sung in harmony. No spoilers, but the ending was a perfect place to leave it. I want to go back and re-read it, marking all the phrases I want to quote to myself and others.
More.... Mr. Thornhorn.

[Whittnee · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot to this book. I did not think I was going to like it when I started reading it and the first chapter seemed so odd in the patterns of speech as well as Kes and Glenn's mannerisms. But it came highly recommended from a friend and so I stuck with it. And I am so glad that I did. This is a story that hooks as you fall into the story of the Kess, Glenn, Daddy Bass, Bettilia, Mamma George and the other characters that swirl around them. Then as you start to grasp how the people connect and get swept up in their lives the plot starts to get more complex and unfold. I read the last third too fast because I so wanted to know what was going to happen and will probably go back and reread the entire book to savor it more the second time. It is a story of love and family at its heart and left me wanting to read more of Randy Thornhorn's books.

[Monica Ganz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Kestrel Waters is one of the few books that from the moment I began to read it I did not want to put it down until the very end. The story is extremely well written with just the right amount of romance, adventure, and suspense that had me curling my toes as I read this on my kindle. It is filled with ups and downs which to me is what made this love story more then just a random collection of words. One of my favorite things about this was the descriptions of the settings where it takes place. Each bit of it was filled with enough description that truly had me picturing everything about Savannah, Georgia. This was actually my first time reading anything by Randy Thornhorn and I must say I am very impressed.

[Bill Sanwald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a great read. A great story with very interesting characters.I felt a sense of unease running though the story from the beginning. It was a nice slow burn. I like Randy Thornhorn's writing style. I would enjoy hearing a reading of his work by him.

I read "Wicked Temper", the prequel, first. In hindsight I wish I had read "The Kestrel Waters" first and then read the backstory. My advice: no matter what order you read these books, read them.

One last piece of advice would be to stay out of the woods in Alabama.

[Sheila Burgener · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm right in the middle of it, but I can't put it down. When I'm not reading it, I'm thinking about it. Thornhorn is an authentic southern man and his style is so unique. There are, what I call, nuggets: bits of prose or dialogue that are so fine, I have to read them again just to savor. The story is all at once funny, sad, nostalgic and creepy. I can't wait to read my next Thornhorn.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

i received this book for free through goodreads first reads.
Truly a masterpiece!
this author really knows how to put a spell on the reader, a spell so strong that makes the reader fly over into his book and live first hand his story.