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Babs Dionne #1
The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne
Babs Dionne, proud Franco-American, doting grandmother, and vicious crime matriarch, rules her small town of Waterville, Maine, with an iron fist. She controls the flow of drugs into Little Canada with the help of her friends and oldest daughter.
When a drug kingpin discovers his numbers are down in the upper northeast, he sends a malevolent force, known only as "The Man," to investigate. At the same time, Babs's youngest daughter, Sis, has gone missing, which doesn't seem like a coincidence. In twenty-four hours Sis will be found dead, and the whole town will seek shelter from Babs’s wrath.
When a drug kingpin discovers his numbers are down in the upper northeast, he sends a malevolent force, known only as "The Man," to investigate. At the same time, Babs's youngest daughter, Sis, has gone missing, which doesn't seem like a coincidence. In twenty-four hours Sis will be found dead, and the whole town will seek shelter from Babs’s wrath.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published March 25, 2025
826 people are currently reading
19027 people want to read
About the author
Ron Currie Jr.
8 books564 followersRon Currie, Jr. was born and raised in Waterville, Maine, where he still lives. His first book, God is Dead, won the Young Lions Fiction Award from the New York Public Library and the Addison M. Metcalf Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His debut novel, Everything Matters!, will be translated into a dozen languages, and is a July Indie Next Pick and Amazon Best of June 2009 selection.
His short fiction has appeared in many magazines and anthologies, including Alaska Quarterly Review, The Sun, Ninth Letter, Swink, The Southeast Review, Glimmer Train, Willow Springs, The Cincinnati Review, Harpur Palate, and New Sudden Fiction (W.W. Norton, 2007).
His short fiction has appeared in many magazines and anthologies, including Alaska Quarterly Review, The Sun, Ninth Letter, Swink, The Southeast Review, Glimmer Train, Willow Springs, The Cincinnati Review, Harpur Palate, and New Sudden Fiction (W.W. Norton, 2007).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 424 reviews
July 8, 2025
The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dione grabbed me by the throat and never let me catch a breath. It’s a dark and brutal story.
The story takes place in Waterville, Maine, a small mill town with a large Franco-American population. The main businesses have closed down and the town is typical of so many other downtrodden towns - too many drugs and not enough opportunities. This isn’t the Maine of the coast with its tourist trade. Babs Dione is the criminal matriarch of the town, running the drug business with the help of her eldest daughter and her inner circle of other older women.
The premise of the story revolves around the disappearance of her younger daughter and the arrival of an unknown male, known only as The Man. The Man has been sent by a northeast drug kingpin who realizes someone is siphoning off business in the area.
I love when an author can create a multidimensional bad person. Babs is just that character. She loves her family, especially her grandson. But while she makes a good show of wanting to help her community, her business is selling drugs. Yet, I wanted to see her at least triumph over The Man. She’s the female, Franco-American version of Tony Soprano.
In a book of great scenes, my favorite might have been at the dinner party with Colby College board members when Babs totally gobsmacks one of the board members about “white privilege”.
The story is told from multiple POVs which just highlighted how much everyone was hurting and yet (or because of that) hurt others. There are some good twists that I didn’t see coming.
I listened to this and Lisa Flanagan did a great job as the narrator.
The story takes place in Waterville, Maine, a small mill town with a large Franco-American population. The main businesses have closed down and the town is typical of so many other downtrodden towns - too many drugs and not enough opportunities. This isn’t the Maine of the coast with its tourist trade. Babs Dione is the criminal matriarch of the town, running the drug business with the help of her eldest daughter and her inner circle of other older women.
The premise of the story revolves around the disappearance of her younger daughter and the arrival of an unknown male, known only as The Man. The Man has been sent by a northeast drug kingpin who realizes someone is siphoning off business in the area.
I love when an author can create a multidimensional bad person. Babs is just that character. She loves her family, especially her grandson. But while she makes a good show of wanting to help her community, her business is selling drugs. Yet, I wanted to see her at least triumph over The Man. She’s the female, Franco-American version of Tony Soprano.
In a book of great scenes, my favorite might have been at the dinner party with Colby College board members when Babs totally gobsmacks one of the board members about “white privilege”.
The story is told from multiple POVs which just highlighted how much everyone was hurting and yet (or because of that) hurt others. There are some good twists that I didn’t see coming.
I listened to this and Lisa Flanagan did a great job as the narrator.
March 25, 2025
A bleak portrait of a francophone crime ring
The tough-as-nails head of an all-woman mafia struggles to hold her empire and family together as competition rolls into her tiny Quebecois neighborhood in middle-of-nowhere Maine. Meanwhile, her younger daughter goes missing, sending the junkie ex-Marine older sister on the hunt.
Savage is the word in this stark and violent snapshot of a rural slum. The book occupies a tiny subniche I think of as "opioid epidemic fiction." Each chapter builds a bleak moodboard of ashtrays, pill bottles and empty beer cans, black eyes, defunct mills, and rundown bowling alleys. Coupled with a metaphysical touch here and there, it is in some ways a much darker thriller version of Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett.
Wholly unique is the focus on French-speaking Catholic Canadian-Americans as a minority group, and in case you somehow miss this exploration of privilege and discrimination, a direct callout in the book will make the message painfully clear. Oppression isn't a purely black and white issue.
If you're looking for likeable characters, keep moving. This is pretty much a tour of the worst we can do, but there's a fierce heart to it and that edge of desperation that I find can still hold my attention and my sympathies. The characters are complex and interesting.
And it's the characters who drive the book. At times it seems like there may not be much plot to the book. A tighter story more in the vein of a typical mystery thriller might focus purely on one daughter's search for her missing sister. Instead, the narration meanders among many perspectives in the constellation of family drama. But over time, the chief antagonist circles in closer and closer to the central characters, and everyone has an important role to play.
CW: rape, murder, graphic violence, heavy substance abuse (both alcoholism and hard drugs), domestic abuse, combat and PTSD
Thank you to publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons for my advance copy, provided in exchange for an honest review. This book will be available on March 25, 2025.
The tough-as-nails head of an all-woman mafia struggles to hold her empire and family together as competition rolls into her tiny Quebecois neighborhood in middle-of-nowhere Maine. Meanwhile, her younger daughter goes missing, sending the junkie ex-Marine older sister on the hunt.
Savage is the word in this stark and violent snapshot of a rural slum. The book occupies a tiny subniche I think of as "opioid epidemic fiction." Each chapter builds a bleak moodboard of ashtrays, pill bottles and empty beer cans, black eyes, defunct mills, and rundown bowling alleys. Coupled with a metaphysical touch here and there, it is in some ways a much darker thriller version of Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett.
Wholly unique is the focus on French-speaking Catholic Canadian-Americans as a minority group, and in case you somehow miss this exploration of privilege and discrimination, a direct callout in the book will make the message painfully clear. Oppression isn't a purely black and white issue.
If you're looking for likeable characters, keep moving. This is pretty much a tour of the worst we can do, but there's a fierce heart to it and that edge of desperation that I find can still hold my attention and my sympathies. The characters are complex and interesting.
And it's the characters who drive the book. At times it seems like there may not be much plot to the book. A tighter story more in the vein of a typical mystery thriller might focus purely on one daughter's search for her missing sister. Instead, the narration meanders among many perspectives in the constellation of family drama. But over time, the chief antagonist circles in closer and closer to the central characters, and everyone has an important role to play.
CW: rape, murder, graphic violence, heavy substance abuse (both alcoholism and hard drugs), domestic abuse, combat and PTSD
Thank you to publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons for my advance copy, provided in exchange for an honest review. This book will be available on March 25, 2025.
April 7, 2025
DNF at 50%. No Country for Old Men but make it Maine and female. I couldn’t connect with this one enough to keep going. I grew tired of reading about a woman who brings drugs to her community, family, etc and then has no empathy when it affects those closest to her.
April 9, 2025
This novel is rife with PTSD, drugs and violence. Although not pleasant subjects in real life - it works in this fiction piece. Hard to put down and hard to take at times - it still manages to hold your attention to the very end and tells the story that Babs Dionne was a bad ass in life and in death.
September 23, 2025
This story delivers!
Not only was I captured by the gritty tale of the Levesque/Dionne family, the community of Franco-Americans in Waterville, Maine, and the crime boss herself, Babs, but I was also taken by all of the stories that lied beneath the surface.
This is a story about lineage. It's a story about the family that you choose. It's a story about the family that we have no choice but to accept.
Crime, here, is a given. Addiction and ptsd are par for the course. Secrets make it possible for our characters to hold on just a bit longer.
NGL, some of the addiction and drug use portions of the book were a struggle for me, because I am very judgmental. However, I do appreciate how much of the substance abuse not only outlies the crime syndicate portion of the overall story, but how it also points to the fact that there is no way to pump poison into one's own community while having an expectation that one can avoid poisoning their own family, as well.
As they say, "the sins of the father. . ."
This is one of my best reads, this year!
It would be a totally kickass movie!
There's the family tree and cultural history, humor/dark humor, small town situations, addiction, crime, friendship, a little cringe, violence, a tiny bit of fox symbolism, and most importantly, redemption.
I could say much more but I'm avoiding spoilers.
Not only was I captured by the gritty tale of the Levesque/Dionne family, the community of Franco-Americans in Waterville, Maine, and the crime boss herself, Babs, but I was also taken by all of the stories that lied beneath the surface.
This is a story about lineage. It's a story about the family that you choose. It's a story about the family that we have no choice but to accept.
Crime, here, is a given. Addiction and ptsd are par for the course. Secrets make it possible for our characters to hold on just a bit longer.
NGL, some of the addiction and drug use portions of the book were a struggle for me, because I am very judgmental. However, I do appreciate how much of the substance abuse not only outlies the crime syndicate portion of the overall story, but how it also points to the fact that there is no way to pump poison into one's own community while having an expectation that one can avoid poisoning their own family, as well.
As they say, "the sins of the father. . ."
This is one of my best reads, this year!
It would be a totally kickass movie!
There's the family tree and cultural history, humor/dark humor, small town situations, addiction, crime, friendship, a little cringe, violence, a tiny bit of fox symbolism, and most importantly, redemption.
I could say much more but I'm avoiding spoilers.
April 1, 2025
A bit formulaic, drug lords kids are junkies, a mysterious psychopath hit man, crooked doctors, a *gasp* lady crime boss. I didn’t feel anything for Babs and the scene with the donors was a real turn off. Come on it’s pretty hard to feel bad for Catholic “persecution,” in a story set in 2016…I don’t hear about the US government illegally sending white Catholic or French Americans to foreign jails and the war on drugs was started to re-enslave POC not white Catholics.
April 27, 2025
I was really looking forward to this book. I thought it was going to be in the vein of Lehane's Small Mercies (a book I think about more than I would've expected), but it was a disappointing read.
The book started with a bang, and there were some interesting tidbits: the way trauma shapes us, complex familial dynamics; and the struggle to hold onto one's culture in a society that demands assimilation. The focus on French-Canadians in Maine was different and intriguing. There's an interesting discussion of how exclusionary whiteness in America has historically been, including for those the country now considers white. I appreciated the acknowledgement that many in these groups sacrificed their own identities and communities to take a seat at the altar of whiteness and the negative impact that had; however, the further lack of nuance (as seen at the donor dinner) ultimately made it difficult for me to take Babs seriously.
This book took me longer to read, which is particularly bad news for a thriller. I was waiting for that next moment in the book to grip me, and it just never came. The premise and themes peaked my interest, but the plot meandered. Despite being the title's namesake, Babs was a pretty flat character. It felt like Currie set the scene for her to be compelling and didn't follow through. I didn't feel a connection to the characters, and so, didn't really care about what happened to them.
The book started with a bang, and there were some interesting tidbits: the way trauma shapes us, complex familial dynamics; and the struggle to hold onto one's culture in a society that demands assimilation. The focus on French-Canadians in Maine was different and intriguing. There's an interesting discussion of how exclusionary whiteness in America has historically been, including for those the country now considers white. I appreciated the acknowledgement that many in these groups sacrificed their own identities and communities to take a seat at the altar of whiteness and the negative impact that had; however, the further lack of nuance (as seen at the donor dinner) ultimately made it difficult for me to take Babs seriously.
This book took me longer to read, which is particularly bad news for a thriller. I was waiting for that next moment in the book to grip me, and it just never came. The premise and themes peaked my interest, but the plot meandered. Despite being the title's namesake, Babs was a pretty flat character. It felt like Currie set the scene for her to be compelling and didn't follow through. I didn't feel a connection to the characters, and so, didn't really care about what happened to them.
April 10, 2025
This wasn't bad but it wasn't memorable either.
April 11, 2025
I'm giving this 3.5 stars for several reasons. None of the characters really had their own personalities. They all felt a little one dimensional and not as fleshed out as they could have been. I also feel as though there was a lot of build up to a confrontation (namely the savage and noble death of Babs) that we don't get to see happen. It was a little annoying that the author completely skipped over the part where Babs dies, so we don't even know what happens when she dies, just that a hit squad has been sent to take her out.
Other than those two things, I enjoyed this book. The writing style was a little reminiscent of Stephen King, with some supernatural elements mixed in. After coming back from a tour in Afghanistan, Babs' oldest daughter, Lori, is able to see dead. She also knows when people in her life have died before being told about their deaths. Lori was probably my favorite character, because she was the most complex.
None of the other books by this author interest me but I would continue with this series.
Other than those two things, I enjoyed this book. The writing style was a little reminiscent of Stephen King, with some supernatural elements mixed in. After coming back from a tour in Afghanistan, Babs' oldest daughter, Lori, is able to see dead. She also knows when people in her life have died before being told about their deaths. Lori was probably my favorite character, because she was the most complex.
None of the other books by this author interest me but I would continue with this series.
September 2, 2024
Wow, what a emotional, touching family story, told with humor and grit. I've enjoyed the other Ron Currie books I've read and had very high hopes for this one, and was not disappointed.
The story follows Babs Dionne, a French Canadian crime boss in Maine. She runs her town and everyone knows it. We spend time with her family, both blood and otherwise. The characters are all strong and unique, deeply written, almost lovingly brought to life from Currie. Life isn't great for Babs but she's dealing with it, until things take a very big turn for the worst. Her daughter, Lori, back in her hometown after time in Afghanistan, is the second main character. She's not doing well with life, making some bad choices trying to handle what she's seen in war, also seeing ghosts. That was definitely a weird addition to the story and the only supernatural element and yet, it didn't feel out of place. Lori and Babs have to find a way to keep their family safe but crime is a hard job.
My grandmother was from Maine, not Canada like Babs, but they were both similar women, strong and expected you to be too, no matter what. I pictured Babs as my grandma throughout the book and did not finish it dry eyed. The time spent with Babs and Lori is mostly over a week in July but it seems like you've know them forever and you want to see them win. From the title, you have to assume Babs doesn't come out on top, but does she do it her way? Absolutely!
I would recommend this book to anyone that loves a good, tragic family story, or if you enjoy crime dramas, it's a lot of both of those. It was an easy read even if it was heartbreaking from start to finish, but that seems to be what Currie does to me.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The story follows Babs Dionne, a French Canadian crime boss in Maine. She runs her town and everyone knows it. We spend time with her family, both blood and otherwise. The characters are all strong and unique, deeply written, almost lovingly brought to life from Currie. Life isn't great for Babs but she's dealing with it, until things take a very big turn for the worst. Her daughter, Lori, back in her hometown after time in Afghanistan, is the second main character. She's not doing well with life, making some bad choices trying to handle what she's seen in war, also seeing ghosts. That was definitely a weird addition to the story and the only supernatural element and yet, it didn't feel out of place. Lori and Babs have to find a way to keep their family safe but crime is a hard job.
My grandmother was from Maine, not Canada like Babs, but they were both similar women, strong and expected you to be too, no matter what. I pictured Babs as my grandma throughout the book and did not finish it dry eyed. The time spent with Babs and Lori is mostly over a week in July but it seems like you've know them forever and you want to see them win. From the title, you have to assume Babs doesn't come out on top, but does she do it her way? Absolutely!
I would recommend this book to anyone that loves a good, tragic family story, or if you enjoy crime dramas, it's a lot of both of those. It was an easy read even if it was heartbreaking from start to finish, but that seems to be what Currie does to me.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
March 17, 2025
I feel in a bit of a minority here, but I really wanted to love this and just couldn't for some reason...
We follow the life of Babs Dionne, matriarch of a family whose ancestors hailed from Quebec, and moved to Little Canada in Maine. When Babs is the victim of a horrific act of violence as a young girl, she takes it upon herself to keep her culture, and French Quebecian language alive in a place where it's slowly dying out. Now she is the head of a drug empire, as well as the town. Her daughter Lori is a drug addict who works for Babs after doing a tour in Afghanistan that's left her with some serious PTSD in the form of seeing dead people in her day to day life. Lori's sister, Sis, also a drug addict, is now missing and there's someone new in town known as The Man, who's asking some interesting questions...
I found this novel very compelling and easy to read, like a page turner. But I'm not a crime reader, and I don't love books heavy on dialogue, so perhaps this one was never quite going to be for me. I felt that there were times when it was trying to be funny and it just fell flat. I also felt like Babs needed more character - after what was such a promising start as we get a glimpse into her childhood, it feels as though the rest of the book when she's an adult, almost has to be carried by this one chapter. Otherwise, she's a little two-dimensional.
We follow the life of Babs Dionne, matriarch of a family whose ancestors hailed from Quebec, and moved to Little Canada in Maine. When Babs is the victim of a horrific act of violence as a young girl, she takes it upon herself to keep her culture, and French Quebecian language alive in a place where it's slowly dying out. Now she is the head of a drug empire, as well as the town. Her daughter Lori is a drug addict who works for Babs after doing a tour in Afghanistan that's left her with some serious PTSD in the form of seeing dead people in her day to day life. Lori's sister, Sis, also a drug addict, is now missing and there's someone new in town known as The Man, who's asking some interesting questions...
I found this novel very compelling and easy to read, like a page turner. But I'm not a crime reader, and I don't love books heavy on dialogue, so perhaps this one was never quite going to be for me. I felt that there were times when it was trying to be funny and it just fell flat. I also felt like Babs needed more character - after what was such a promising start as we get a glimpse into her childhood, it feels as though the rest of the book when she's an adult, almost has to be carried by this one chapter. Otherwise, she's a little two-dimensional.
April 18, 2025
The writer giveth and taketh away with this one, though it's still one of the best things I've read in 2025. It's fun and the existentialism can be interesting. But it can also get in the way. The Foucault-esque Hit Man Trope exhausted itself post-Pulp Fiction, Billy Bob Thornton's turn in Fargo s1 aside. Ten years ago, I would've found it hilarious, now I mostly rolled my eyes, though his exchanges with Babs are great. I could harp on other stuff that kept this book from greatness but it is good the way it is.
May 9, 2025
I fear I shall never emotionally recover from this book.
May 16, 2025
It reminded me of the show Ozark. It was entertaining and suspenseful. Family, love, and loyalty as central themes.
September 13, 2025
not sure if i will review this one but i have opinions:
September 10, 2025
I was so excited for this one 😭😭😭 it was well written but it was just not as emotionally impactful as his other work
March 27, 2025
An intensely dark literary suspense set at the heart of a tiny town in Maine. A town that throughout the decades has known nothing fabulous.(per the story).
Crime in the early nineteen hundreds is now, not much different; criminals for the most part are low level, poor and lowly educated, as if the town is seeing its dying days.
The main crime is drugs and it’s run by a fierce woman, who most fear and with great reason. Having suffered a horrible tragedy in her teens, that forced her hand to commit murder; it has toughened her, almost to the point of no return to normal-emotional based behavior.
What unfolds as the story truly begins is a look at dilapidation, high crime; a grandmother who operates with fear as her intimidation as she runs the most lucrative drug operation.
Bribes and money laundering, the hierarchy is scattered amongst “sisters” who’ve known each other forever and family members as the hit men.
Dark whit and humor break up the intensity and underneath it all? We find a woman who just wanted to survive, provide and preserve the legacy of her family lineage, and their language.
Entertaining and well written.
Crime in the early nineteen hundreds is now, not much different; criminals for the most part are low level, poor and lowly educated, as if the town is seeing its dying days.
The main crime is drugs and it’s run by a fierce woman, who most fear and with great reason. Having suffered a horrible tragedy in her teens, that forced her hand to commit murder; it has toughened her, almost to the point of no return to normal-emotional based behavior.
What unfolds as the story truly begins is a look at dilapidation, high crime; a grandmother who operates with fear as her intimidation as she runs the most lucrative drug operation.
Bribes and money laundering, the hierarchy is scattered amongst “sisters” who’ve known each other forever and family members as the hit men.
Dark whit and humor break up the intensity and underneath it all? We find a woman who just wanted to survive, provide and preserve the legacy of her family lineage, and their language.
Entertaining and well written.
December 7, 2025
alternating horror humor and strength in complicated lives of Franco Americans (a group I was unfamiliar with) in Central Maine. AB
April 8, 2025
As a kid, I thought of Waterville, Maine as a city. The small town was Pittsfield, 20 minutes North of Waterville once I-95 opened, and 5 minutes from Pittsfield was the tiny town of Palmyra, where I grew up on a dairy farm. Palmyra was rural; Waterville was not. About once a month or so, we ventured to Waterville. It had two hospitals, one of which I was born in. So I know a bit about Waterville.
And I can relate to having a French Canadian grandmother, as the author did. I've read that Currie's grandmother was the model for Babs. I suspect his grandmother did not run a drug enterprise and neither did mine. My grandmother spoke French but did not teach it to her kids. It was the language used when the kids were not to know what was going on. My grandmother was a strong woman. She was a devout Catholic.
So I related to the location and to Babs.
I've read all of Currie's books. Each is very different but I've enjoyed them all.
This book can be classified as a crime thriller, as that is one aspect of it. But it is much, much more. Waterville once was a mill town. [Note: I remember the Hathaway Shirt factory but not the Hollingsworth & Whitney mill in the book. A bit of research shows it was located in Winslow, a town on the other side of the Kennebec River from Waterville. To get to Winslow from Waterville, one could walk over the "Two-Cent Bridge" for a fee of 2 cents. The mill shut down in 1997. The Two-Cent Bridge was restored about 25 years ago and will still get you to Winslow but without any fee. In recent years have walked over it and explored along the river bank without appreciating that the empty factory buildings were the Hollingsworth & Whitney mill.] In current times, Colby College is the "big dog" in town. It has bought many of the vacant buildings on Main Street and has been instrumental in reviving the town. Of course, doing so was in its best interest, as it is an excellent small liberal arts college and the lack of a viable town center (only a couple of miles from campus) was definitely not attracting students. Waterville in the 1960's and 1970's was quite vibrant. Waterville and all the other riverside towns with mills quickly deteriorated when the mills were shut. There were no jobs for the blue collar workers. Drugs entered the picture, poverty grew, abuse grew.
Babs wanted to protect her community and her heritage. But how does she do that? She runs the local drug market and involves the police chief, which keeps her family and crew out of jail. And her crew are her friends, all women, she's known all her life and her daughters. Her older daughter Lori got out, not wanting to turn into her mother. But then she's a staff sergeant in Afghanistan and the convoy she is in is attacked. She's back in Waterville and more of an addict than her mother knows, and she sees and talks with dead people -- her father, a 5-yr old Afghanistan girl she tried to rescue, the Marine in her truck who took a bullet to the head, and others. Her sister, called Sis, has not been in touch with her family for a few days and Lori is worried. She's a great character and nicely developed.
Babs was raped by a cop when she was a young teen. She killed the cop and the Catholic priest got her out of town and into a convent where she stayed for 5 years before returning. T It ishe priest remains in town, now in his 80's. To me, Babs has a good heart but doesn't always choose the best ways to show it. She can be very violent - ask her son-in-law.
Then "the Man" shows up. He works for a drug lord in Quebec who wants Babs to run his drugs using her network for a small fee. Babs is not interested. All those around her plead with her not to fight and not to take vengeance on the Man. Babs is very stubborn but shit happens, and Babs knows her time is limited.
I loved the way the book moved around, with many characters taking turns as narrators. Backstories are told in some unique ways. There is humor, dark humor in the book.
And I can relate to having a French Canadian grandmother, as the author did. I've read that Currie's grandmother was the model for Babs. I suspect his grandmother did not run a drug enterprise and neither did mine. My grandmother spoke French but did not teach it to her kids. It was the language used when the kids were not to know what was going on. My grandmother was a strong woman. She was a devout Catholic.
So I related to the location and to Babs.
I've read all of Currie's books. Each is very different but I've enjoyed them all.
This book can be classified as a crime thriller, as that is one aspect of it. But it is much, much more. Waterville once was a mill town. [Note: I remember the Hathaway Shirt factory but not the Hollingsworth & Whitney mill in the book. A bit of research shows it was located in Winslow, a town on the other side of the Kennebec River from Waterville. To get to Winslow from Waterville, one could walk over the "Two-Cent Bridge" for a fee of 2 cents. The mill shut down in 1997. The Two-Cent Bridge was restored about 25 years ago and will still get you to Winslow but without any fee. In recent years have walked over it and explored along the river bank without appreciating that the empty factory buildings were the Hollingsworth & Whitney mill.] In current times, Colby College is the "big dog" in town. It has bought many of the vacant buildings on Main Street and has been instrumental in reviving the town. Of course, doing so was in its best interest, as it is an excellent small liberal arts college and the lack of a viable town center (only a couple of miles from campus) was definitely not attracting students. Waterville in the 1960's and 1970's was quite vibrant. Waterville and all the other riverside towns with mills quickly deteriorated when the mills were shut. There were no jobs for the blue collar workers. Drugs entered the picture, poverty grew, abuse grew.
Babs wanted to protect her community and her heritage. But how does she do that? She runs the local drug market and involves the police chief, which keeps her family and crew out of jail. And her crew are her friends, all women, she's known all her life and her daughters. Her older daughter Lori got out, not wanting to turn into her mother. But then she's a staff sergeant in Afghanistan and the convoy she is in is attacked. She's back in Waterville and more of an addict than her mother knows, and she sees and talks with dead people -- her father, a 5-yr old Afghanistan girl she tried to rescue, the Marine in her truck who took a bullet to the head, and others. Her sister, called Sis, has not been in touch with her family for a few days and Lori is worried. She's a great character and nicely developed.
Babs was raped by a cop when she was a young teen. She killed the cop and the Catholic priest got her out of town and into a convent where she stayed for 5 years before returning. T It ishe priest remains in town, now in his 80's. To me, Babs has a good heart but doesn't always choose the best ways to show it. She can be very violent - ask her son-in-law.
Then "the Man" shows up. He works for a drug lord in Quebec who wants Babs to run his drugs using her network for a small fee. Babs is not interested. All those around her plead with her not to fight and not to take vengeance on the Man. Babs is very stubborn but shit happens, and Babs knows her time is limited.
I loved the way the book moved around, with many characters taking turns as narrators. Backstories are told in some unique ways. There is humor, dark humor in the book.
March 28, 2025
Ughhh, besties, so many thoughts about this book! It wasn't what I expected, but not everything was terrible. Sooooo, here's my review! And thanks to PRH International for sending me this free e-book ARC!
A raw and violent thriller that delves into the depths of a rural community where flashes of despair mix with oppression, violence, and addiction. Set in a small town in Maine, known as "Little Canada," this novel focuses on the story of Babs Dionne, the matriarch of a family who struggles to maintain her criminal empire and cultural identity while facing the challenges of an increasingly hostile environment. In the midst of her fight, her youngest daughter, Sis, disappears, prompting Lori, her older daughter, a drug-addicted ex-Marine with post-traumatic stress disorder, to search for her.
While the premise held promise, I found myself struggling to connect with the story. Despite its gritty setting and dark themes, the novel’s attempts at humor often felt flat and didn't land as intended. The narrative meanders, and at times it feels like it’s lacking a clear direction. The plot often feels disjointed, focusing on complex family dynamics instead of building on a tighter, more compelling story.
Additionally, I couldn’t quite get past the lack of depth in some characters, particularly Babs. Her early backstory showed potential, but as an adult, she felt underdeveloped, making it hard to truly invest in her as a central figure. The novel’s explicit content—ranging from graphic violence to substance abuse—was undeniably heavy, but it didn’t quite elevate the story for me.
Overall, Savage didn’t quite deliver what I expected. While I can appreciate the exploration of dark, complex themes, it didn’t resonate with me as much as I hoped. It may appeal to readers who enjoy this kind of bleak, raw storytelling, but it ultimately left me feeling disconnected.
{español]
Un thriller crudo y violento que se adentra en las profundidades de una comunidad rural donde los destellos de desesperación se combinan con la opresión, la violencia y la adicción. Ambientada en un pequeño pueblo de Maine, conocido como "Little Canada", esta novela se centra en la historia de Babs Dionne, la matriarca de una familia que lucha por mantener su imperio criminal y su identidad cultural, mientras enfrenta los desafíos de un entorno cada vez más hostil. En medio de su lucha, su hija más joven, Sis, desaparece, lo que impulsa a Lori, su hija mayor, una ex-marine adicta a las drogas con un trastorno de estrés postraumático, a buscarla.
Aunque la premisa tenía potencial, me costó conectar con la historia. A pesar de su ambientación sombría y los temas oscuros, los intentos de humor de la novela a menudo se sentían forzados y no lograban el impacto esperado. La narración a veces parece divagar, y en ocasiones se siente desorganizada, centrándose más en las dinámicas familiares complejas en lugar de construir una historia más sólida y atractiva.
Además, no pude evitar sentir que algunos personajes, especialmente Babs, carecían de profundidad. Su historia de origen mostraba potencial, pero como adulta, me pareció subdesarrollada, lo que dificultaba realmente involucrarse con ella como figura central. El contenido explícito de la novela—que va desde la violencia gráfica hasta el abuso de sustancias—sin duda es pesado, pero no logró elevar la historia para mí.
En resumen, Savage no cumplió con mis expectativas. Aunque puedo apreciar la exploración de temas oscuros y complejos, no me resonó tanto como esperaba. Puede atraer a los lectores que disfrutan de este tipo de narrativas sombrías y crudas, pero a mí, personalmente, me dejó una sensación de desconexión.
A raw and violent thriller that delves into the depths of a rural community where flashes of despair mix with oppression, violence, and addiction. Set in a small town in Maine, known as "Little Canada," this novel focuses on the story of Babs Dionne, the matriarch of a family who struggles to maintain her criminal empire and cultural identity while facing the challenges of an increasingly hostile environment. In the midst of her fight, her youngest daughter, Sis, disappears, prompting Lori, her older daughter, a drug-addicted ex-Marine with post-traumatic stress disorder, to search for her.
While the premise held promise, I found myself struggling to connect with the story. Despite its gritty setting and dark themes, the novel’s attempts at humor often felt flat and didn't land as intended. The narrative meanders, and at times it feels like it’s lacking a clear direction. The plot often feels disjointed, focusing on complex family dynamics instead of building on a tighter, more compelling story.
Additionally, I couldn’t quite get past the lack of depth in some characters, particularly Babs. Her early backstory showed potential, but as an adult, she felt underdeveloped, making it hard to truly invest in her as a central figure. The novel’s explicit content—ranging from graphic violence to substance abuse—was undeniably heavy, but it didn’t quite elevate the story for me.
Overall, Savage didn’t quite deliver what I expected. While I can appreciate the exploration of dark, complex themes, it didn’t resonate with me as much as I hoped. It may appeal to readers who enjoy this kind of bleak, raw storytelling, but it ultimately left me feeling disconnected.
{español]
Un thriller crudo y violento que se adentra en las profundidades de una comunidad rural donde los destellos de desesperación se combinan con la opresión, la violencia y la adicción. Ambientada en un pequeño pueblo de Maine, conocido como "Little Canada", esta novela se centra en la historia de Babs Dionne, la matriarca de una familia que lucha por mantener su imperio criminal y su identidad cultural, mientras enfrenta los desafíos de un entorno cada vez más hostil. En medio de su lucha, su hija más joven, Sis, desaparece, lo que impulsa a Lori, su hija mayor, una ex-marine adicta a las drogas con un trastorno de estrés postraumático, a buscarla.
Aunque la premisa tenía potencial, me costó conectar con la historia. A pesar de su ambientación sombría y los temas oscuros, los intentos de humor de la novela a menudo se sentían forzados y no lograban el impacto esperado. La narración a veces parece divagar, y en ocasiones se siente desorganizada, centrándose más en las dinámicas familiares complejas en lugar de construir una historia más sólida y atractiva.
Además, no pude evitar sentir que algunos personajes, especialmente Babs, carecían de profundidad. Su historia de origen mostraba potencial, pero como adulta, me pareció subdesarrollada, lo que dificultaba realmente involucrarse con ella como figura central. El contenido explícito de la novela—que va desde la violencia gráfica hasta el abuso de sustancias—sin duda es pesado, pero no logró elevar la historia para mí.
En resumen, Savage no cumplió con mis expectativas. Aunque puedo apreciar la exploración de temas oscuros y complejos, no me resonó tanto como esperaba. Puede atraer a los lectores que disfrutan de este tipo de narrativas sombrías y crudas, pero a mí, personalmente, me dejó una sensación de desconexión.
September 8, 2025
Different from what I usually read. I enjoyed it.
April 7, 2025
Mr. Currie has crafted some excellent characters and a compelling tale. The story is about parenting, honor, friendship, and money. The story is set in Waterville, Maine and involves a grandmother who is fighting hard to keep her family and community together. The greed of business people outside the community cause some tough choices for Babs Dionne, the main character. She is tough woman who doesn't suffer fools easily. I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Well done Mr. Currie.
August 16, 2024
This was some read! The brutal life of people embroiled in the drug trafficking business and the destruction of the lives of the recipients of those drugs, as well as the destruction of the supplier's’ lives. Babs Dionne was one tough dame! Her life was shaped as a young girl and what happened to her then, decided her future. This book kept my interest. Craftily written with bloodthirstiness events. Some described and others were hinted. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. #TheSavageNobleDeathofBabsDionne, #PutnamGroupPutnam. .
May 18, 2025
2.5- I was excited thinking this would lean more into the thriller / mystery genre. Instead, this became a twisty, semi thriller semi winding fictional telling of a franco-american family that’s pushing drugs. there’s characters with backstories that don’t need them, new characters that pop up randomly that provide nothing but the same problems as the next. there’s a weird dose of patriotism meets ptsd which frankly didn’t land for me. i think the author opened too many doors (drugs, ptsd, murder, addiction, former protestant catholic beef etc) and couldn’t weave them together coherently.
April 18, 2025
The beginning pulled me in with Babs’ backstory but it soon fell flat. My biggest problems with the story and characters:
* Babs supplies the drugs to a town where it’s no secret that both her daughters are addicts
* the sex scene between Bates and Babs - it was described as lustless, and pointless so why even have them be fuck buddies?
* how is Lori so high all the time and able to drive, kill people,etc?
The donor scene is what really did it for me though.
* Babs supplies the drugs to a town where it’s no secret that both her daughters are addicts
* the sex scene between Bates and Babs - it was described as lustless, and pointless so why even have them be fuck buddies?
* how is Lori so high all the time and able to drive, kill people,etc?
The donor scene is what really did it for me though.
April 2, 2025
For fans of SA Cosby and Denis Lehane, a gritty, taut mystery in rural Maine. Babs, deeply proud Frano-American matriarch, runs a ruthless crime syndicate without challenge until a dark, menacing force shows up and her daughter goes missing. Richly drawn plot abs characters!
February 3, 2025
This was rough. It knows what kind of story it wants to be, but doesn't want to show that to the reader, who is asked to place a lot of trust in the author.
April 19, 2025
Not a fan. I wasn’t able engage with any of the characters. None of them were likable. I know this opinion is not the consensus, but it just want for me.
June 25, 2025
Banger book with a whirlwind of women! Babs Dionne and her crew of sisters, friends and relatives try to keep their sanity, their businesses and their culture in the northern reaches of Maine and French Canada. I gave the book 5 stars because it propelled me forward. Babs has traits similar to Mary Pat in Lehane’s Small Mercies: ferocity, love of family, perseverance, simmering rage. The story advances like McBride’s Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, with winding twists, colorful characters and lies. That said, I was not enthralled with Babs, she was cold. I had to infer emotion based on other people’s reaction to her, mostly fear. Characters were steeped in drunkenness and drug addiction, another tale in which a mill closes and residents succumb to drink, meth and heroin.
December 16, 2025
The writing is pretty, the metaphors solid, and there's a poetry to it.
The Dionnes are a crime family, but they're a family first, and a community. That matters. There are opioids and Afghanistan and a little magical realism—ghosts who feel pretty real. A bit of the church, a bit of "even the cops are crooks."
And threatening Canadians. You don't get that every day.
A pleasure, a quick read—Friday to Tuesday for me.
The Dionnes are a crime family, but they're a family first, and a community. That matters. There are opioids and Afghanistan and a little magical realism—ghosts who feel pretty real. A bit of the church, a bit of "even the cops are crooks."
And threatening Canadians. You don't get that every day.
A pleasure, a quick read—Friday to Tuesday for me.
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