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North Country
A taut literary thriller set along the northern border,
North Country
explores the monsters frozen in the depths of the human soul.
North Chazy, New York is the heart of the North Country, a frigid region nestled against the Canadian border, characterized by the beautiful landscapes of the Adirondacks and Lake Champlain—plus a steady stream of Quebecois drugs flowing south, spirited by snowmobile across the ice.
Tom Kaiser, fresh off a dishonorable discharge from the Air Force, returns to North Chazy for his ailing father’s final days. It’s an uneasy homecoming—ever since his little sister was lost under the ice in mysterious circumstances when they were children, Kaiser has felt a terrible presence swimming in the deep.
Needing work, Kaiser falls in with Donnie LeClair, a slumlord, loan shark, and aesthete whose private collection of landscapes would rival a modest museum’s. Kaiser earns his keep roughing up unsavory locals who are late on their rent. But his true value is his aptitude for satellite telemetry, allowing him to find gaps in border surveillance, a useful skill for working with a Montreal kingpin who wants to move large quantities of ecstasy into the US.
As Kaiser spirals through the underbelly of drugs and crime, he finds the roots of evil run deep in the North Country—as bleak, impenetrable, and foreboding as the frozen lake.
North Chazy, New York is the heart of the North Country, a frigid region nestled against the Canadian border, characterized by the beautiful landscapes of the Adirondacks and Lake Champlain—plus a steady stream of Quebecois drugs flowing south, spirited by snowmobile across the ice.
Tom Kaiser, fresh off a dishonorable discharge from the Air Force, returns to North Chazy for his ailing father’s final days. It’s an uneasy homecoming—ever since his little sister was lost under the ice in mysterious circumstances when they were children, Kaiser has felt a terrible presence swimming in the deep.
Needing work, Kaiser falls in with Donnie LeClair, a slumlord, loan shark, and aesthete whose private collection of landscapes would rival a modest museum’s. Kaiser earns his keep roughing up unsavory locals who are late on their rent. But his true value is his aptitude for satellite telemetry, allowing him to find gaps in border surveillance, a useful skill for working with a Montreal kingpin who wants to move large quantities of ecstasy into the US.
As Kaiser spirals through the underbelly of drugs and crime, he finds the roots of evil run deep in the North Country—as bleak, impenetrable, and foreboding as the frozen lake.
- GenresThriller
1 pages, Audio CD
Published November 11, 2025
12 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 14, 2025
A literary crime thriller that combines the dangerous elements of the natural with the mystery of the supernatural. And keeps you guessing until the end…and beyond.
If a book could be called a “Renaissance Man”, North Country would be the perfect fit. Set in a small college town in New York near the Canadian border, the story explores a variety of themes across POV chapters of several different but interconnected characters. This novel truly does have a little bit of everything: crime rings, an ex-military man returning to his hometown after a shady tour of duty, astrophysics, art, college town life, drugs & addiction, broken families & abuse, love & physical connection, dangerous natural elements, and a mysterious entity that lurks beneath the surface of it all.
While the characters themselves are not the strongest part for me, Bondurant’s writing and the intriguing, intertwined nature of their story keep the reader invested throughout. The ending comes quickly; fast paced and a bit nebulous regarding the plot and fate of some of the characters, forcing the reader to think and draw conclusions.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a mysterious, supernatural crime thriller. While not a constant page turner for me, North Country certainly has a lot to offer.
3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
- @hathmortal
If a book could be called a “Renaissance Man”, North Country would be the perfect fit. Set in a small college town in New York near the Canadian border, the story explores a variety of themes across POV chapters of several different but interconnected characters. This novel truly does have a little bit of everything: crime rings, an ex-military man returning to his hometown after a shady tour of duty, astrophysics, art, college town life, drugs & addiction, broken families & abuse, love & physical connection, dangerous natural elements, and a mysterious entity that lurks beneath the surface of it all.
While the characters themselves are not the strongest part for me, Bondurant’s writing and the intriguing, intertwined nature of their story keep the reader invested throughout. The ending comes quickly; fast paced and a bit nebulous regarding the plot and fate of some of the characters, forcing the reader to think and draw conclusions.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a mysterious, supernatural crime thriller. While not a constant page turner for me, North Country certainly has a lot to offer.
3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
- @hathmortal
January 3, 2026
Writing about ice, winter and the starkness of the North Country is what makes this book worth reading. The characters were too many, and followed the stereotypes of bad guys, losers, and women trying to survive amid abused kids and near poverty. Throw in some violence, neat writing about art, winter gear and sleds with a lot of dope and you have this book. The ending was vague and frustrating.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews