A Small Disturbance on the Far Horizon

by Richard Babcock

In the stark Nevada landscape of the 1950s, A Small Disturbance on the Far Horizon explores the aftermath of a murder through the intertwined lives of three individuals. Tom Lang, a deputy sheriff, finds solace in a secret affair with Ettie Calvert, the wife of his overbearing partner, Ronnie. Their lives unravel when Adam Ott, a troubled teenager, impulsively murders Ronnie, setting off a harrowing chain of events that culminates in a deadly pursuit through the rugged mountains. Against the backdrop of the country's nuclear bomb tests, which ominously shadow the narrative, Tom, Ettie, and Adam each wrestle with their choices and seek redemption from the haunting consequences that relentlessly pursue them.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

228 pages, Paperback

Published July 15, 2025

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent novel, set in the harshly beautiful landscape of small-town Nevada in 1954. Suspenseful, well written and carefully researched. Also full of insights into the human tragicomedy, emphasis on the tragedy, but never heavy-handed.

Link here to an interview with the author (for Chicago's Newcity Lit):
https://lit.newcity.com/2025/07/14/th...

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read an article by Maureen Dowd suggesting that men who read are sexy. She mentioned her conversation with author, Richard Babcock, and asked what his latest book was about. Babcock said, “The book is about guilt, adultery, murder, a chase through the mountains — you know, the usual day-to-day stuff." That's why I picked up this book. A good story.

[Lakeview Little Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance listening copy of A Small Disturbance on the Far Horizon through NetGalley. The story was solid and I enjoyed the mix of adventure and tragedy, but it didn’t feel particularly unique.

The middle slowed down more than I expected, and I found myself wishing for a bit more tension and momentum as things unfolded.

The narrators were wonderful, though, and the sound quality and editing were excellent. Even when the plot lost steam, the production kept me engaged. A good listen overall, just not a standout for me.

[Marl · Rating 4 out of 5]

[3.5 stars rounded up]

Nevada, 1954. A small town deputy is shot by a teenage runaway, Adam Ott, during a routine traffic stop and runs off into the nearby mountains. His partner, Tom Lang, is sent out after the kid, but suspicions are aroused when everyone learns that he had been seeing his now dead partner’s wife, Ettie Calvert, for the last few months in secret. Ettie is stuck back in town between mourning her murdered husband, worrying about Tom out on the manhunt, caring for her grieving kids, and becoming a pariah in their small town that she already felt ostracized in. We rotate between the three points of views, Ettie, Tom, and Adam, as the manhunt stretches over days.

I enjoyed this novel very piecemeal. It’s an odd conclusion for me to make, especially because I didn’t explicitly dislike any large parts of the novel. Maybe it’s more so that I really enjoyed how each of the characters were written as well as the themes explored, but I was kinda “meh” on the actual things happening on the page. It’s a slow novel in a good way that suits the small town desert landscape. We take our time with each of our leads and explore what makes them tick. Very much a character study in a way without losing the action and conflict heading the whole thing (or maybe I always end up focusing more on characters than the plot when reading).

Something about this novel’s focus felt a bit unbalanced. Or too balanced. To me, all of the scenes had the exact same amount of emphasis given to them. A small scene of a conversation between Ettie and one of her kids was written with the same weight as what is supposed to be a high tension shootout in the mountains. Especially as we approached the climax, I was having a bit of trouble finding any rising tension or figuring out what parts were the big things happening. I still think that the book was written quite well and this really isn’t an issue most of the time (it’s really only in what are supposed to be very high tension or conflict moments that suffer because of this) but once I realized it around the 50% point I couldn’t stop noticing it.

I really liked our characters but I think I never quite grasped if the author wanted me to fully be on any of their sides (Tom and Ettie’s, I mean). All our characters are written very realistically and nuanced beyond what I was expecting for this novel. I know that that’s a cop-out complement in most reviews, but I genuinely mean it here. Both our characters’ internal worlds and how they interact with others is explored so well. I also think that Babcock writes women pretty well, which is always a concern picking up a new author. I love to see how Adam’s magical thinking influenced him and how it got more severe as the novel went on. I’m generally a hater against any books where a character’s mental conditions lead to them doing bad things, but I think that the time taken to look at Adam a bit past the “he was just a bad kid” helped this novel’s case.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel. It’s great if you’re looking for a more slowed down cop book/murder case without it being a hard mystery or thriller (but also without straying into the “cozy” books territory). The setting is done well also, though I wish there was some more emphasis on the town’s stress because of the bomb testing nearby (I loved that moment in chapter two where the town women were worrying about the nuclear fallout they’d read about). One of those books where I would have loved to read it with a book club.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deputy sheriff, Tom Lang, is shocked when his partner, Ronnie Calvert, is gunned down at a routine stop of a speeding car. The young man, Adam, who killed Ronnie drives off, leaving Tom to explain what happened to his somewhat skeptical colleagues, most of whom use a racist nickname to refer to Tom, whose grandfather was of the Shoshone.

The murder, and its fallout, are complicated as Tom and Ettie Calvert were having an affair and this leaves both in awkward positions. He was harbouring unkind thoughts about Ronnie, but never acted on them. Likewise, Ettie has been tired of her marriage to Ronnie, but never intended to do anything about her feelings, despite seeing Tom secretly.

The Sheriff organizes a manhunt for Adam, with the various deputies intent on killing Adam, even though the Sheriff, a kindly, warm man, would like to interrogate the boy, whose wealthy and manipulative father breezes into town with apologies and a payoff for Ettie.

Ettie's guilt about her affair is only magnified when the meanspirited townsfolk turn on her, with only an alcoholic, canny lawyer, and the Sheriff, as her allies. While Tom tracks the boy, Adam, imagines a grand shootout, and his life after his escape.

Against all this, is the testing of nuclear weapons near this small Nevada town in 1954.

This is well-written book is about people full of guilt, secrets, and in some cases, deep nastiness. Author Richard Babcock explores the tangled emotions of three people, There are contradictions in their thoughts and actions, and while I got a good picture of Ettie and Tom, two people wanting more and feeling trapped by their roles, I never really grasped why Adam shot and killed a man. We are told by his father a little later about his boy's messy childhood, but Adam's motivations were a little hard to define, except perhaps he too, in his need for freedom and frustration with his father, just made a really bad decision.

I enjoyed this story, which I listened to. Voice actor Mikael Naramore does a good job with all the characters, but I did find that it took me the longest time to realize he was saying "Ettie" rather than "Eddie" every time he said this character's name.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Brilliance Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my review.

[Lauren Parsons · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars for my personal taste, nothing against the book. I want to say if you liked "Holes" but want a more 'grown up' version, this vibe could work for you.

This book was slow paced, but not in the way that it was uninteresting. The slowness allows the atmosphere to build up and really set the scene for the 1950s Nevada landscape. You are thrown immediately into the plot in this story, so be ready to grab on to it quickly and learn the relationships between the characters. I think Richard Babcock did a good job with the time period and the environment and you can tell he has researched the topic.
This is the type of story that I would expect someone to read if they were interested in history or maybe were more accustomed to the slower place. I expected a little more action in "the chase"- listed as the deadly pursuit on the blurb- but in actuality, we got focus on the separate characters, who were all quite well thought out in their personalities.

The man who voices the audio narration also vaguely sounds like the motivational voice of the Ai videos you see on Instagram, so good for him for having a desirable voice. He was very easy to listen to with very clear words and inflictions.

While written well and vividly, this type of book is not really my cup of tea. 4.5 stars for the writing itself, 3.25 for the story for me, so rounding up to a 4 star rating overall.

Thank you NetGalley for the audio ARC.

[Sherry Steveson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the style of William Kent Krueger, Richard Babcock takes his reader on a journey that is thought provoking and colors on the outside of the black and white lines. This story pulls you in fast with the murder of a deputy officer while his partner on the job is a witness. We discover that the dead man's wife has been having an affair with our remaining living officer and it sets up the mountains of guilt as they wrestle with the aftermath. The gunman is a teenage boy who is fleeing his home and instigates a chase into the mountains of Nevada where the terrain and the weather become elements that test the pursuit.

I listened to the audiobook narrated very well by Mikael Naramore and he voiced it perfectly. My only issue was with the FMC's name sounding like Eddie and not Ettie by the narrator. Once I discovered what her name was, I didn't have to keep reminding myself that Eddie was Ettie anymore..

This is a beautifully written story told from three perspectives. My only complaint is that it wasn't really revealed why Adam the shooter felt compelled to pull the trigger. They eluded to the possibility and there is mention of a troubled childhood but the reader is left to assume it was an act of impulse. I also found the way the town handled Ettie's affair with Lange to add another level of frustration. All that to say, I really liked this one!

[Traci Co · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was right up my alley. I love small town mysteries from a time period that relies less on technology and more on relationships to tell the story. In this particular book, a local deputy gets shot and as a manhunt ensues, secrets are spilled, judgments are made, and relationships are scrutinized.

I enjoyed this book through audio and the narrator was great. The book moves at a nice pace, not rushed and not so slow to lose interest. The characters seem true and real in their emotional reactions, how they process their situations, and in the decisions they make. There were times that I was disappointed in what felt like naivety in how the chapters handled some of their circumstances, and then understood their responses were actually very human and likely. The conflicts and the guilt Ettie and Lang struggle with are all too real and relatable for anyone who has ever felt the need to be introspective and questioning of one’s role in impacting others.

The story-telling quality is excellent, and I could see this having a sequel that I would pick up without hesitation. If you appreciate the writing styles of William Kent Krueger and Sean Dietrich, you should definitely give this a read.

Special thank you to #NetGalley and #BrilliancePublishing for making the audio of #ASmallDisturbanceOnTheFarHorizon available to me in exchange for my honest review.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom is a deputy sheriff in a small Nevada town. He is partnered with Ronnie, an annoying man. One thing adds to his annoyance at his partner. Tom is having an affair with Ettie, Ronnie’s wife. On a simple traffic stop, everything goes crazy when they pull over Adam, a teen on the run from his dad. This simple stop leads to Adam shooting and killing Ronnie and then fleeing into the mountains.

The novel then goes into three different alternating perspectives: Tom (hunting down Adam), Ettie (dealing with the repercussions from her not so hidden sin), and Adam (navigating the mountains and trying to escape).

This plays out like a beautifully tragic movie. The scenery, the elements, the turmoil in their lives, the equal reactions to their actions.

There were a few decisions by the author that seemed off. The ending felt to cutesy at the end considering everything. The cliched “all the religious people are ignorantly evil”. And the bomb tested towards the end. To me, they took away from such a well written story that emersed you in the emotions and thoughts of these three characters.

The audiobook is fantastic. Mikael Naramore does a masterful job of narrating.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One event sets off a chain of explosions in a small town. In the background, nuclear bomb tests are happening out here in the desert. People are questioning their path, their future, and what it all means.
This is a police procedural, a manhunt, and an exploration of small minds in a small town. It was in a time when a woman could be arrested for having an extra-marital affair, but law enforcement mostly no longer enforced that provision. But the town still gossiped and the church-goers still meddled in the affairs of others.
I liked this book but found it on the slow side, a bit deliberative except for the chase scenes. Some of the characters seemed well formed, but others more sketched-in. I listened to the audiobook and bumped up the speed to keep my attention. It was well narrated and well written. It’s a thoughtful and engaging book.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @BrillianceAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook for review purposes. Publication date is tomorrow, Tuesday, 4 November 2025.

[Leah W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a great job with one exception; I kept thinking he was calling the female main character "Eddie."

This is a 1940's western novel that predominantly follows police man Lang, who is having an affair with his partner's wife, Ettie, and a disturbed teenager with a gun and a god complex. A series of events (that I'm not going to spoil) have the police force and town on a manhunt and interfering with the main characters' lives.

The characters are very well written. They're complex and arguably not very loveable. Some side characters, the minister, mayor, and busybodies are SO loathsome - it takes some special writing to make me so angry, especially at a side chatacter!

Many thanks to the Author, Publisher, and NetGalley for the ALC.

[Alicia Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for this audiobook arc. I felt like the narrator did a great job with the 3 POV’s in this book. The story started off strong with the death of one officer, while his partner who is also having an affair with his wife, witness him being killed by a young 17 year old. The story then follows how the officer tracks the suspect, the now widow navigating her husbands death, her children grieving for their father, and the suspect fleeing in the desert. I had to know the why, and how this would end. Part of me wanted a little bit more, but I also feel satisfied with how the story wraps up, and appreciate how the author took these tough topics and made a wonderful book. 4⭐️

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️. A steady-paced manhunt story, set in the stark Nevada mountains in the 1950s, that could easily have been the basis for a season of AMC’s excellent “Dark Winds” series. Deputy sheriff Tom Lang, insensitively nicknamed “Injun” by his white coworkers, is tasked with tracking the teenager who murdered Lang’s overbearing partner during a routine traffic stop. Matters are complicated by the fact that Lang has been secretly involved with his partner’s wife. The characters are well developed, the setting is atmospheric, and the fact that nuclear bomb tests are being conducted in the distance adds an eerie element of unease to the story.

[Nick Backas]

Enjoyed this. Some of the blurbs on reviews compare the writing to Cormac McCarthy, which is overly generous, and likely a compliment from one friend to another. Nevertheless, it compares favorably to other Westerns by postwar Americans; True Grit and Butcher's Crossing being examples that come to mind. The domestic plotline certainly has its place in the novel, but is not as developed as the parts of the book set in the elements. And those parts verge on pastiche given the stylistic and thematic similarities to other writers. Good, but not uniquely good. I was entertained, I cared about the characters. Can recommend.

[Rita Dragonette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book for the brilliant, provocative title and was propelled through the story in a single sitting as it paid off it's promise for a handful of heartbreaking characters. On the surface, it's a spare sketch of a modern western in a bleak setting, as the atomic bomb tests of the 50's explode nearby. At its heart it's about the profound loneliness of three people who don't fit their lives who each struggle to change before the inevitable tragedy of that initial "disturbance" fells them. Sad, soulful and supremely unforgettable. My favorite book of 2025. One of my favorite book titles of all time.

[Jayna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two deputies are on patrol in rural Nevada. They pull over a speeding teenager- who shoots one of them then flees. As a manhunt commences to find Adam, the shooter, secrets start unravelling regarding the deputies and their families.

This started off really strong, but then in the middle it started to drag. I overall enjoyed it, but wish the excitement of the beginning had held- the manhunt portion up the mountain was not as interesting for me.

Mikael Naramore narrates the audiobook.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Christina Severdia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book however, there were multiple times the police shoot other people thinking it is the person they are after. It seemed like these police were shoot first. Yes the person is supposed to be armed but I think in real life they would tell him to put his weapon down and try to get him to come in without shooting.

[Anne Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written page turner with emotional depth. The desert is as complex of a character as the protagonists. I was close to five stars except there was a malapropism I couldn't get past. Paint peels; bells peal. I blame the editors. Otherwise, so worth reading!

[Nadine C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice to read a more masculine book for a change

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A western-feeling book that has depth and character development. The desert, marriage, compassion, and so much more examined. Very good.

[Rickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and full of depth. A few plot points struck me as a bit odd, which kept it from being a full five stars, but overall I really enjoyed it. Thoughtful, engaging, and beautifully crafted.

[Dianna Conder]

DIDN’T FINISH, DID NOT LIKE.

[Stephanie Marks-Leavitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Small Disturbance on the Far Horizon grabs you right from the first page—it wastes absolutely no time getting into the action. The story opens with two police partners during what should have been a routine traffic stop, but when one of them is shot and the assailant escapes in the chaos, everything shifts. The surviving partner becomes determined to track down the offender, setting off a tense pursuit that drives the whole book. Oh and tea...the remaining police officer was currently having an affair with his partners wife!

I really enjoyed the small-town mystery feel and the memorable characters you meet along the way. The MMC is flawed but ultimately a good man with a genuinely kind heart, and he felt incredibly believable. The writing is tight, the pacing is great, and the ending landed perfectly for me.

The narrator also did a fantastic job bringing the story to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for providing me with an ARC audio copy of this book.