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JACKS FORK: a novel
It’s the summer of 1978 in the town of Iron Mountain, Missouri. Four 15-year-old boys and their adult guardian—a hip, young Catholic priest—are on summer holiday in the Mark Twain National Forest.
Roy Haas, James Fischer, Dennis Hailey and Kevin Przybysz are about to experience the most consequential summer of their lives. During the course of a three-day camping trip, the boys will come face-to-face with an evil so decadent and depraved that it will turn their young lives upside down. In the meantime, they will have to make several life-and-death decisions that will have profound implications for the rest of their lives.
Jacks Fork is a timeless exploration of the confusion, loneliness and search for meaning of early adulthood. What’s more, it is a gripping suspense novel that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat. Jacks Fork is a darkly comic, coming-of-age crime story you will never forget.
Roy Haas, James Fischer, Dennis Hailey and Kevin Przybysz are about to experience the most consequential summer of their lives. During the course of a three-day camping trip, the boys will come face-to-face with an evil so decadent and depraved that it will turn their young lives upside down. In the meantime, they will have to make several life-and-death decisions that will have profound implications for the rest of their lives.
Jacks Fork is a timeless exploration of the confusion, loneliness and search for meaning of early adulthood. What’s more, it is a gripping suspense novel that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat. Jacks Fork is a darkly comic, coming-of-age crime story you will never forget.
219 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2025
1 person is currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Chris Orlet
6 books27 followersChris Orlet is the author of the true crime book Sun Gone Down (coming early 2026), and the novels Jacks Fork (Down & Out Books); So Many Things to Bury (Down & Out); A Taste of Shotgun (Down & Out); In The Pines (New Pulp Press) and a contributor to Dirty Boulevard: Stories Inspired by the Songs of Lou Reed (Down & Out). He was born and raised in Belleville, Illinois.
WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING
"Chris’s books are among my favorite noir reads. I can't wait to sink into his next one.” –Jim Thomsen, The Killing Rain: Left Coast Crime Anthology
“Finally a worthy successor to James Crumley and Newton Thornburg and Kem Nunn, the 1970’s godfathers of true noir’s long-needed revival.” Jonathan Ashley, author of South of Cincinnati, Out of Mercy, and The Cost of Doing Business
“Often very funny, and true to the “noir” tradition in that its central characters are terminal screw-ups who get themselves deeper and deeper into horrible fixes. The more they try to dig themselves out, the worse it gets.” Rory Costello, Hard Sentences: Crime Fiction Inspired by Alcatraz
“A great view of small-time crime and its working-class in America roots as people struggle to keep a roof over their heads and feed their families.” David Nemeth, Unlawful Acts
“White trash noir at its finest. Dirt balls, criminals, and other assorted living train wrecks doing crazy stupid things, and it is funny as well. What is there not to love? I look forward to other titles by this author.” Paul McBride, book reviewer
WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING
"Chris’s books are among my favorite noir reads. I can't wait to sink into his next one.” –Jim Thomsen, The Killing Rain: Left Coast Crime Anthology
“Finally a worthy successor to James Crumley and Newton Thornburg and Kem Nunn, the 1970’s godfathers of true noir’s long-needed revival.” Jonathan Ashley, author of South of Cincinnati, Out of Mercy, and The Cost of Doing Business
“Often very funny, and true to the “noir” tradition in that its central characters are terminal screw-ups who get themselves deeper and deeper into horrible fixes. The more they try to dig themselves out, the worse it gets.” Rory Costello, Hard Sentences: Crime Fiction Inspired by Alcatraz
“A great view of small-time crime and its working-class in America roots as people struggle to keep a roof over their heads and feed their families.” David Nemeth, Unlawful Acts
“White trash noir at its finest. Dirt balls, criminals, and other assorted living train wrecks doing crazy stupid things, and it is funny as well. What is there not to love? I look forward to other titles by this author.” Paul McBride, book reviewer
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