Trout Run

by Paul Allen Dage

Eddy Trout, part-time bartender and pot-grower, has a troubled heart. In this, the second novel of the Eddy Trout Series, Eddy has left his wife and buried his father in a gone-to-seed garden, and now he's running hard toward what he hopes is a new, brighter tomorrow. His sister, Em, has disappeared, and he's got to find and "save" her. She turns up where they both swore they'd never return--Oak Creek, the small Oregon logging town of their childhood, where dark memories threaten ... and may possibly free them.

310 pages, Paperback

Published January 11, 2017

Reviews

[Danielle Urban · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trout Run by Paul Allen Dage is a fascinating read. Dark, emotional, and haunting. This second novel in the Eddy Trout Series was engaging, suspenseful, and well-developed. I found the main character, Eddy Trout, as a man with many flaws. His past haunts him. His present seems to drag onward in a way that readers, like myself can feel he's not happy with...a lot of interesting moments happen inside this book. Eddy Trout drifts further away from his wife. A good woman he doesn't love anymore. Then, there's his sister, whom he loves very much. She goes missing and Eddy is determined to find her. Last, Eddy finds himself in trouble. He went and did something deadly...like dumping his father in a garden. Anger, loss, grief and determination can be found on every page. The character's journey is definitely like that of a rollercoaster. One never knows what to expect next. Paul Allen Dage's writing is superb. His words have a way of dragging me deeper into Eddy's life. The further I went, the more I found an explosive destiny ahead. The ending leaves my mind wondering what will come after this. Overall, I recommend this stunning piece to readers everywhere.

[Daniel Mala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written with interesting characters. This is the second book of the series with a plan for a third. That said both of these books are well contained stories that conclude well without having a tune in next week feel. Though I enjoyed both book, I believe I liked this second book a bit better. There was a bit of a build up over the first few chapters, but the the story pivots and becomes more layered in telling the story of the challenges faced by Emily and Eddy to date while pealing the onion back a bit and revealing the stories of their mother, birth father,uncle and grandfather. All of whom had a caustic influence on the course of Eddy and Emily's lives, but in doing so showed the frailty of the human condition and the perpetuated impact of traumatic decision making. I would have liked a little more cultural/ socioeconomic background woven into the story as it spans the timber boon years and into the decimation of that economy on the Oregon Coast. But this was more of and additional feature that could have been illustrative then a missed part of the story. Cheers!

[Kassia Nye · Rating 4 out of 5]

A noir-ish epic of a character who is searching for soul. The story goes back 2 generations, and the descriptions of the characters were so in-depth I could understand why the larger-than-life events happened (aren't we all on that search?). It was easy to pick up and hard to put down.