The End of the Road

by Andrew Welsh-Huggins

A bank robber tries to leave behind his life of crime after serving his time. But getting out isn’t so easy. Myles’s courtroom testimony should have put Pryor, their one-eyed ringleader, behind bars after the bank robbery gone wrong, yet somehow Pryor got off scot-free while Myles served time. Now, upon his release, Myles decides he is done with his life of wrongdoing―a change that will only be possible if he can kill Pryor and turn over a new leaf. Pryor has other ideas, and the collision between these two deadly forces soon leaves the ex-con in critical condition, clinging to life in a hospital bed. With Myles in recovery, it’s up to his girlfriend Penny to avenge her lover and salvage their chance at normalcy. As Pryor and his cronies prepare for their biggest score yet–targeting a vulnerable small-town Ohio bank on a day when Amish farmers arrive with hefty cash deposits–Penny is hot on their heels. But is she prepared for the carnage Pryor will gleefully wreak on the path to his prize? With characters as sharply drawn as those in a Dennis Lehane novel and a rich Midwestern setting, The End of the Road is a fast-paced rural noir that announces Andrew Welsh-Huggins as one of the most powerful voices in the mystery world.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Audiobook, Crime

312 pages, Hardcover

Published April 11, 2023

About the author

ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS is the Shamus Award-nominated author of the Andy Hayes private eye series, the standalone crime novel "The End of the Road," and editor of "Columbus Noir." His short fiction has appeared in "Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine," "Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine," Mystery Magazine," the anthologies "The Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2021," "Mickey Finn 21st Century Noir: Vols I and III," "Paranoia Blues: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Paul Simon," and other magazines and anthologies. Andrew's nonfiction book, "No Winners Here Tonight," is the definitive history of the death penalty in Ohio.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rural noir in the Ohio countryside.

A witness's testimony should have put a gang leader behind bars for a nice, long, time, but as usual, he's out in a year. Now he's gunning for revenge.

The witness's girlfriend gets in the middle of things.

A lot of twists and turns.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

The End of the Road is a fast-moving crime drama with a couple of likeable characters. I rooted for both Penny and J.P.

For me, the action and conversation turned a bit hokey at the end. Plus, there was some serious foreshadowing going on. I knew that knitting needle was going to come out and play at first mention. :)

Still enjoyed the journey. This was my first Andrew Welsh-Huggins. I hope to bump into him again down the road.

[Todd · Rating 2 out of 5]

The wheelman on a robbery gets out of prison. He's the only one who served time, yet the one who led the crew wants to kill him. A fair story, with quite a bit of violence set in Ohio.

A couple decent characters but nothing special. Nowhere near as good as The Mailman, by the same author.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite new writers. New to me anyway. He fills my craving for Elmore Leonard style crime stories. The story is less about plot and more about characters and why they do the things they do. The opening of the book is confusing, but just keep going and it will all make sense. Really good stuff. I recommend to anyone who likes the crime, thriller, genre.

[Jim Kownacki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fast paced novel that once forces collide, you don't want to put it down! Great antagonist!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good hard-boiled story, set in modern day Midwest. Suitably evil antagonist. Complexity of two very different protagonists.

[Kate Michaelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The End of the Road is a gripping crime novel set in Columbus, Ohio. The book offers three intriguing point-of-view characters, but the real driver of the action is Penny, a woman whose boyfriend—after just one day out of prison—is shot by the crime boss he testified against. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that the only way to stop the merciless crime boss is for Penny to go after him herself. During the course of her quest, Penny meets rural sheriff’s deputy J.P. (another wonderful POV character), who joins her on her journey toward a final showdown.

There’s a lot to enjoy in this novel, but the propulsive forward momentum was what stood out to me. Fair warning: you might want to clear your schedule, because once you start reading The End of the Road, it’s hard to put down. Part of this is due to Penny, a tenacious yet vulnerable protagonist determined to find justice in an unjust situation.

Another reason this book is so gripping is that Welsh-Huggins gives Penny a crystal-clear motivation for seeking vigilante justice, along with a rapidly ticking clock. In crime fiction, “the ticking clock” is a plot mechanism that compels the protagonist to reach their goal by a certain time or else risk losing everything. Anyone looking for a good example of this technique should pick up this book. Welsh-Huggins masterfully sets the clock in motion that propels Penny on her frenetic overnight journey through Columbus and rural Ohio.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

The End of the Road is written by Andrew Welsh-Huggins. Mr. Welsh-Huggins is a prominent journalist and writer from the Columbus, Ohio area. He is best known (by me!) for his Andy Hayes series (Andy Hayes is a disgraced ex-Ohio State football player turned detective) and his editing of Akashic Books’ Columbus Noir, an anthology series of noir stories from different cities, states, areas, countries around the world. His short story pieces have appeared in numerous crime & mystery magazines.
His piece for Crime Reads, “Seeking Crime Fiction Inspiration from the Odyssey” is so interesting, so wonderful, I have read it over and over again.

The End of the Road is the epitome of Noir. Noir is a genre of crime fiction characterized by cynicism, fatalism and moral ambiguity. Noir features ‘hard-boiled’ (my favorite Noir adjective), cynical characters and extremely bleak and sleazy settings. Dark, brooding, raw - Noir has been described as “Whiskey neat”.
The End of the Road is also inspired by the Odyssey.

Out of prison for one day, Myles is shot by Pryor for refusing to drive in a bank robbery. Myles’s partner, Penny, is desperate - knowing she, Myles and their young son, will never be free of Pryor unless he is dead. Thus begins Penny’s Odyssey of vengeance.

I am a big fan of Mr. Welsh-Huggins’ work. *****

[Miriam Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ohio author Andrew Welsh-Huggins writes a stand alone mystery set just outside of Columbus, Ohio.

Penny is the amateur sleuth who follows clues as she tries to prevent a robbery and take down a petty-criminal named Pryor. She's also trying to avoid the cops who are investigating Pryor who they suspect critically injured her just released boyfriend Myles.

It's a complex tale of revenge and retribution after a bank robbery gone wrong where Pryor gets off free and Myles serves the time.

Welsh-Huggins tangles the investigation with Penny's thoughts and Pryor's machinations.

There are some slow spots but all in all, a satisfying mystery - thriller.

Thanks to the BookLoft of German Village (Columbus, OH) http://www.bookloft.com for an ARC to read and review.

For a different review see Ohioana Library Association Quarterly http://www.ohioana.org

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not enjoy the first half of this book but I am glad I finished it. The second half was much more enjoyable. I have a hard time with books whose characters are difficult to like/connect with and this one made me feel that way. It is well-written and crafted. If I could give it a 3.5 I would but with the narrow rating system on here, it feels closer to a 3 for me than a 4.

[Janis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow I never really got engaged with this book and I’m not sure why. Maybe because the bad guy was so incredibly bad, I didn’t want to know what horrible thing he did next.

I liked the policeman character & would enjoy reading more with him.

[Jim Thomsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkably confident, controlled story of murder, revenge and resilience in small-town America (and the best Ohio-set mystery by an Ohio journalist since the novels of Robin Yocum). A first standalone novel after several private-eye books, THE END OF THE ROAD succeeds not just because of the character-rich skill of its author, but because of its standalone nature—every possible ending is on the table, with nothing bent to templated characters, push-button plots, formulaic villains or branding considerations. As a result, I found myself raptly following the bloody collision course between Penny, the wife of a gravely wounded criminal trying to stay out of the life; J.P., a much-maligned deputy sheriff; and Pryor, a stone-cold small-town kingpin bent on revenge and reasserted dominance.

And a nice observational touch with hardboiled prose doesn't hurt: "He hated words like vehicle, words no one ever said in real life. But everybody was so accustomed to true crime shows and movies that he found the jargon calmed people, like a doctor handing out antibiotics for a viral infection when all the patient needed was to lie down for a while" and "Brandi, her sister, a year and a half younger, out of high school with exactly zero prospects but with the body and looks that slutty cowgirl costumes were designed for" are two examples among about thirty I could cite.

THE END OF THE ROAD is one of the best crime novels I've read in 2023.

[Eileen Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wild ride

Myles is paroled after serving time for armed robbery. The next day he’s shot and ends up in the hospital in critical condition.

Pryor was the mastermind in that previous heist and Myles had testified against him, so Prior’s suspect number one in the shooting.

Penny, Myles’ girlfriend and the mother of his son, wants revenge and to make sure her family is safe. And the only way to do that is to kill Pryor.

Reading this well-written book will keep you on the edge of your seat till late into the night as Penny navigates the seamy underside of Columbus to discover where Pryor is holed up and what his next target might be.

Highly-recommend this nail biter.

[Elizabeth Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book did not attract my attention at the beginning but the descriptions are meaningful. I could picture the characters and their environments. As the book progressed, I became more interested, curious to see if they could get out of their tight spots. Some of the incidents were a bit far-fetched, and it f you are offended by rough language, this is not for you. But for crime aficionados, it is a good read.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the style that Welsh-Huggins used in this novel. He has a great way of describing the thoughts and actions of the characters. Living in Columbus, where a portion of the action happens, made a connection with the story more realistic.
I was a little bothered by some of the actions that characters took, because they seemed unrealistic or contrived.
The story seemed to bog down toward the end, but over all a quick read with short chapters and a lot of moving parts.

[Zachary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm starting to comb through some of the staff lists at my local library. This one being in the local fiction list. The author captures Ohio pretty well. An entertaining crime noir with one irritating protagonist. In parts of the book, the author dropped some not so subtle personal (but not at all original) hobby horses that made me roll my eyes, but thankfully that was kept in the background and didn't distract from the story too much, which was very engaging and exciting throughout.

[Doug Yonce · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent, if not unique, take on the genre. When a bank robber serves his time, he’s the only one who does. Upon release, he feels the need to be compensated. Doesn’t happen. Instead he once again becomes a victim. Working through his situation becomes an excellent adventure. I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and voluntarily provided an honest review.

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not enjoy this story. Only positive is that it takes place in Columbus and Plain City and the Der Dutchman restaurant even though the names are changed.

Characters were too extreme. Pryor, the “bad guy” was so unrealistically evil that I had to skim most parts about who he hurt and how.

I only finished it to see how it resolved.

[Scott Rodrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ex-con’s girlfriend, Penny, tries to even the score on his old boss Pryor and his gang, for putting her boyfriend in the hospital with critical injuries. Will she succeed? It was a well-written story, violent at times, slow and plodding in the story pacing. I almost didn’t finish it — I could see where it was going halfway through.

[David Mc · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading the Mailman by Welsh-Huggins, I was looking forward to this novel. However, I put it down near the halfway mark, as I realized that I just didn’t much care for any of the central characters. Even so, given his very fascinating previous novel, I will likely pick up whatever W-H writes next; however, the End of the Road was a real stinker for me.

[Karen Roettger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite genre but the author is coming to our book club in March so I don’t want to be too critical of his book. I enjoyed that the story took place in Columbus, Ohio & the surrounding area so I could relate to the area pictorially.

[Kristi Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg another book I could not put down once I started it ! Picked this up at the library while browsing, and omg (again) it is fabulous! I love a book with several stories going on that all pull together as it goes on, this book is AWESOME! 5 big stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Ladybug Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new author for me. I enjoyed this Southern noir crime novel. I loved the characters of JP and Penny. I did have trouble getting into it at first- the author just jumps right in on the action and we get to learn more about the characters later.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am starting to read this author's books. This is his first, and it's a great story, but it's a bit grim in places. There are some nasty, hard-to-read scenes because there are a few bad and one evil character. I loved the short chapters that leave you hanging. You just have to turn the page.

[connor connor connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick and intense crime fiction! Really enjoyed this one.

[Josie Boettcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5 It was a quick and engaging read, but it was shallow and choppy. I did love all of the Columbus references. Being able to envision the characters being in their settings was pretty fun.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending fizzled out the intriguing storyline along with lazy nicknames of characters.

[Gregory Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I felt angry and anxious at points in the story. Lots of foreboding. Pryor is the worst of the worst. Glad Penny gave him what he deserved. Fast paced, page turner.

[Penny Christensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

its a page turner, but too gruesome for me.

[Isha · Rating 4 out of 5]

really enjoyed this! super fast paced and gripping, good characters