The New York Times named James A. McLaughlin’s debut novel one of “9 New Books We Recommend This Week.” The book was also reviewed in the crime column. The reviewer Marilyn Stasio calls it a “gruesomely gorgeous debut novel about an imperfect hero” and says “McLaughlin writes about the natural world with casual lyricism and un-self-conscious joy, while describing physical violence so vividly you want to look away.” Ecco published the book on June 12, 2018.