Blurbs



"An absolutely thrilling read. The language is spare, the timing impeccable, and the characters drawn so well that I cared about each one. I nearly got a papercut turning the pages. A damn fine job." -- Loren D. Estleman, author of the Amos Walker mystery series.


"This deep intelligent thriller takes the time to introduce readers to several subplots using scientific and technical vernacular, but worth the energy of those who appreciate a strong tale. The cast is solid whether they are the hero, the victim, the villain, the mythological figures or other support players. The various subplots cleverly merge over the course of the exciting story line in which the circles of murder and mythos overlap so that fans will treasure diving into the invigorating THE MOON POOL."-- Harriet Klausner. 

"Great work. No straw men or straw ideas. Just straight-ahead great, daring writing." -- Red Shuttleworth, author of All These Bullets.

"Canyon Diablo is a wickedly savage, delightfully humorous and thoroughly entertaining novel by one of today's best voices of Western fiction. Max McCoy has done it again."-- Johnny D. Boggs, bestselling author of Killstraight and  four-time Spur Award winner.

“Max McCoy is a masterful storyteller and Canyon Diablo adds to that reputation. A force of fascinating characters and unexpected plot twists creates a can’t-put-it-down story.” -- Cotton Smith, author of Spirit Rider and past president of the Western Writers of America.

“A good example of a great modern western is Max McCoy’s Hellfire Canyon. Hellfire Canyon is the story of Jacob Gamble: outlaw, renegade and general hell-raiser. He is the archetypal western outlaw, with one exception: He is likable, and rather than the antagonist, he is the hero… Hellfire Canyon is a campfire story. It is raw, tender, and fresh, but we are left knowing it isn’t the real story. It is the story the witness—Jacob Gamble—wants us to know, or perhaps more accurately thinks we want to know. It is more folklore and legend than anything else, and I loved every word.: -- Benjamin Boulden, the Gravetapping Blog.

“McCoy spins quite a tale of Civil War-era Missouri featuring one of America's first serial killers who terrorized an area of southern Taney County near the Arkansas state line… McCoy includes vivid details in his story that breathe life into it. Violence comes quickly, often unexpectedly and sometimes in graphic detail." -- Thomas Garrett, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Ark.

"Max McCoy plunges the reader into the darkest underwater cave, straight to death's door. Then, McCoy opens that door with stunning precision and electrifying prose. You may suffer from chills and claustrophobia while reading this book, and you will certainly feel a tightening in your throat as you struggle for air while his divers breathe a mixture of gases that would be fatal to most of us, in or out of deep water. McCoy's vivid descriptions and impeccable research, provide a rich background for his well-drawn characters who play out a dramatic story that is both intense and engaging. The characters seem very real and the dangers they face, not only with nature's obstacles but with each, makes this novel rise above all others in its exotic category. The Moon Pool would not only make a fascinating movie, but in McCoy's hands, it is a movie that flashes through the mind in stark, compelling images." -- Jory Sherman, author of The Baron Honor.

"A one-of-a-kind underwater adventure… The sometimes sinister beauty of the underwater world is painted in hues that only an avid diver and inspired novelist could capture.” – Dr. John Clarke, Navy experimental diving researcher.

"A page-turner." -- Missouri Life magazine on The Moon Pool.

“A great book. Max talks the same language as divers and has added a new twist… It’s compelling stuff, and McCoy tells it like it is.” – Bob Barth, former Sealab aquanaut, experimental diver, and author of Sea Dwellers.