★ Eld knew better. War taught him to know better. But with Prohibition expiring in a matter of months, his turn from fisherman to smuggler was supposed to be temporary. Running Canadian whiskey across the lake seemed the perfect plan to get his family out from behind the eight ball. Even Maggie, Eld’s normally sensible wife, was on board.
Together, they crossed their fingers and threw the dice. Ill-gotten gains soon rolled in, but Eld’s family operation was caught in the crossfire when underworld empires went to war. Hunted by gangsters and squeezed by the Depression, Eld, Maggie, and the children scattered. Eld crossed Canada on a doomed quest, while Maggie and her daughter were forced to find sanctuary in a religion more cult than creed.
When the family finally reunites, they aren't the same strivers who took a chance on a better life. In the end, Eld pays a staggering price for his version of the American Dream, and those he loves most pay even more. ★
★ Even at the ragged edge of civilization, some lines should not be crossed.
Everyone believes Adam to be something he's not. Sometimes that's because he's told them a story. Sometimes he's told himself one. But when Adam leaves college for the Alaskan fishing fleet and the quick money he desperately needs, the dangerous work and harsh conditions strip away all fabrications.
On the unforgiving Bering Sea, Adam finds the adventure and authenticity of a fisherman's life revelatory. But when a strike threatens the entire season and violence erupts, Adam is thrust into a struggle for survival at the edge of the world, where nature and social forces collide for outcomes beyond anyone's control.
In this riveting debut novel, Matt Riordan pairs personal experiences with a master storyteller's eye in a piercing examination of the quest for identity in the face of tempests within and without. ★
REVIEWS & ACCLAIM FOR THE NORTH LINE
"Riordan is a superb storyteller, and The North Line is an all-engrossing, never-dull depiction of Alaska’s ‘wild west’ and those drawn to it. Sentence by sentence, Riordan’s dazzling language will transport readers into a world both challenging and packed with beauty and possibility."​​
★ Anchorage Daily News ★
"[A]n irresistible portrait of commercial fishermen fighting for survival in early 1990s Alaska. […] The novel’s colorful dialogue and relentless pacing evoke the uncompromising headwinds in [the main character’s] path. This is a triumph of gritty realism. "​​
★ Publishers Weekly (Starred) ★
REVIEWS & ACCLAIM FOR SEUL L’HORIZON
"apres sétre fait pincer å dealer de l@cstasy lors d'un concert. Adam a besoin d'un gros paquet d'argent. 11 embarque alors å bord d'un vieux chalutier pour aller pécher le hareng, puis le saurnon. dans les eaux glacées de la mer de Béring. au large de IAIaska. Au milieu de cet univers impitoyable. dans lequel il faut apprendre vite, Adam révélera sa plus profonde Violence. speed. coke et eau salée: dans une ambiance digne d'un Jack London rock'n'roll, l'américain Matt Riordan signe un impitoyable roman d'apprenttssage d'Oü ron sort essoré."​​
★ Rolling Stone ★
"Et seu le rendement compte Quand les ales sont rempbes que le pont dé- borde de harengs amassés jusqu'aux genoux de l'équipage. le bateau file s•amarrer auprés collecteur qui aspire sa manne. Les marins veulent retourner au plus vite sur les barcs, avant que l'administration qui contröle la ressource ne décide d'in- terdire la péche de telle ou telle es- péce Pas une livre de romantisme."​​
★ Tribune deGeneve ★