SALE ON NOW! PROMOTIONS
J. Todd Scott has been a federal agent with the DEA for more than twenty years, working cases investigating international maritime smuggling, domestic meth labs, and Mexican cartels. He has a law degree from George Mason University and is a father of three. A Kentucky native, he now resides in the Southwest, which provided the backdrop for The Far Empty.
"Praise for The Far Empty""[J. Todd Scott] has written a story that smartly captures the vast skies, bleak beauty and unchecked wildness of deepest West Texas...fast-moving...Intriguing...a frank, unpolished view of life near the border...[The Far Empty] is an impressive debut--a memorable story and a rich portrayal of West Texas, a 'godforsaken place where there's more blood in the ground than water.'""--Houston Chronicle ""Gritty and raw, steeped in violence, this modern Western explores the black heart of the human soul. Excelling in his portrayal of evil, Scott draws a bleak countryside that hides drug running, deceit and murder.""--RT Book Reviews ""An atmospheric noir about drug runners and crooked West Texas border cops written by an ex-DEA agent who knows the territory, this debut thriller looks like the real deal... Scott juggles his cast of heroic, flawed, and monstrous characters with the skill of a far more experienced writer... Scott is, as they say, one to watch.""--Texas Monthly ""The rough and bloody borderlands of west Texas provide the backdrop for this rousing debut novel, a hybrid of mystery and contemporary western.""--Atlanta Journal-Constitution ""[J. Todd Scott]'s career starts with a bang.""--El Paso Times ""This first-time novelist's familiarity with his setting and its habitues shines through on every page.""--Kirkus Reviews ""Federal agent Scott's knowledge of the border country of West Texas is on fine display in his outstanding debut...Scott's skills as a storyteller are impressive, and his tale of an ambitious young lawman has echoes of the movie Shane and the books of Cormac McCarthy.""--Publishers Weekly (starred review) ""This thriller sprawls like the West Texas land of its setting, and, like all those arid miles, it's fraught with mystery and echoes of a violent past....Scott tells his story in a style placid on the surface and churning underneath, like water about to boil, and, when it does so, it erupts into a series of fine, violent action scenes.""--Booklist ""Thrilling, suspenseful and psychologically perceptive...Terrific...So well written that you just go with the bloody flow.""--Providence Journal ""J. Todd Scott's Far Empty is so good I wish I'd written it. The poetic and bloody ground of west Texas has given birth to a powerful new voice in contemporary western crime fiction.""--Craig Johnson, New York Times-bestselling author of the Walt Longmire Series ""J. Todd Scott is the real deal. The Far Empty is an astonishing, accomplished debut crime novel worthy of award consideration.""--Michael McGarrity, New York Times bestselling author ""A haunting, gritty novel of modern Texas that brings to mind John Sayles's seminal film, Lone Star. As a real-life federal lawman, Scott not only knows the battered terrain but the wounded people who call it home. I loved the authenticity of this forgotten wasteland and the last breaths of the Code of the West.""--Ace Atkins, New York Times Bestselling author of The Innocents ""Balancing both the brutal and beautiful, J. Todd Scott has delivered a story that hangs around the neck long after the final page. Fearless, searing prose that reeks of honesty, The Far Empty is as gritty and raw as sun-scorched earth.""--David Joy, author of Where All Light Tends to Go"
