Product Description

A thriller, and a whacking good thriller, too-shows how much can be done by a writer who knows his business-the best novel of its kind in ten years -"New York Times" First published in 1976, "Cutter and Bone" is the story of the obsession of Cutter, a scarred and crippled Vietnam veteran and his attempt to convince his buddy, Bone, that the latter witnessed a murder committed by the conglomerate tycoon, JJ Wolfe. Captivated by Cutter's demented logic, Bone is prepared to cross the country with Cutter in search of proof of the murder. Their quest takes them into the Ozarks-home base of the Wolfe empire-where Bone discovers that Cutter is not pursuing a murderer so much as the great enemy itself, "them," the very demons that have dogged his life. A prolific writer, Newton Thornburg lives in upstate New York. His novels include "A Man's Game, To Die in California, Dreamland, The Lion at the Door," and "Eve's Men."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #459072 in Books
• Published on: 2001-03-16
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Review
The anomie of southern California seen in two losers with only gallows humor to guide them. Cutter is a boozy, battered Viet vet; Bone is a marketing dropout and occasional stud; together they live a bleak fringe life, both vaguely in love with Cutter's woman Mo. Despite the cool repartee, despair prevails until one night when Bone witnesses the disposal of a body in a trash can by a squat, large-headed man. If the man was J. J. Wolfe, rich and powerful conglomerate chief, they have choices: blackmail or disclosure, or both. Cutter and Bone join briefly with the victim's sister, intent on extortion, but things fall apart. Then Mo and her baby are killed (a message from the chief?) and the two get on the trail again, this time with the Virgin of Isla Vista in tow. When the truth is finally known, Cutter is straitjacketed in a VA hospital and Bone is looking at the end of a shotgun. A familiar group of loveless drifters - Thornburg knows the territory well; a readable story which might be convertible into film; but the moral problem which is raised isn't really answered. (Kirkus Reviews)

Glasgow Herald
‘The story twists and turns on itself until its final, startling sentence’

Synopsis
When Richard Bone thinks that conglomerate tycoon J.J. Wolfe is the man he saw dumping a body, he and his friend Cutter, a crippled Vietnam vet, set out to the Wolfe headquarters in the Ozarks, totally unprepared for what awaits them.

Customer Reviews

First Cut is the Deepest
Cutter and Bone are not your usual crime fighters. Bone is a man who abandoned his wife and young family to live on the coast and waste his life on loose women and cons. Cutter is a war vet who lost an arm, a leg and an eye in Vietnam. One thing he did not lose was his nasty sense of humour. Between them they set out to solve a murder, not for pride, but cash. If they can uncover who dropped the body of a teenage girl in a dumpster they may be able to blackmail them. With their unorthodox style and inability to get along they may be heading into far more danger than they can ever imagine.

`Cutter and Bone' is the very bleakest of novels. It is less about a crime and more about the dysfunctional lives of a series of 70s American misfits. Newton Thornburg paints all the characters as pretty unlikable so as a reader you really have to work to sympathise with them. For me this felt like Chuck Palahniuk's work and fans of him may like this. In terms of crime fiction the book lacks a central mystery as the killer is always too far away. If you decide to view this as a dark study of human nature you should enjoy it - traditional crime fans will not.

Cuts To The Bone
This book's one of my all-time favourites. Like James Crumley's 'The Last Good Kiss', this is a dark, profane but huge hurt-hearted trawl through 70s America, with damaged characters making the most of their lots, usually badly. The characterisation is searingly vivid, leading the plot rather than the other way around. What does happen to the characters had me - in several places - almost howling at the book with emotion, shock, sadness, anger, and the ending left me blinking into space for several minutes. I immediately ordered more Thornburg off amazon but'll be happy if it's even half as good as this magnificent, ugly beautiful, powerhouse of a novel.

to the bone
A stunning,visceral trip down the mean streets of the American dream.The nightmare that was Vietnam drips of every page and haunts each character.
The novel's premise is quite simple, a murder and the almost demonic quest on behalf of Cutter and Bone to bring the killer to justice. It is this journey that leads to a quite disturbing conclusion, believe me it will leave you breathless.
A classic