EVENTS

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                                                                                  Book Trail
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​THE LATEST...

Carolina Cruel was released on June 16, 2017 by Rivers Turn Press!  

Spearfinger was released on October 31, 2023 by Rivers Turn Press

Tidal Pools, Second Edition was released on December 3, 2023 by Rivers Turn Press

​Keep it here for updates!

EDITORIAL REVIEWS: Carolina                                           Cruel


"This page-turner offers equal parts violence, regret, love, evil and hope. Thackston's compelling characters and gripping plot keep the suspense amped up until the last page. Much like a trip down the meandering black waters of the Edisto River, the journey through Carolina Cruel ​offers plenty of unexpected turns and wild surprises. I devoured this novel at breakneck speed; it was just that good!"

​Michel Stone, Award-winning author of The Iguana Tree and Border Child

REVIEWS: CAROLINA CRUEL

Thackston’s novel boasts intriguing characters and strong prose… The tale offers plenty of dramatic turns, compelling questions, and complex tensions to keep readers plowing through. A dark page-turner with an engrossing Southern sensibility.” – Kirkus Reviews



EDITORIAL REVIEWS: TIDAL POOLS
"Each wave that laps upon Lawrence Thackston’s imagination brings darkness and fear from an ancient spirit world that still exists on our moss-draped sea islands, between the tourists and the trinkets, in plain sight, almost unnoticed, until bad blood begins to boil. Tidal  Pools is a great South Carolina  story, well told, by one of our best. Enjoy."

Ken Burger, Award-winning  Author of Swallow Savannah, Sister Santee, 
​Salkehatchie Soup 


"Someone (or something) is killing the island population in Low Country South Carolina. If you enjoy a cleverly constructed, fast paced nail  biter spiced by hexes, haints and hoodoo, this is your book. It will keep you guessing to the last page, and you can’t get there fast enough."

John Warley, Author of Bethesda’s
Child, The Moralist, A Southern Girl


"Tidal Pools is a chilling mystery set along the distinctive shores of the palmetto state. A suspenseful page-turner filled with historical angst and eclectic characters, the plot will keep you guessing to the bitter yet poignant end. I  highly recommend it."

Jim Harrison, SC Artist, Author of The Palmetto
​And Its South Carolina Home


"South Carolina’s steamy Lowcountry is splattered with blood in Lawrence Thackston’s fast-paced TidalPools, which pits rookie police officer Tyler Miles against forces of evil that threaten to wipe out island inhabitants descended from slaves. Ritualistic killings produce a rapidly rising body count, and Miles learns that stereotypical thinking about black versus white, rich versus poor, and good  versus bad won’t help him halt the carnage, because no one is what they seem to  be. The taut, menacing mood and vivid setting draw you in, and hoodoo, voodoo,  and dirty bombs keep you reading." 

Brad Crowther, Award-winning Author of The Ninth Man 


"Thackston weaves an intensely menacing tale in an appropriate setting--a remote island, lush and primitive. Ancient rituals rule here as a rookie policeman tries to make sense of a killer that fits no previous profile. A romance blossoms as a the young officer bravely forges through a web of superstition and violence to an astounding conclusion. Hold on to your seats!"

Rose Tomlin, Author of Duel of the Heart

REVIEWS: TIDAL POOLS



Thanks to the Independent Book Publishers Association for naming Tidal Pools a SILVER MEDAL WINNER in the Benjamin Franklin Awards for Mystery/Suspense.

Thanks to Doug Gibson at Mountain Xpress 

http://mountainx.com/arts/blood-tide/


Thanks to Maryann Miller at It's Not All Gravy Reviews

The writing is excellent and the story is well-paced. There is also a strong sense of place, and there has always been something so alluring about that part of the East Coast that draws people.

Thanks to Sarah Boyles at Bluestocking Reviews

Tidal Pools by Lawrence Thackston.  Good, very near top-ten if not actually among the favored.  I wish I had time to savor it. Excellent first chapter.


Thanks to Tracey Lampley at Go Articles!
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​Tidal Pools by Lawrence Thackston was a page-turning thriller with many shocking plot twists. The author’s characterizations were spot on. The hero, Tyler Miles, sizzles on the pages. I rate this book a five-star read.

REVIEWS: THE DEVIL'S COURTHOUSE


"... a shivery, autumn read."  "...unexpected ending..." "...unique Southern thriller." Joshua Simcox, WNC Magazine

"Thackston knows how to seed and pace a plot." "A well-constructed roller coaster..." Rob Neufeld, Asheville Citizen Times

"Chilling..." "A page turner..." Sara Marshall, Mountain Xpress

"Gripping..." "...a mystery within a mystery..." Thomas Langford, The Times and Democrat

"A cliffhanger to the very end." FPC Press

"Amazing knowledge of the Appalachian area..." Charles McCain, author of An Honorable German

"Great story, well told." Ken Burger, author Swallow Savannah, Sister Santee