James A. McLaughlin Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

James A. McLaughlin is a published author of fiction.

McLaughlin was born in the United States and is a native resident of the state of Virginia. He lives east of Utah’s Salt Lack City somewhere in what is known as the Wasatch Range. James went to higher education locally at the University of Virginia, holding degrees in law and graduating with his MFA degree.

McLaughlin first officially came into print as a published author with the release of his debut fiction novel. The book came out in 2018 and is titled Bearskin. It was released by Ecco and HarperCollins in May back in 2018 and was instantly a hit. The author was also named one of four writers to watch during the summer by the New York Times in 2018.

The novel has been well received and has made it to several lists and recommendations. Bearskin was included as part of the best mystery and thriller books of 2018 with Amazon. It was also named one of the best (Southern) books for the year in 2018 by none other than the magazine Southern Living. It was also selected by Barnes & Noble for their program to discover great new writers.

Bearskin has also been named an Indie Next selection in July of 2018, It also ended up being a staff pick for summer reads by Publishers Weekly. The book also received its own honorable mention when it comes to the Southern Book Prize. The author grew up in Virginia with all of its beautiful mountains but has since located to Utah, where he lives in mountains still.

Bearskin is the first full length fictional novel by James A. McLaughlin. If you have been keeping an eye out for an interesting new book and want to try something a little different, be sure to pick up a copy for yourself so you can check out this story and see what is going on with it.

Readers get the chance to meet the main character of Rice Moore in this debut novel from McLaughlin. Rice isn’t sure where he is going in his life but hopes that for now, he is going to find a little peace of mind. The last thing that he wants is for all of the troubles that he thinks are over have reared up from the past and start affecting everything.

Still, Rice thinks that it might just be finally a part of the past. He’s trying to move on and has even landed himself a new job. The job is a nice one and will get him back to nature as well. Located in the Appalachia of Virginia, this forest preserve is both remote and the perfect place to try and start over. Maybe Rice will finally be able to live in the present moment.

The environment is the perfect setting for anyone to try and start a new life. Virginia Appalachia is filled with all of the natural beauty that you could ever want, and there’s plenty to do. Rice is thrilled to have his own shot at making a difference through his hard work and seeing the results of it.

He is tasked with taking to the cabins and making sure that they are refurbished and made all the more nice and improved. He also has to track wildlife and keep an eye on things. It’s all demanding, but the solitary nature of the work means that he has plenty of time to think and also keep to himself.

Rice kind of needs the isolated nature of a position like this, anyway. He can’t just be out there doing his thing in the general public; he would prefer to be tucked away so that he doesn’t have to risk seeing the cartels. That is the real thing that he is running from. Rice is scared because when he was in Arizona, he betrayed the Mexican cartels.

Those cartels are the wrong people to cross, and he is constantly just worried that they are going to somehow track him down. He’s doing his best to stay out of the way, but is it enough? Rice starts to get really worried one day when he discovers a bear carcass that seems like more than just a casual accident.

Rice immediately knows that this might be a sign, sent just for him by the cartels. Is it possible that they could have tracked him down so quickly? It could just be some strange incident that just happened to take place on grounds that he patrols. But he has a feeling that the quiet he so enjoys and has wanted for a long time is definitely in danger of going away.

He doesn’t know what to do but it appears that this may be a hunting or poaching case. It doesn’t have to be his own paranoid fears come to life, Rice thinks. But when more of the bears on his preserve are killed, he doesn’t know what to believe about who it is that is doing this or why.

Rice is really fixed on doing what he can to catch the poachers, growing ever more obsessed with his own hunt. It’s his job to look over things here in the wild, and that’s just what he is going to do. As it all continues, he finds that he is getting into tiffs with local people and undue notice from his employers and the law alike.

Rice has no other choice but to seek out help. Could a young scientist that wants to do preserve research be of help to him? Partnering up with his unlikely ally will help him activate a clever plan that could end up exposing these poachers at last.

He’s desperate to bring an end to all of this, but will Rice be successful? You’re going to have to pick up a copy of Bearskin to find out for yourself! Check out this book and see just how this author is able to spin a thrilling mystery and suspense story that will keep you reading until the very end to find out what happens with this exciting mystery novel.

3 Responses to “James A. McLaughlin”

1. Ellen Bain Smith: 2 years ago

   My great great grandfather was James A, McLaughlin so naturally I chose your book, Bearskin, and was swept along from the beginning.

   We have Richmond, St. Chris, and UVA ties so we feel a kinship.

   Hope to meet you. Ellen Bain Smith

   Reply
2. John Finlayson: 3 years ago

   Loved Bearskin. His images of walking in the woods at night resonated deeply with me – I did the same in my NZ bush as well. Please write another one.

   Reply
3. Martha Dodson: 3 years ago

   Fantastic fiction. A truly unique character. Please let me know when he publishes his next book

   Reply