BONE BY BONE

Peter Matthiessen directs language as if it were a marching band, choosing each word for sound, as well as meaning. George Guidall--recognized by this magazine as one of 12 Golden Voices--is that marching band. The capstone of a trilogy, this novel stands alone just fine. It's based on the life of the murderous Edgar Watson, an American born before the Civil War, who is said to have killed many men and some women. Finally, at 55, his neighbors gun him down. It's not the snow leopard Matthiessen's after this time, but something commoner and also more difficult to isolate: evil. B.H.C. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 00]