The Bright Lands: A Novel

John Fram

Jul 2020 · Sold by Harlequin

About this ebook

A Best Book of 2020 from Library Journal, CrimeReads, and BookPage

“Marks the debut of an already accomplished novelist.” —John Banville

The town of Bentley holds two things dear: its football, and its secrets. But when star quarterback Dylan Whitley goes missing, an unremitting fear grips this remote corner of Texas.

Joel Whitley was shamed out of conservative Bentley ten years ago, and while he’s finally made a life for himself as a gay man in New York, his younger brother’s disappearance soon brings him back to a place he thought he’d escaped for good. Meanwhile, Sheriff’s Deputy Starsha Clark stayed in Bentley; Joel’s return brings back painful memories—not to mention questions—about her own missing brother. And in the high school hallways, Dylan’s friends begin to suspect that their classmates know far more than they’re telling the police. Together, these unlikely allies will stir up secrets their town has long tried to ignore, drawing the attention of dangerous men who will stop at nothing to see that their crimes stay buried.

But no one is quite prepared to face the darkness that’s begun to haunt their nightmares, whispering about a place long thought to be nothing but an urban legend: an empty night, a flicker of light on the horizon—The Bright Lands.

Shocking, twisty and relentlessly suspenseful, John Fram’s debut is a heart-pounding story about old secrets, modern anxieties and the price young men pay for glory.

Ratings and reviews

Joel Whitley reluctantly returns home after receiving a despairing text from his younger brother, although they have grown distant after his flight from the small-minded Texas town of his childhood. Having achieved professional and personal success, Joel feels guilty about abandoning his brother and wants to make amends by offering to pay for his college education. The Bright Lands, by John Fram begins with an introduction to a novel that seemingly will center around the obligations of family and the return of a prodigal son. What follows diverges from that common narrative, however, when the story tumbles down a path that includes a secret cabal and an evil presence. When Joel arrives in Bentley, he sees a town that is besieged by an economic downturn, still obsessed with the local football team on which all its hopes seem to rest. Dylan, Joel’s brother, is the golden boy QB who is revered by all and who bears the burden of the whole town’s expectations. Dylan desperately wants to quit the team, and hints that he is haunted by a deep secret. Before he gets the opportunity to reveal his thoughts to Joel, Dylan is found murdered. Joel pairs up with his ex-girlfriend, now a sheriff’s deputy, to discover why his brother was killed and what he was hiding. They discover that there may be a link between past disappearances of young men in Bentley and Dylan’s death. Clandestine meetings of the town’s elite may also be tied to superstitions of a dark and sinister entity that is rumored to inhabit the wastelands on its borders. The Bright Lands becomes overly ambitious with this inclusion of supernatural elements, and the monstrous presence is superfluous and distracting in a book that already has a surplus of characters and plotlines. The novel also contains awkward moments with some clunky dialog incorporating canned and crass expressions that seem designed only for shock value. Fram should be lauded, however, for his creativity and a refreshing portrayal of openly gay characters. He frames the discrimination Joel experiences with that also faced by other marginalized characters that are mistreated due to their race, class and gender. These topics would have been sufficiently absorbing to capture readers’ interest without a needless foray into a more obvious, literal form of horror. Thanks to the author, Hanover Square Press and Edelweiss for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.