The Thicket

Last updated
The Thicket
Thethicketnovel.jpg
Mulholland Books Hardcover
Author Joe R. Lansdale
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Murder mystery
Publisher Mulholland Books
Publication date
September 10, 2013
Media typePrint (Hardcover)
Pages340
ISBN 978-0-316-18845-6
Preceded byIn Waders From Mars (Children’s Book)(2012) 

The Thicket is a mystery/suspense novel written by American author Joe R. Lansdale. [1] [2] It was released by Mulholland Books on September 10, 2013. The title refers to Big Thicket, a heavily forested area in Southeast Texas. [3] This book was selected by the Library Journal as one of the best historical fiction books of 2013. [4] [5] [6] The trade paperback was issued on 10/14/14 by Mulholland Books.

Contents

Premise

Jack Parker thought he'd already seen his fair share of tragedy. His grandmother was killed in a farm accident when he was barely five years old. His parents have just succumbed to the smallpox epidemic sweeping turn-of-the-century East Texas—orphaning him and his younger sister, Lula. [7]

Then a travelling group of bank robbers murder Jack's grandfather and kidnap his sister Lula. So Jack enlists the only people he can: a bounty hunting dwarf named Shorty, a grave-digging son of an ex-slave named Eustace, and a street-smart woman-for-hire named Jimmie Sue who's come into some very intimate knowledge about the bandits. Together the rag-tag group trail the group of criminals into the Big Thicket where they hope to rescue Lula and collect the bounty on the heads of the bandits. Soon they discover these are not your run of the mill bank robbers. They are vicious and sadistic killers and the prospect of rescuing Lula unharmed looks bleak. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

Film adaptation

In 2014, it was announced that Gianni Nunnari was set to produce a film adaptation of with Peter Dinklage set to star as Shorty. [13]

In April 2019, Elliott Lester signed on to direct the film with Chris Kelley writing the screenplay. [14]

In February 2020, Sophia Lillis, Noomi Rapace & Charlie Plummer joined the cast. [15]

In March 2023, Juliette Lewis, Esmé Creed-Miles, Levon Hawke, Leslie Grace, Gbenga AkinnagbeMacon Blair, James Hetfield, Ned Dennehy, Andrew Schulz, and Arliss Howard joined the cast with Lewis, Hawke, and Creed-Miles replacing Rapace, Plummer, and Lillis, respectively. [16]

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References

  1. Goodreads. "The Thicket" . Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  2. The Thicket. "Indie Bound Review" . Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  3. National Park Service. "Big Thicket National Reserve, Texas" . Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  4. Library Journal. "Best Books 2013: Historical Fiction". Archived from the original on 29 November 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  5. The Thicket Review. "The Austin Chronicle Review" . Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  6. Lansdale, Joe R. (10 September 2013). "Interview: The Thicket and Beyond". Den of Geeks. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  7. "Fiction Review: The Thicket". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2013-07-30.
  8. "Mulholland Books: The Thicket release information". Mulholland Books. Archived from the original on 2013-08-06. Retrieved 2013-07-30.
  9. Marshall, David (29 July 2013). "The Thicket by Joe R. Lansdale". Thinking About Books. Retrieved 2013-07-30.
  10. "Kirkus Review: The Thicket" . Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  11. "The Thicket Review" . Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  12. Lansdale, Joe R. (21 October 2013). "Review of The Thicket". My San Antonio. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  13. Kroll, Justin (September 22, 2014). "Peter Dinklage to Star in Adaptation of 'The Thicket'". Variety. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  14. N'Duka, Amanda (2019-04-23). "Elliott Lester To Direct Peter Dinklage In 'The Thicket'". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  15. Wiseman, Andreas (2020-02-07). "'The Thicket': Sophia Lillis, Noomi Rapace & Charlie Plummer Join Peter Dinklage In Thriller – EFM". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  16. Petski, Denise (2023-03-02). "Peter Dinklage & Juliette Lewis To Lead Dark Western Thriller 'The Thicket' For Tubi". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-03-02.