Charlie Denison

"Cold Country" takes the reader back in time to Paradise Valley ranch life in the late 1960s, and it does so convincingly. The characters are rich in personality and conflict. They are human, and their struggles are relatable, no matter what the decade. What captured me most about Rowland's latest novel is his remarkable ability to get the reader to care and to emphasize how this unlikely cast of men, women and children have become a community. It also sheds light on how Montanans have historically had trouble welcoming outsiders, a notion often more disadvantageous to locals and harmful to the new folks trying to pave a new way. Although the book has it's fair share of melancholy and heartbreak, it's a fun and entertaining read, balancing comedy, tragedy, love and spite. I recommend it to Montanans and non-Montanans alike.