2020 Book Excellence Award Finalist
Set in the remote mountains of West Virginia, Burnt Tree Fork follows Lee Jarrett as he’s drawn back into a landscape haunted by memory, betrayal, and unspoken truths. When Lee begins to uncover disturbing clues about his grandfather — a man long suspected in an unsolved double murder — he is forced to confront a past that refuses to stay buried.
A mysterious hand-drawn map leads Lee into the wild backcountry where his grandfather once lived, hinting at secrets, guilt, and redemption. But the deeper he travels into the mountains, the more treacherous the journey becomes — both physically and spiritually. Locals warn him away. Old stories surface. And at the bottom of the map, an ominous message waits:
“When stone runs blood and dies the flood, there be your prize but the Demon lies.”
Rich with atmosphere, moral tension, and emotional depth, Burnt Tree Fork explores how love, loyalty, and memory collide with the darker edges of family history. Readers who enjoy literary fiction grounded in wild landscapes — in the spirit of Cormac McCarthy and Kent Haruf — will be captivated.
“Bonnell masterfully weaves a haunting tale of idealism and young love mixed with betrayal, revenge and murder.”
— James Anderson, Yellowstone Angler
Made in Montana
About the Author
Jerry “J.C.” Bonnell was born and raised in Weston, West Virginia. His early loves were basketball, fishing, and creative writing. After attending St. Patrick’s School in Weston, he enrolled at Glenville State Teachers College in 1950, later graduating from West Virginia Wesleyan.
He served in the U.S. Navy, then spent his career teaching English Literature in the Baltimore County school system. He earned his master’s degree from the University of Maryland and continued teaching until retirement.
Bonnell has known deep loss, having outlived both his wife and his son, and now treasures time with his grandson, Christopher. Recently widowed, he divides his days between Montana and the Florida Keys, where he pursues fly-fishing and story writing—two currents that flow powerfully through his novels.