A Hole in the Ground Owned by a Liar

By Daniel Pyne

Lee, a high school shop teacher in Evergreen, Colorado, managed to survive his messy divorce only to hurtle into what some might call a full-on midlife crisis. Looking for a way to spend his weekends and the now painfully long summer vacation, Lee buys a gold mine off the interneta real, honest-to-God mine, complete with tall tales of riches, a history of disappointment, and a couple of Pakistani-by-the-way-of-Jackson-Hole prospectors willing to kill for its contents.
With the frequently unwanted help of a band of locals, Lee becomes a weekend warrior, attempting to work the mine and keep himself distracted from his other midlife disturbances. There are the Pakistanis, of course, along with his mercurial brother Grant, just released from prison, who is trying in his typically perilous way to pull Lee from his midlife funk. There is his ex-wife Lorraine and her slick boyfriend, Stan Beachum, and the lovely yet mysterious Rayna, the first woman Lee’s wanted to date since his divorce.
In Daniel Pyne’s sharp, fun, and raucous style, A Hole in the Ground Owned by a Liar is part mystery and part gold-infused tall tale with a cast of refreshingly quirky characters and one highly unexpected payout.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Counterpoint
• Release date: Feb 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781619020375

Daniel Pyne

Daniel Pyne is the author of four novels: Catalina Eddy, Fifty Mice, Twentynine Palms, and A Hole in the Ground Owned by a Liar. Among his many screenplays are Pacific Heights, Doc Hollywood, the remake of The Manchurian Candidate, and Fracture. He made his directorial debut with the independent film Where’s Marlowe? His list of television credits (creating, writing, and showrunning) spans Miami Vice to Bosch. Pyne has worked as a screen printer, a sportswriter, an ad man, and a cartoonist and has taught screenwriting at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television for more than two decades. He splits his time between California and New Mexico with his wife, their two rescue dogs, and a surly turtle.

Reviews for A Hole in the Ground Owned by a Liar

[karynwhite · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this novel. The prologue is gripping!I found the references to real people and real events in mining added to the novel. Having lived in Colorado, I loved it when places I knew were mentioned.The three - five main characters were all interesting and well-written. No cliches nor predictability. A really good and interesting mix of people.