WINNER OF THE EDGAR AWARD WINNER OF THE PETER LOVESEY FIRST CRIME NOVEL CONTEST Friday Night Lights gone dark with Southern Gothic; Eli Cranor delivers a powerful noir that will appeal to fans of Wiley Cash and Megan Abbott. In Denton, Arkansas, the fate of the high school football team rests on the shoulders of Billy Lowe, a volatile but talented running back. Billy comes from an extremely troubled home: a trailer park where he is terrorized by his mother’s abusive boyfriend. Billy takes out his anger on the field, but when his savagery crosses a line, he faces suspension. Without Billy Lowe, the Denton Pirates can kiss their playoff bid goodbye. But the head coach, Trent Powers, who just moved from California with his wife and two children for this job, has more than just his paycheck riding on Billy’s bad behavior. As a born-again Christian, Trent feels a divine calling to save Billy—save him from his circumstances, and save his soul. Then Billy’s abuser is found murdered in the Lowe family trailer, and all evidence points toward Billy. Now nothing can stop an explosive chain of violence that could tear the whole town apart on the eve of the playoffs. Praise for Don’t Know Tough Winner of Edgar Award for Best First Novel Winner of the Peter Lovesey First Crime Novel Contest Finalist for the Anthony Award for Best First Novel  Finalist for the 2022 Dashiell Hammett Award Nominated for the Lefty Award for Best Debut Mystery Novel Nominated for the 2023 Strand Magazine Award for Best Debut Nominated for the Barry Award for Best Debut Mystery or Crime Novel A New York Times Book Review Best Crime Novel of 2022 A USA Today Best Book of 2022 A CrimeReads Best Crime Novel of 2022 CrimeReads The Best Noir Fiction of 2022 An Amazon Editors' Pick CrimeReads Most Anticipated Books of 2022 New York Post Top Reads for the Week CrimeReads Best New Crime Fiction of March An Arkansas Center for the Book "Arkansas Gems" Selection “Eli Cranor’s top-shelf debut, Don’t Know Tough , is Southern noir at its finest, a cauldron of terrible choices and even more terrible outcomes . . . There is a raw ferocity to Cranor’s prose, perfectly in keeping with the novel’s examination of curdling masculinity.” —Sarah Weinman, The New York Times Book Review “Readers may think they know what happened, but Cranor has some twists in store—in a plot that calls to mind Megan Abbott’s depictions of claustrophobic competitive cultures. A former quarterback who coached for five years at an Arkansas high school, Cranor brings an insider’s understanding of the game, the region and human nature.” —Paula Woods, Los Angeles Times “Compelling . . . Don't Know Tough leads to an astounding, perfectly noir finale as Cranor shows that sometimes good intentions are thwarted by reality. Cranor is an author to watch.” —Oline Cogdil, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel “[A] brilliant debut . . . which is less Friday Night Lights and more a Daniel Woodrell Ozark gothic noir . . . Don’t Know Tough takes the adage of 'Faith, Family, and Football' and reveals it to be a vicious canard, or at least a decent cover for the common failings of god and men, the violence on the field an acceptable proxy for the violence that exists behind closed doors. A major work from a bright, young talent.” — USA Today , **** out of **** stars “At once a crime novel packed with violence and desperation, a modern Southern Gothic tale drenched in darkness, and a touching, brutally honest take on football as religion.” —Gabino Iglesias, Southwest Review “Vivid . . . [Cranor] draws the major characters with depth, and an empathetic but simultaneously clear eye. And his startlingly original prose often causes the reader to pause and revel at its wisdom.” — The Free Lance-Star “ Don’t Know Tough is love, ambition, survival, football—and much more.” —Jackson Clarion-Ledger "Imagine a noir Friday Night Lights written by a cross between Megan Abbott and Harry Crews, and you'll get close to what Eli Cranor's pulled off in Don't Know Tough . It's propulsive, twisty, and unputdownable. Cranor cracks open the complex world of high school football in small town Arkansas, giving us characters who are at once savage and tender and tragic, who are capable of acts of great bravery and betrayal. This is a book that shocks us into a new way of seeing. It's lean, muscled up, no-holds-barred noir. I feel lucky to have read it."  —William Boyle, author of Gravesend , The Lonely Witness , A Friend Is a Gift You Give Yourself , and City of Margins   “ Don't Know Tough really packs a punch. I enjoyed reading between the lines, dreading the trouble Billy was bringing on himself and his fragile life-chances. At the heart of the book is the pull of loyalties—the football team, the family and religion. The characters involved in all the stresses and strains are well drawn and convincing. It’s tough reading, but the humanity sh