Author of the acclaimed novels Jack the Bear and Bluebird

Canyon, Dan McCall is known for his probing and ulti-

mately affirming novels of the struggles of personal and

family life. In the newest and most accomplished novel of

his long career, McCall gives us the story of Triphammer

a veteran cop who relieves the pressures of his job with

booze, a father who gropes uneasily for the respect and

affection of his son, a lover who t;alls into something that

seems too good to be true.

TRIPHAMMER is the story of a man who carries the small

tragedies of his past in secret, whose present frustrations

remain inarticulate.Being a cop, even in this small gray

city in upstate New York, is no picnic. And Triphammer

is the kind of guy who can t help getting emotionally

involved. His drinking is just an occupational hazard, but

it isn t helping him get any closer to his teenage son or

clear away the wreckage of a marriage that went up in

flames a few years back. He s made some progress, but he

wants more than just to muddle along; and when a beauti-

ful and sophisticated woman twenty years his junior en-

ters the picture, things begin to change.

TRIPHAMMER is a novel of personal awakening, of the

small acts of bravery, trust, and love that can lead to new

possibilities. In the gifted hands of this remarkable au-

thor, the voice of Triphammer and the seemingly unre-

markable experience it articulates become eloquent, rich,

and strange.