Daniel Woodrell, ‘Winter’s Bone’ and ‘Tomato Red’ Author, Dies at 72

Daniel Woodrell, the author of popular books such as “Winter’s Bone,” “Tomato Red,” “Give Us a Kiss” and more, died on Friday, Nov. 28, from pancreatic cancer, his wife Katie Estill-Woodrell confirmed. He was 72.

Born in Springfield, Missouri, Woodrell dropped out of high school to join the Marines. He later attended the University of Kansas, where he earned a BA and an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. His writing often followed small-town criminals and detectives, coining the term “country noir” for his style.

He wrote his first book, “Under the Bright Lights,” the first in a trilogy following bayou cop Rene Shade who solves murders and mysteries throughout Louisiana. Woodrell wrote multiple books in the ’80s, such as “Woe to Live On” and “Muscle for the Wing.” His earlier works followed the lives of the residents of St. Bruno, a fictional town in the Louisiana bayou.

Woodrell’s breakthrough came with the release of “Give Us a Kiss” in 1996. The novel tells the story of crime novelist Doyle Redmond as he leaves California, returning home to the Ozarks to begin the journey to find his missing brother, Smoke. After writing “Give Us a Kiss,” Woodrell began to shift his focus to the fictional town of West Table, which served as a fictional version of his hometown, West Plains. He wrote “The Death of Sweet Mister” shortly after.

After seeing a young woman shopping with children, Woodrell began working on “Winter’s Bone,” a novel following a teenage girl named Ree Dolly who must find her missing father in the Ozarks of Missouri to help get her family out of poverty before they become homeless. The novel was given a film adaptation starring Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes. Two of Woodrell’s previous works, “Ride with the Devil” and “Tomato Red,” were also adapted into films. Woodrell published “The Outlaw Album” and “The Maid’s Version” in 2011 and 2013.

He is survived by his wife, Katie.