Booklist Review

Briggs Land is the stronghold of a secretive antigovernment secessionist group in upstate New York. Its leader, Jim Briggs, has long been running the operation from behind prison walls, but when his wife, Grace, learns that he's negotiating a deal with the feds, she starts to wrest control, sparking a violent internecine war. Although Wood populates the tale with a cast of intriguing characters, from the couple's three sons with their conflicted loyalties to the pair of ATF agents who are surveilling the family, it's Grace who emerges as the most complex figure: steely in her idealistic resolve to return the century-old compound to its roots of freedom and self-sufficiency while, for the present, turning a blind eye to its racism and corruption. Chater's sketchily realistic drawing style sports just enough stylization to keep the visuals interesting. With its zeitgeist-ready concept and Sons of Anarchy vibe, Briggs Land has already been optioned for TV by AMC, but it's unlikely that the resulting show would be any more effective than this provocative crime comic.--Flagg, Gordon Copyright 2017 Booklist