Bridgeville author's thriller has an unlikely antagonist: a mutant raccoon

A Bridgeville author’s new book strives to have people step into the world of genetic experimentation, government conspiracies and an unusual antagonist.

Mark Berton, 48, released “Aroughcoune” on Feb. 19. The story revolves around a giant, military-bred, genetically modified raccoon that escapes from a secret lab and wanders around Western Pennsylvania.

“It is on the fringe — you really don’t think of a raccoon as a major antagonist,” said Berton, a former Tribune-Review journalist and author of “Dixmont State Hospital” and “Moon Township.”

“Weird fiction is not something people should be afraid of. People should take a chance and get out of their comfort zone.”

“Aroughcoune” is published by United Kingdom-based Roswell Press and will be available for purchase where books are sold, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Waterstones in the United Kingdom.”

The book follows characters whose lives are intertwined with the Aroughcoune. They include Slotter, a former warden who has been tracking the creature and knows its origins; Warden Monique McKesson, who confronts the creature in her park; Zin and Bill, young men who are caught in the chaos caused by the Aroughcoune and Mingan, an Iroquois man who holds ancient knowledge and seeks to end the threat of the Aroughcoune.

Berton said it was important to have diversity represented in the novel.

“I helped start a sister library program with the Shawnee Tribe Cultural Center at the Bridgeville Library when I was there, so Native American representation in a hero character like Mingan was paramount to me,” he said.

In the book, the characters are thrown into a fight for survival once Aroughcoune is revealed.

“Aroughcoune” has a combination of animal instincts and an unpredictable nature due to its genetic alterations. It explores the world of government coverups and secret operations, weaving fact and fiction, and blurs the lines between science and nature.

Berton said he hopes readers find the book to be a “good story told well.”

“It’s a good story,” he said. “I’m already working on the sequel.”