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Lisa H. (Salisbury, MD)
Ssss....Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter Slithers Up On the Reader Like a Snake in the Grass
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter slithers up on the reader like a snake in the grass or in the deep, dark woods of Mississippi. The story uncoils itself in alternating turns from past to present through the voices and memories of former childhood friends, Silas and Larry. The setting and dialogue are deeply evocative of the rural south, and the racial relationships are finely drawn. There are some surprising twists and turns along the way, which will cause the reader to question what they think they know. Hmmm, who's the bad guy? Is it black on yellow, or yellow on black? An excellent mystery, but an even better character study!
Pamela B. (Monona, WI, WI)
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
Tom Franklin's book draws the reader in from the very first sentence. Is the monster real, or a manifestation of the evil within? The present and the past draw together to answer this question. An enjoyable read, filled with memorable characters, and real feel for small town life in rural Mississippi.
avid
not a murder mystery
This book was classified as a murder mystery by the bookstore in which I purchased it. While there is a murder (or possibly more), this book is about relationships, reflection, race relations, and Mississippi. Its characters make it worth reading; the "murder mystery" is almost a sideline.
The author put me in Mississippi, on a farm, in a nursing home, and in a squad car, all through the eyes of his well-developed and compassionate characters. I really enjoyed this book. If you like character-based novels, this is a great read.
Carm D. (Omaha, NE)
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
I really enjoyed this book. Great story, much suspense and edge of your seat situations.
I would recommend this to anyone who loves mystery or detective novels, you won't be disappointed. I'm looking forward to reading Mr. Franklin's other novels.
Patricia M. (San Jose, CA)
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
I requested this book based on my enjoyment of Franklin's previous book "Hell at the Breech". I was not in the least disappointed. This is a fine mystery with well developed characters, and a sense of time and place that is perfect. Set in the Mississippi of the 70's, 80's, and the present, the two main characters, one white and one black, deal with their families and their social standing in ways that touch the heart. Part mystery and part family drama, this is a page turner and is highly recommended.
Carol T. (Ankeny, Iowa)
Exceedingly readable -- a page turner
Hard to put down, even on the weariest of evenings! I'll read this author's work again.
Juli S. (Portland, OR)
The kind of writing I'll reread
This is not a fast paced book that I wanted to read as quickly as possible to get to the resolution of the crime story. It's a book that I wanted to read slowly and savor the words and images that Franklin paints with them. It's a thoughtful, slowly building story that shifts back and forth between the present day and flashbacks to Larry and Silas as teenagers and how their friendship developed and then broke apart. While it is partly a crime story it’s even more the story of both Larry and Silas.
The descriptions and imagery are the kind of writing that makes me stop on a regular basis and reread a paragraph
…more just for the words. It's heavy with atmosphere and the tension that gradually builds makes it a quiet thriller. While by the time the investigation is resolved it’s not any surprise the other parts of the story remain enough to keep the interest level high and the story moving along.
The writing had the same magic for me as Franklin's first novel "Hell at the Breech" without being quite as brutal. (less)This is a page turner! Not the genre I typically go for I so was pleasantly and wonderfully surprised. From page one this story grabs you and does not let go. The characters are so carefully constructed and yet they, and the book, flow seamlessly. This book will appeal to so many readers - mystery lovers as well as anyone who loves a well developed, mature story. The theme of living with our pasts that are sometimes distorted and coming to terms with our history is poignant. The underlying mystery makes this book a true page turner.
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