Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter - by Tom Franklin (Paperback)

About the Book

In a small Mississippi town, two men are torn apart by circumstance and reunited by tragedy, in this resonant new novel from the award-winning author of the critically acclaimed "Hell at the Breech."

Book Synopsis

"The classic trifecta of talent, heart, and a bone-deep sense of storytelling....A masterful performance, deftly rendered and deeply satisfying. For days on end, I woke with this story on my mind."
-- David Wroblewski

"A new Tom Franklin novel is always a reason to get excited, but Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is more--a cause for celebration. What a great novel by a great novelist."
--Dennis Lehane

A powerful and resonant novel from Tom Franklin--critically acclaimed author of Smonk and Hell at the Breech--Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter tells the riveting story of two boyhood friends, torn apart by circumstance, who are brought together again by a terrible crime in a small Mississippi town. An extraordinary novel that seamlessly blends elements of crime and Southern literary fiction, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is a must for readers of Larry Brown, Pete Dexter, Ron Rash, and Dennis Lehane.

From the Back Cover

In the 1970s, Larry Ott and Silas "32" Jones were boyhood pals in a small town in rural Mississippi. Their worlds were as different as night and day: Larry was the child of lower-middle-class white parents, and Silas, the son of a poor, black single mother. But then Larry took a girl to a drive-in movie and she was never seen or heard from again. He never confessed . . . and was never charged.

More than twenty years have passed. Larry lives a solitary, shunned existence, never able to rise above the whispers of suspicion. Silas has become the town constable. And now another girl has disappeared, forcing two men who once called each other "friend" to confront a past they've buried for decades.

Review Quotes

"An action-packed detective story.... Keeping the story's tension pulled tight, Franklin--an Edgar Award-winning author--gives riveting details of a crime-scene investigation.... [Franklin is an] incredible talent.... The tender scenes between each son and his mother and the intimate talks between friends contribute to Franklin's taking this suspenseful thriller to a higher level of beautiful writing. Here is a novel to enjoy and remember, to recommend to story-loving friends." - Louisville Courier Journal
"By virtue of this book alone, it is Franklin who is worthy of newsmagazine cover treatment; Franklin for whom the bookstores should be opening at midnight, with the accompanying lines around the block; and Franklin whose work should be selected for high-profile book clubs.... More honors, both critical and commercial, are sure to follow. And it's no wonder. His latest is a born classic.... Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter has a mystery at its core, but this is not a mystery or thriller novel. Rather, like all great works, it transcends any particular genre to stand on its own. One of my tests of "great literature" is whether the book in question puts me in the mind of other "classics" without mimicking or modernizing their themes. It meets that mark. One could draw a line beginning with Shakespeare...through Sanctuary by William Faulkner, to To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee...and then on to Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter.... This is a work for the ages, an example of how the classic novel--such a rare thing--is properly written." - Bookreporter.com
"Alabama native Tom Franklin's Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter finds one of the great contemporary voices of Southern literature hitting on all cylinders in his most morally complex novel. A literary mystery with indelibly drawn characters, well-tuned dialogue and a cinematically suspenseful plot, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is another knotty achievement for the Edgar Award winner." - San Antonio Express-News
"Tom Franklin has written and captured--for the first time--the real, complex, often counter-intuitive, modern-day rural South. The book is a thriller and page-turner, yes, but it maintains that depth, that literary tradition Franklin brings to all his work. And the poor, sweet protagonist. His life, so richly depicted by Franklin, reminds us all of how a twist of fate, a bit of cruelty, a reluctance to forgive, and a label as commonplace as 'Scary Larry' can take away decades of joy and friendship for a gentle, misunderstood man." - Neil White
"The author spins a web of delicate mystery.... This is not a book that has an easily predictable outcome. It is too clever, too entertaining, and ultimately, so satisfying, that you will find yourself grinning as you reach the end. It's all here: compelling characters, a wickedly ingenious plot, brilliant dialogue, and a smashing surprise ending." - Dayton Daily News
"My pick of October's crop of crime novels is Tom Franklin's stunner Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter.... This powerful story of redemption explores the toxic effects of prejudice. It is satisfying in a way that few crime novels are. The characters are complex, the situation intriguing and thoroughly believable, and the possibilities of mystery as a genre thoroughly exploited." - Boston Globe
"Racial prejudice, the tragedy of the assumption of guilt, newly discovered family connections and the closed world of a small Southern community are at the heart of this thriller, which can easily share shelf space with literary novels." - USA Today
"It's the perfect blend of great writing and really great suspense. It's my favorite combo of things in a book. There are lots of twists and turns and surprises." - John Searles on Weekend TODAY (NBC)
"There is no greater joy than when an author whom you've long admired produces his or her best work to date. . . . I'm back in that state of wondrous reading pleasure thanks to a new, years-in-the-making novel by Tom Franklin." - Los Angeles Times
"Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is a dusty tale of barbed-wire-laced guilt, lost friendship, and the painful gauntlet traveled for absolution. . . . This book will take you back to your own youth, to hidden pastures and ponds; to family and friends that never leave our dreams. Tom Franklin knows and breathes the South and its citizens in every line." - Madison County Herald
"Tom Franklin baits his readers with choice morsels of plot, atmosphere and dialogue in Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. Just one nibble and we are hooked, drawn to the last word of this dramatic crime story." - Montgomery Advertiser
"Quite possibly [Franklin's] best. There are evil misdeeds here, crimes to be solved, and racial complications, but on a deeper, more profound level, this is a story about friendship--its murky dynamic of trust and betrayal. The book throbs with suspense and forensic clues...But beyond the compelling plot, this novel masterfully exposes the commonplace varieties of human cruelty." - Oxford American
"Edgar Award winner Franklin renders luminous prose and a cast of compelling characters in this moody, masterful entry." - Booklist (starred review)
"A masterful performance, deftly rendered and deeply satisfying. For days on end, I woke with this story on my mind." - David Wroblewski
"A ripping good mystery, this novel also has depth and a subtle literary side, as the local area comes to life through the writer's cinematic descriptive phrases and a large and colorful cast of supporting characters. Highly recommended." - Library Journal (starred review)
"The incantatory title of Tom Franklin's terrific new novel comes from the way children in the South are taught to spell Mississippi: 'M-I crooked letter crooked letter I crooked letter crooked letter I humpback humpback I.' But letters aren't the only thing twisted in the rural town of Chabot, Miss., where this story of long-delayed repercussions and revelations takes place. Franklin, an Edgar-winning writer of atmospheric tales, deserves an audience to match the praise he's attracted for Poachers, Hell at the Breech, and Smonk. If you're looking for a smart, thoughtful novel that sinks deep into a Southern hamlet of the American psyche, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is your next book. " - Washington Post
"[A] terrific new novel....If you're looking for a smart, thoughtful novel that sinks deep into a Southern hamlet of the American psyche, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is your next book." - Washington Post
"Though not in essence a mystery or a thriller, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter possesses surprising twists and turns as Franklin reveals more background and history slowly, almost quietly. It's a beautifully written, haunting and at times acutely painful story about race, class and friendship set in a rural Southern town built on the memories of crimes and other abuses of past generations." - Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers
"Beautiful writing, a spot-on sense of place, wickedly funny dialogue, and an emotionally potent story charge this highly original, literary crime offering from master stylist Tom Franklin." - George Pelecanos
"Larry Ott and Silas '32' Jones are two of the most fully realized characters in recent fiction, and their story of a friendship lost and reclaimed is at the heart of this profound and profoundly moving novel. Lyrical, morally complex, superbly crafted, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter further validates Tom Franklin's status as one of America's best writers." - Ron Rash
"Long after the other 75 novels of suspense you've read this year merge in your memory, you'll vividly recall this novel. Franklin has written not just a thriller of the first order, but a very fine novel, indeed." - Richard Russo
"Do you know that kind of novel that you can't stop reading? Just one more page, you tell yourself, just one more page. The kind that you can't stop thinking about all day, that you rush through all your other tasks to get back to? That is the kind of novel Tom Franklin has written. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is about love and guilt and death and redemption. It's about ordinary people like you and me, traveling through that extraordinary journey called life. I just love this book!" - Ann Hood
"A new Tom Franklin novel is always a reason to get excited, but Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is more--a cause for celebration. What a great novel by a great novelist." - Dennis Lehane