Comments (37)

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Apr 02, 2022LitHub rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Sort-of a mystery/thriller, but the real strengths of this novel are the setting, dialogue (& silences), characters, & pacing. Franklin *knows* the rural South. An aching, haunting, nearly pitch-perfect novel.
Feb 08, 2022Luckybe rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
This story manages to touch on every sensational, hot bottom issue prevalent in society...race, misogyny, rape, murder, drugs/poverty, dysfunctional families, lies, distortion, misuse and abuse of each other. It really isn’t the kind of…
Nov 20, 2021
Amazing. Just get it.
Jun 24, 2021
Enjoyable with likable characters. The one big reveal doesn’t seem real and the other is unnecessary. Still liked it.
Jan 24, 2021llewol rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A good mystery, set in an interesting place. There are two main characters, whose stories go back and forth and both stories were quite compelling (so no wishing that you'd get back to the other story when the narrative switched). Some…
bookpusher
Apr 29, 2019bookpusher rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
April WPL Book Club Selection: From the very first sentence I loved this book (my maiden name is Rutherford!)....predictable outcome, but sweet.
Jan 11, 2018macierules rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
loved everything about this novel - writing, setting and memorable characters.
Oct 09, 2017
Two very different boys were friends in the late 1970s. When a girl disappears, one is blamed and one leaves town. Twenty years later, another girl disappears. Is history repeating itself?
Sep 13, 2016
Thornhill Village Thursday Evening Book Club Thursday, November 10th, 2016 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Jul 12, 2016amusgrave rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I sped through this book and once it was over I re-read a few of the descriptions again. He is a beautiful writer, and his characters are heartbreakingly real. I have just put another book of his on hold.
May 15, 2016abcDena rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
I am always up for dramatic Southern fiction. Are Southern writers just touched with something special, or do they have better writing teachers down there? Tom Ford's story is so beautifully written and engrossing, you don't even have a…
Apr 03, 2016vv8 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I don't know that I've read a book where I felt more sympathy toward a main character as I did while reading Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. Larry Ott's story broke my heart to the point I often had to remind myself it was just fiction! In…
Nov 08, 2013mrs_sweeney rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Enjoyed the story and the characters. It did feel that the story was an edited version made for TV or the movies where there is only so much time to develop the characters and certain scenes have been edited out. You know that movie you…
Jul 16, 2013DeltaQueen50 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin is much more than a simple mystery, this atmospheric story touches on the racism that is still very prevalent today and tells the story of two men of different races that share a past and…
Jul 11, 2013hellandback rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Surprised to find out that this is an Edgar-Award-winning writer. The murder mystery is the weakest aspect to this novel of a rural southern town which still holds a grudge against poor misfut Larry Ott, suspected-but-not-convicted of the…
mrsgail5756
May 25, 2013mrsgail5756 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
The book was okay – but not one of my favorites.
May 09, 2013JCLGreggW rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Sometimes you come across a book that not only you enjoy, but one that really stays with you for a while. CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER is a wonderful, haunting, elegantly written novel about two boys who cross paths in rural Mississippi…
Feb 27, 2013Lucchesa rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This is a being billed as a mystery, and if that gets people to read it, fantastic, because it is much more than that. Tom Franklin knows this slice of the rural South, its weaknesses and its grace, and he writes beautifully about the…
Aug 03, 2012DL7173 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
A very enjoyable and interesting story and characters, set in rural Mississipi.
Jul 24, 2012mkmoores rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Enjoyed this book so much, I've checked out Hell at the Breech.
Jun 04, 2012smc01 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This novel's two main characters are very well developed, and the story line is compelling. The sense of place is well portrayed - very small town Mississippi. The relationship between Larry and Silas is complex and touching. This would…
Jun 01, 2012rireads rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Really great read. I couldn't put it down. It was a great mystery that makes you really care about the characters, and I couldn't wait to find out what had really happened.
Apr 22, 2012R_2 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This book pulls the reader in, right from the beginning. The two main characters are compelling and real. Both are lonely, though in very different ways. Good writing that flows.
Apr 05, 2012childlee rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Very well written, Characters came alive. Quick read. 2 thums up.
Dec 27, 2011bsevertsen rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
The author paints a complete and compelling picture of the main characters but the twists in the plot could be predicted far ahead of time. Overall a good weekend read.