Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom FranklinA character-driven mystery set in rural Mississippi, we are slowly drawn into the stories and lives of Silas "32" Jones, a constable who twice daily has to direct traffic when the shift changes at the local mill, and Larry Ott, a mechanic who has been ostracized from the community. Larry and Silas were secret friends as children, both on the outside, Larry a white boy in a mostly black school who would rather read Stephen King books than do most anything else, and Silas as a poor black boy with a single mother, recently moved from Chicago. They play and fish in the woods, until a neighbor girl goes missing while on a first date with Larry. Now, 20 years later, another girl has gone missing and the suspicion is back on Larry. The story goes back-and-forth between the two timelines, with an increasingly complex network of connections. Check out this 'rural noir.'
I was pleasantly surprised. Colorful characters, interesting weaving of their relationships, his description of the Mississippi small towns was very good... all of it made me feel as though they were real people & true stories. I'll be looking forhis other novels.
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