Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

Although Tom Franklin's latest novel officially falls into the "crime fiction" category, it is oh, so much more that that!

The crux of the plot is the mysterious disappearances, twenty-five years apart, of two young women in the deep South hamlet of Chabot, Mississippi. But the true center of the story is the relationship between two men, one black, one white, who shared a boyhood friendship for one intense summer.

The first young woman disappeared either during or following the one and only date 16 year-old Larry Ott experienced. Never actually accused or arrested in connection with her disappearance, Larry lives the next twenty-five years in the same small town of his unhappy, solitary youth; ostracized and incredibly lonely, judged guilty by the townsfolk of this decaying, decrepit community.

Now a second woman has vanished and Larry finds himself once again  at the center of the investigation. With absolutely no one to turn to, Larry's sad life takes an even darker turn.

Larry's only boyhood friend, Silas Jones, has returned to town as the Deputy and has plenty of his own baggage to deal with; not the least of which is his sense of betrayal and guilt related to his failed friendship with Larry.

This story has layer upon layer upon layer of revelations, past and present, that paint an unforgettable portrait of racism deeply ingrained into a small-town culture and the power of hate, love, betrayal and forgiveness.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is definitely one of my two favorite books that I've read this summer.  It is absolutely a gripping page-turner and a gut-wrenching, heart-tugging saga. In its portrayal of all that is good and evil in human nature, it reminded me very much of To Kill a Mockingbird. Boo Radley and Larry Ott: both achingly lonely and ill-fortuned. And, thank the gods, the good guys: Atticus Finch and.... (no spoilers from me!!)

Read it!!!

Summer Whodunits

Even though I'm not a huge fan of mysteries, they traditionally creep onto my reading list as "summer reads." And our month in Door County seems like the perfect time to dive in (to my mysteries, not the lake, which should come as a surprise to absolutely no one!)

Gone Girl by Chicago author Gillian Flynn gives new meaning to the phrase "Marriage can be a real killer."

This is Flynn's third novel and she does not disappoint; she is a talented and creative writer and just as in her two previous novels (Dark Places and Sharp Objects) she shines a light on the weird and creepy. In Gone Girl she also displays a dark wit that I enjoyed.

Nick and Amy are about to celebrate their fifth anniversary and although to all outward appearances their marriage has seemed "happy", many deep and treacherous undercurrents are rippling about causing unseen damage. On the day of their anniversary, Amy disappears, leaving a trail of clues that all point to Nick, who quickly becomes the prime suspect.

The story unfolds through the eyes of Nick (after Amy's disappearance) and Amy (in flashback format prior to disappearing). Turns out Nick and Amy are awfully unreliable narrators and their alternating tale leads the reader on a wild ride of plot twists and turns. Gone Girl is a fun read and I have no qualms about recommending it for what it is: a well-written, clever whodunit!

Equally clever and well-written is A Death in Summer by Benjamin Black. Set in post World War II Ireland, it's the fifth novel by this author featuring the crime-solving duo of Dr. Quirke, a pessimistic, alcoholic pathologist and Detective Inspector Hackett, a traditional by-the-book police officer.

An interesting sidebar: Benjamon Black is the "escapist alter ego" of author John Banville, a "serious" writer whose finely written novel The Sea won the Mann Booker Prize in 2005. His Benjamin Black novels have turned out to be huge hit from what I have read.

The whodunit part of the novel focuses on a much-hated, very powerful Irish newspaper tycoon whose dead body has been found in what has been staged to look like a suicide. Dr. Quirke knows better (of course) and the sleuthing begins.

Black has created a very interesting character in Quirke; he has a knack, apparently, for being involved in dangerous love affairs and messy murders and this one is no exception.

The supporting characters are engaging in their own right, especially Quirke's assistant who is drawn, against his will, into a relationship with Quirke's daughter.

A Death in Summer unfolds with enough red herrings to keep the reader guessing and enough character development to make this a better read than your average whodunit

I'm about to start my third summer mystery Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin. It's gotten great reviews and I'm looking forward to diving in once again to a good book!