"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).