bowenal78's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
Growing up in a small town, I could easily relate to the characters and challenges they faced- well done!
franky's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
melly82092's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I originally started reading this story myself and was eight chapters in when I decided to begin following along with the audible narration. I was loving the story but found myself struggling to read it on my own due to it's long chapters and the Authors intricate details written throughout. From the second I started the narration, I was enthralled! Narrator Kevin Kenerly brought Tom Franklin's story to life and I became more and more engaged then ever in the story the longer I listened and followed along. I highly recommend listening to the narration as you read this book, because it will make the story that much better! Tom Franklin did a stunning job writing this novel and his attention to detail is beyond impressive. If you enjoy reading mystery and police procedural novels then you will absolutely enjoy this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Moderate: Death, Rape, Cursing, Bullying, and Murder
nae1226's review
5.0
Intertwines the past and present masterfully to reveal characters and their relationships. Southern Mississippi setting. Racial tension. Quick and good read. Characters a likable and the reader wants to see them find happiness.
andrew61's review
3.0
An enjoyable crime novel set in m, i,crooked letter, crooked letter, i, crooked letter, crooked letter...., sorry Mississippi, that being the way children are taught to spell their home state in schools apparently and thus the title. It is a story of families, race, and betrayals with a lot of local dialect so that at dinner last night I asked my family 'Yall want some grits with that' but I quickly adapted and enjoyed the read. The book tells the story of two men Larry Ott and Silas Jones. The setting is a very small town in Mississippi where Ott is a social outcast who lives a lonely life having been accused of a crime in the early 1980's, Silas known as .32 is a local police officer who formed a short friendship with Larry Ott at one point in the early 1980's when he and his mother moved there from Chicago and live in a cabin on Larry father's landholding. Another crime has been committed and Silas investigates it and the story alternates between the two time periods so we learn about the earlier crime and follow the current investigation. It was an engaging story and a page turner but from my perspective I did not feel anxious about the outcomes for the characters and felt it lacked any threat , however it was well crafted with an interesting story at it's heart and I would read more by the author if I came across him again.
bundy23's review
3.0
2.5 stars.
Pretty boring tale of 2 not-really friends that drift apart after a girls disappearance leads to one of them becoming the town weirdo. The investigation of said disappearance would've made for a much more interesting book than the one I just read because what we end up with is... I'm not really sure what...
The blurb compares it to Harper Lee, Flannery O'Connor, Elmore Leonard, and Cormac McCarthy but personally it felt a lot more like early, non-horror, Stephen King. Not surprising since the "weirdo" is obsessed with King.
Pretty boring tale of 2 not-really friends that drift apart after a girls disappearance leads to one of them becoming the town weirdo. The investigation of said disappearance would've made for a much more interesting book than the one I just read because what we end up with is... I'm not really sure what...
The blurb compares it to Harper Lee, Flannery O'Connor, Elmore Leonard, and Cormac McCarthy but personally it felt a lot more like early, non-horror, Stephen King. Not surprising since the "weirdo" is obsessed with King.
jgoalder's review
5.0
Got this as a deal of the day because of the high ratings, and it did not disappoint. Terrific characters, wonderful story, I breezed through it in half a day. Highly recommend.
carolynf's review
5.0
One of the best books I've read in a long time! Awesome first sentence, awesome first chapter, and I stayed hooked from there. Basically it is about a missing teenage girl, the man suspected of taking her (due to a similar accusation 25 years ago), and the cop investigating her disappearance. It is set in small town Mississippi in the modern day, but had plenty of flashbacks to the 1970s, when the original disappearance happened. Lots of excellent small town color.
stacyculler's review against another edition
4.0
Guilty until proven innocent
"Enjoyed it," as Carl Ott would say. The good guys are likeable, the bad guys are interesting. And Larry is a great underdog.
"Enjoyed it," as Carl Ott would say. The good guys are likeable, the bad guys are interesting. And Larry is a great underdog.
inge_th's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75