A review by campsey0914
Hell at the Breach by Tom Franklin
3.0
“Hell at the Breech” by Tom Franklin takes place in rural 1897 Alabama. Arch Bishop is killed in the night, and his death causes a war, of sorts, to break out between the city folks and the farmers. Rumors begin to float that someone from the city came to the country and killed Bishop. A group of men come together to form their own form of law called, “Hell at the Breech.” Their mission, at first, was to seek revenge for Arch Bishop’s death. With murder on their mind, they soon begin to take the law of the country into their own hands. No one is safe and no one knows the true identities of many of the members. Soon farmers and their families find themselves forced to help or they too will find themselves dead.
Sheriff Billy Waite is ready for retirement. He believes in the law and not bending it, no matter the circumstances. He rides out to Mitcham’s Beat to investigate the murder of one of the local farmers. He soon discovers that no one is talking and everyone seems to have an alibi. He knows that trouble is brewing and the city folk and the farmers are on the edge of a war.
“Hell at the Breech” is loosely based on true events that took place in Alabama between 1897- 1898. It’s an interesting and violent take on a part of American history. I, personally, had a hard time reading this book. I found many parts of it to be a bit of a slow read. There were a few times while I was reading, that I thought about going and starting a different book. The author jumps from different perspectives throughout the book. The first couple times it happened, I found myself a little confused. I had to go back and reread a few pages to refresh whom certain characters were.
I thought the concept was great. It was really interesting to read about an event that actually took place. A little over halfway through, I really felt like things began to pick up. There is a lot of violence in the book. Personally, it did not bother me. It’s a true description of what life and “taking the law into your own hands” meant during the time period. The author was very graphic during many of the death scenes, so it’s not for the faint of heart.
Overall, I give it three stars. It’s an interesting and fictionalized take on a part of Alabama’s history.
Sheriff Billy Waite is ready for retirement. He believes in the law and not bending it, no matter the circumstances. He rides out to Mitcham’s Beat to investigate the murder of one of the local farmers. He soon discovers that no one is talking and everyone seems to have an alibi. He knows that trouble is brewing and the city folk and the farmers are on the edge of a war.
“Hell at the Breech” is loosely based on true events that took place in Alabama between 1897- 1898. It’s an interesting and violent take on a part of American history. I, personally, had a hard time reading this book. I found many parts of it to be a bit of a slow read. There were a few times while I was reading, that I thought about going and starting a different book. The author jumps from different perspectives throughout the book. The first couple times it happened, I found myself a little confused. I had to go back and reread a few pages to refresh whom certain characters were.
I thought the concept was great. It was really interesting to read about an event that actually took place. A little over halfway through, I really felt like things began to pick up. There is a lot of violence in the book. Personally, it did not bother me. It’s a true description of what life and “taking the law into your own hands” meant during the time period. The author was very graphic during many of the death scenes, so it’s not for the faint of heart.
Overall, I give it three stars. It’s an interesting and fictionalized take on a part of Alabama’s history.