A literary mystery that takes place in a small Mississippi town, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter centers on two protagonists Larry and Silas and weaves the past with the present as Silas, a police officer, investigates the recent disappearance of a young college student.
Larry Ott has been an outcast most of his life when all he ever wanted was acceptance by his father and peers. Two decades ago, Cindy Walker went on a date with Larry who was the last one to see her alive. A shadow of suspicion has followed him for years but no evidence other than circumstantial can pin him down as a killer.
Despite racial boundaries, Larry and Silas formed a friendship when they were younger, but after a fight where one unforgivable word was uttered, they never spoke again. Now that Larry has been shot in what looks like a suicide, Silas, who harbors a dark secret about the past, is hoping to get to the truth of what happened all those years ago, and how they connect to the recent disappearance of Tina Rutherford.
Evoking themes such as racial tension, bullying, and friendship, Franklin offers a complex story with a few good twists along the way. Veteran mystery readers may ferret out the truth early on, but sympathetic, flawed characters and a mystery with a literary slant will keep you glued to the pages.
