This book is: A gritty crime novel set in a rural town.
Other elements: Class issues, race issues, nature of friendship.
Read it: If you like crime shows, don’t mind dialect, and aren’t easily depressed.
Overall rating: 6/10

I thought it was about time I got to the library part of this blog. Goodreads recommended Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter to me, although I’m not sure why. Maybe it can sense I like to watch crime shows.

I liked this book. I wasn’t sure at first, but it had me by about 2/3 of the way through. I thought the plot could have been a bit tighter or smoother or more fleshed out…but the characters were great. Everyone in the book is fully formed and very much themselves.

My main complaints: the dramatic reveal felt a liiiiiiittle forced. The main character is keeping a seriously important secret, and he doesn’t even hint at it until right before he reveals. It felt like the author was mostly interested in the people he’d created, and it showed in how intricate and interesting they were. But I didn’t think the plot wasn’t quite as well crafted.

Also: this book contains a their/there typo. I can’t let that pass without mentioning it. Still a good book, though.