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Hell at the Breechby Tom Franklin
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:In 1897, in the rural southwestern area of Alabama known as Mitcham Beat, an aspiring politician is mysteriously murdered. Seeking retribution, his outraged friends — mostly poor cotton farmers — form a secret society, Hell-at-the-Breech, to punish the townspeople they believe are responsible. The hooded members of this gang wage a bloody year-long campaign of terror that culminates in a massacre, where the innocent suffer alongside the guilty. Caught in the maelstrom of the Mitcham War are four people: the county's aging sheriff, sympathetic to both sides; the widowed midwife who delivered nearly every member of Hell-at-the-Breech; a ruthless detective who wages his own private war against the gang; and a young store clerk harboring a terrible secret. Based on incidents that occurred a few miles from the author's childhood home, Hell at the Breech chronicles the dark events of dark days, events that lead the people involved to discover their capacity for good, for evil, or for both. It is a mesmerizing and unforgettable display of talent by a writer of immeasurable gifts. Review:"[An] accomplished account....This is not a story for the faint of heart or stomach....Yet Franklin...is a splendid stylist who explores moral issues and stocks this tale with memorable (if mostly unpleasant) characters, spinning it seemingly effortlessly to a final surprise twist. This is historical fiction at its best." Michele Leber, Booklist (Starred Review) Review:"Along with breathtaking descriptions of Mitcham Beat's scenery...Franklin does what Harper Lee did in To Kill a Mockingbird: He lets his set of quirky characters run the story while he focuses on the repercussions of his characters' curiosity and age. Hell at the Breech is an impressive novel that should catapult Franklin into the big leagues." Nickolas Thomas, USA Today Review:"Clean, unpretentious language laid down in masterly fashion propels Franklin's [novel]....Historical fiction as smooth and relentless as the darkest Elmore Leonard." Kirkus Reviews Review:"[I]mmensely accomplished....Despite an unremitting catalogue of violence, this gory book is a pleasure to read for its clean, unexpected turns of phrase...the laconic humor of its characters...and vibrant, complex characters who spring from the pages....[A] book that transmutes historical fact into something much more powerful, dramatic and compelling." Publishers Weekly Review:"[D]espite some blessedly brief passages of landscape description and baffling observations on the climate...this lean, mean and expertly plotted tale...owes more to Raymond Chandler than to [William Faulkner]....Hell at the Breech simmers with unnerving brutality and black humor. The novel is also an elegant dissection of a catastrophe, namely the climactic massacre, in which innocent people are killed....But as much as Hell at the Breech may sound like a western, it's not; its view of human nature is too bleak. Everyone in it is morally compromised, as the novel's final twist reveals. That makes it feel like a noir, a rural noir, if there can be such a thing. But whatever you call it, it's pretty damn hard to put down." Laura Miller, Salon.com Review:"[A] Faulknerian tale of bloody revenge and vigilante justice....Franklin's dark and gritty first novel is not for the faint of heart; the brutal violence visited upon humans (and animals) is gory and feral, very much like the films of Sam Peckinpah." Library Journal Synopsis:The Edgar Award-winning author of Poachers weaves together historical fact, dark lyrical prose, and blistering action in this stunning first novel of hooded vigilantes in 1897 Alabama. About the AuthorTom Franklin, from Dickinson, Alabama, is the author of the collection of stories titled Poachers, which was named as a Best First Book of Fiction by Esquire in 1999 and was also the winner of a 1999 Edgar Award for the title story. Recipient of a 2001 Guggenheim Fellowship, he has held the John and Renee Grisham Writer-in-Residency at Ole Miss and the Tennessee Williams Fellowship at Sewanee. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi, with his wife, poet Beth Ann Fennelly, and their young daughter, Claire. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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