it is my tip to win a major literary prize’ Literary Review The landscape is brilliantly described, the major characters and the bit parts all spring to life vividly. ‘This enthralling novel, written by a husband and wife, both of whom are winners of literary prizes, is set against a background of the worst natural disaster America has ever endured. But is Franklin even a crime writer at all? Or is he, like his great predecessor William Faulkner (a clear influence), using the trappings of the crime novel for literary ends? This gritty, vivid tale is even more impressive than Crooked Letter’ Financial Times Tom Franklin proved to be such a writer with his atmospheric Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter (2010), set in rural Mississippi. ‘Sometimes a crime writer comes along who shakes the genre so that all the clichés come rattling out like loose nails, leaving something clean and spare. I hope this is the first of many novels from Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly―together they offer a unique and captivating voice' Eowyn Ivey, bestselling author of the The Snow Child It’s hard to remember that this novel is the work of a team rather than a singular, inspired mind. 'The Tilted World is everything I hold dear in a novel―a raucous, page-turning story with grit, utterly steeped in the land and people, and told in such poetic language that I kept forcing myself to slow down so I could enjoy the writing. 'A new novel from Tom Franklin is always a reason to get excited, but a novel from Franklin and Fennelly is just cause to throw a block party' Dennis Lehane, New York Times bestselling author The Tilted World would appeal to anyone who loves William Faulkner.

― Mark Billinghamīoth a crime story and a love story. It's a revenge thriller with a dash of romance, but above all there is fantastic writing that manages to be both poetic and gritty. The characterisation is subtle and powerful, not least that of the flood itself - this historic natural disaster is a stunning backdrop to a stunning novel. why is this book not on a major prize shortlist? ― Kate MosseĪ story of moonshine and murder but more than that, it's a story about absolutely engrossing characters whose lives take you over. They can little imagine how events are about to change them - and the great South - forever.įor in the dead of night, after thick, illusory fog, the levee will break. Residents fear the levee will either explode under the pressure of the water or be blown by saboteurs from New Orleans, who wish to save their own city.īut when an orphaned baby is found the lives of Ingersoll, a blues-playing prohibition agent, and Dixie Clay, a bootlegger who is guarding a terrible secret, collide. After months of rain, the Mississippi River has reached dangerous levels and the little town of Hobnob is at threat. From the author of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter - winner of the CWA Gold Dagger Award for Best Crime Novel of the YearĪpril 1927.

Tom franklin books in order