Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin

272 pages

"In the late 1970s, Larry Ott and Silas '32' Jones were boyhood pals. Their worlds were as different as night and day: Larry, the child of lower-middle-class parents, and Silas, the son of a poor, single black mother. Yet for a few months the boys stepped outside of their circumstances and shared a special bond. But then tragedy struck: Larry took a girl on a date to a drive-in movie, and she was never heard from again. She was never found and Larry never confessed, but all eyes rested on him as the culprit. The incident shook the county - and perhaps Silas most of all. His friendship with Larry was broken, and then Silas left town.

More than twenty years have passed. Larry, a mechanic, lives a solitary existence, never able to rise above the whispers of suspicion. Silas has returned as a constable. He and Larry have no reason to cross paths until another girl disappears and Larry is blamed again. And now the two men who once called each other friend are forced to confront the past they've buried and ignored for decades." -Dust Jacket

I found this book on Amazon last year but had been waiting for the price to be right. It had potential. The book's description is intriguing. Throughout the story there were flashbacks to various times in Larry's and Silas's past which I thought was a great way to educate the reader without giving everything away. Overall though, I was really disappointed. Why do "adult" novels have to have so much crap in them? Around page 180 I decided to just skim to the end to see who had killed Cindy Walker and Tina Rutherford and to see how Silas and Larry resolved their relationship. There's a pretty obvious twist that's hinted at towards the beginning of the book. Basically, the whole gist of this story is that things could have turned out much differently if Silas had just spoken up and stood up for Larry. I'm putting this book in my small stack of books to take to the thrift store. It's not worth keeping or recommending.

Brotherband Chronicles: The Hunters by John Flanagan

403 pages

"They'd had him in their grasp. Hal and his fellow Herons had tracked Zavac across the ocean, intent on recovering the stolen Andomal, Skandia's most prized treasure. But after a battle that left the pirate crew counting their dead, Zavac narrowly slipped through the Skandians' fingers.

Now, with one of their own recovering from the fight, the Herons take to the seas. But to bring the pirate captain to justice and put an end to his reign of terror, Hal and his crew must bluff their way into the most dangerous stronghold of all--the infamous Pirate Haven of Raguza." -Dust Jacket

John Flanagan's books don't ever seem to disappoint. I'm sure you could find character flaws, writing that's not perfect, story lines that are somewhat reused, but that would ruin all the fun and these books are just plain fun.

This third book in the Brotherband Chronicles wraps up the story arc from the previous two books. I liked the journey that the Heron Brotherband went on during that time. They start out as a group of misfit boys and end up as a skilled, dedicated group of friends and sailors. John Flanagan writes great characters who you can't help but love and root for. Ingvar, the huge, half blind boy who's completely devoted to Hal, Stig, Hal's best friend, Ulf & Wulf, the ever-arguing twins, Edvin, the healer/cook, Jesper the thief, Stefan, Hal and Thorn. As Hal and his friends track Zavac, they have to escape from prison and run some crazy rapids on the river. They each settle into their role in the Brotherband. Lydia is a great addition. There's a sweet conversation with Hal's mom at the end about taking her time to choose which boy she wants to be with. Thorn is endearing as always. These books are just pure entertainment and I find them completely enjoyable. Can't wait for the next one.