Scan barcode
ericwelch's review
4.0
As a rule, stories in collections are often uneven and dissatisfying. Not so this group from 1998. I stumbled on it looking for Tom Franklin’s new book, Poachers, a collection of Franklin’s stories. Franklin was mentioned in a recent issue of American Libraries in the “Word of Mouth” section as one of those writers whose characters could only be described as “gritty.”
“Gritty” is an understatement for the three brothers in “Poachers.” Raised haphazardly by an old hermit who dabbles at running his general store in a swampy, backwaters area of the South following the suicide of the boys’ father, the three live a hand-to-mouth existence by poaching. When they kill a new game warden who tries to interfere with their activities, even the local sheriff, Gladsoe, knows that they are in trouble. Rumor has it that David Frank, a legendary game warden and ex-poacher himself (he went straight because staying within the law was more of a challenge than breaking it) will have revenge. Frank is never seen, but the boys soon have fatal accidents.
Other stories include a riveting investigation ("A Death on the Ho Chi Minh Trail" by David Harford) by an army CID warrant officer in Vietnam. A soldier has been killed on what appears to have been a routine ambush during a patrol. But several anomalies stand out: Even though the body was riddled with bullet holes, there was no blood on his shirt, nor any holes. And the area where the ambush was supposed to have occurred showed little damage, even though the patrol had reported a vigorous firefight. Then there was a great deal of missing war materiel, including two star scopes and lots of plywood. The ending is moving and tragic.
Another poignant story, “Sacrifice" by L.L. Thrasher, begins with Jeni, a seven-year-old child being referred to a private detective by the police department. It seems that the little girl has lost her doll, Jennifer. She said the doll had had another name, Megan, and it’s the sound of this name that drives the mother into a panic when the detective shows up at their door, humoring the girl that he will help locate the lost doll. The mother slams the door and immediately bundles the little girl into a car and drives away. Suspecting something, Zachariah Smith, our detective, follows in his car and contacts the police to check up on the mother. It seems that several years before, the mother had had two daughters, but the other girl had been found dead of a bullet wound in a car near a hospital . After following the car into Idaho, driving in seemingly random directions, Zachariah is finally recognized by the mother, who then lets the child out of the car and races it over a cliff. Her motivation is quite a shock.
A terrific selection of excellent mysteries.
“Gritty” is an understatement for the three brothers in “Poachers.” Raised haphazardly by an old hermit who dabbles at running his general store in a swampy, backwaters area of the South following the suicide of the boys’ father, the three live a hand-to-mouth existence by poaching. When they kill a new game warden who tries to interfere with their activities, even the local sheriff, Gladsoe, knows that they are in trouble. Rumor has it that David Frank, a legendary game warden and ex-poacher himself (he went straight because staying within the law was more of a challenge than breaking it) will have revenge. Frank is never seen, but the boys soon have fatal accidents.
Other stories include a riveting investigation ("A Death on the Ho Chi Minh Trail" by David Harford) by an army CID warrant officer in Vietnam. A soldier has been killed on what appears to have been a routine ambush during a patrol. But several anomalies stand out: Even though the body was riddled with bullet holes, there was no blood on his shirt, nor any holes. And the area where the ambush was supposed to have occurred showed little damage, even though the patrol had reported a vigorous firefight. Then there was a great deal of missing war materiel, including two star scopes and lots of plywood. The ending is moving and tragic.
Another poignant story, “Sacrifice" by L.L. Thrasher, begins with Jeni, a seven-year-old child being referred to a private detective by the police department. It seems that the little girl has lost her doll, Jennifer. She said the doll had had another name, Megan, and it’s the sound of this name that drives the mother into a panic when the detective shows up at their door, humoring the girl that he will help locate the lost doll. The mother slams the door and immediately bundles the little girl into a car and drives away. Suspecting something, Zachariah Smith, our detective, follows in his car and contacts the police to check up on the mother. It seems that several years before, the mother had had two daughters, but the other girl had been found dead of a bullet wound in a car near a hospital . After following the car into Idaho, driving in seemingly random directions, Zachariah is finally recognized by the mother, who then lets the child out of the car and races it over a cliff. Her motivation is quite a shock.
A terrific selection of excellent mysteries.
spygrl1's review
4.0
I loooove this series. Year after year, the selections are consistently strong. An occasional story turns out not to be my cup of tea, but the strong and enjoyable far outnumber and outweigh the weak and forgettable.
I was surprised that my favorite turned out to be the Updike story. I've always avoided Updike's fiction, but this tale of an aging novelist's murderous revenge for critical barbs is, to steal one of his beguiling phrases, "creamy satisfaction."
I was surprised that my favorite turned out to be the Updike story. I've always avoided Updike's fiction, but this tale of an aging novelist's murderous revenge for critical barbs is, to steal one of his beguiling phrases, "creamy satisfaction."
More...