false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174166428m/367625.jpg 367625 3 <B>Penzler Pick, December 1999</B>: As the editor of an annual series for Houghton Mifflin titled <I>Best American Mystery Stories</I>, I read scores, if not hundreds, of little magazines in search of the best crime fiction published that year. One story that came to light from the <I>Texas Review</I> was "Poachers" by Tom Franklin, which I thought was easily the most original and memorable tale of 1998. It went on to win the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America and became the title of Franklin's first book, a short story collection of such distinction that it has already provided a shoo-in for spring 2000s <I>Best American Mystery Stories of the Century</I>. <p> "Poachers" is no ordinary tale of detection but rather a mood piece that will remind the reader of the best of James Lee Burke. Set in the swamps of the deep South, it is a riveting tale of three brothers who are so violent and amoral that they will kill anyone or anything in their path. One of their victims is a young lawman who was much loved, causing the locals to bring in their own hired gun, a game warden of legendary skill as a hunter of poachers. One by one, he tracks down the crazed brothers in a quest for justice. <p> The other stories in this beautifully produced little volume are also superb. While there is occasional humor, this is not a collection to read if you're in the mood for P.G. Wodehouse or Dave Barry. The dark woods and hollows and the unforgiving swamps and their inhabitants do not make for a sunshiny reading experience. As the old wooden sign in Poachers announces, "Jesus Is Not Coming." Franklin's first novel will be published in 2000 and I, for one, can't wait. <I>--Otto Penzler</I> 357621 1 7 1999 Poachers: Stories total:141|5:51|4:62|3:25|2:3|1:0| 141 584 184 12 4 0 false false Thu Nov 12 03:13:42 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 12 03:22:51 -0800 2009 The Road). bunch of uneducated guys in the woods shooting and skinning and eatin...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Oct 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 24 17:50:22 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 18 20:44:53 -0700 2009
Like the blurbs spew out all over the cover of this book... Raymond Carver'...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Wed Jan 07 10:10:49 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 07 10:11:07 -0800 2009
“Grit” and...more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Feb 09 01:17:47 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 09 01:18:32 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Fri Jan 16 01:30:41 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 16 01:31:27 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Thu Jun 19 18:24:56 -0700 2008 Wed May 14 18:49:11 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 19 18:24:56 -0700 2008 Although there are some other very good stories, this one reminded me of McCarthy's Tennessee or O'Connor's Georgia. Worth the quick read. ]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jun 21 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Oct 22 17:57:15 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 22 17:57:15 -0700 2008
This is a great book of Southern short stories ... and it helps if you're from the South and know what Franklin's talking about. ]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jul 03 20:06:17 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 03 20:09:44 -0700 2007 5 0 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Thu Feb 07 06:00:14 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 07 06:01:32 -0800 2008 4 0 true false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Tue Feb 05 21:17:17 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 05 21:18:41 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Thu Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Tue Jan 15 07:50:42 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 15 07:51:11 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Tue Aug 05 07:40:41 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 05 07:41:06 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Tue Nov 24 20:03:42 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 24 20:03:42 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Tue Nov 24 05:23:17 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 24 05:23:17 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sat Nov 21 08:08:47 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 21 08:08:47 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Wed Nov 18 20:42:37 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 03 20:52:11 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 18 20:42:37 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sun Nov 01 11:41:01 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 01 11:41:29 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Wed Oct 28 14:34:21 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 28 14:34:21 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Oct 27 01:58:07 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 27 01:58:10 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Oct 23 18:05:47 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 23 18:05:47 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=367625