Start with a complicated friendship between two young boys, a series of murders, some false accusations and a lifetime of secrets and you end up with a great little mystery. This story offers a couple of well formed characters, some suspense and just a touch creepy. Very good.

This book pulls the reader in, right from the beginning. The two main characters are compelling and real. Both are lonely, though in very different ways. Good writing that flows.

Very well written, Characters came alive. Quick read. 2 thums up.

The author paints a complete and compelling picture of the main characters but the twists in the plot could be predicted far ahead of time. Overall a good weekend read.

A good book but missing that sense of humor that both Hell at the Breech and Smonk had. Still a nice writing style and he even punctuates in this one.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was very well written. I appreciated how even the tiniest details were woven together. I'd highly reccomend this.

I really enjoyed this book and found it to be an engrossing read. Good characters and excellent setting.--the rural southern US. The plot unfolds in that alternating present/past way. I'm not a huge fan of tension, though a little suspense is nice, and I quite liked the balance struck here. More than anything, I liked the main people you spend your time with.

An excellent read. In a setting that was as foreign to me as the face of the moon, the characters are finely drawn and memorable. Rarely has a book's characters remained with me long after completion, especially in a 'genre' book, such as this. A small masterpiece; I feel richer upon reading it.

The books spelling is a reference to the setting, Mississippi. The action is told in a mix of present and flashbacks to the 1970s. Larry Ott was a bit of an outsider, a reader rather than a jock, lacking any real friends. When he encounters Silas Jones, a black boy near his age, he makes some overtures. The two boys begin to hang out together when they aren't in school, finding a way towards a friendship of sorts. Action by Larry's father creates a barrier between the two and the friendship falters. Fast forward a few years and Larry takes a neighbour girl to the drive-in, his first date. He returns home without her, and she is not heard from again. Larry denies any wrongdoing and is never charged, but becomes ostracized further by the community. Go forward a few decades and there is another missing girl. Larry is under suspicion and Silas is the town constable. As Silas tries to chase down the facts around the case, he and Larry must face the events of their past and make their way through them. A fascinating tale of suspicion and prejudice, this book is a great read.

This is one of the best novels I've read in some time. It's a crime novel, yes, but equally compelling is the story of the relationship between two men. Beautifully written, touching and suspenseful, with a strong sense of place (the Deep South). Highly recommended!