Cracker Town
by W.F. Ranew
GENRE: Mystery
BLURB:
In 1955, Cleet Wrightman is found guilty of murdering a woman and sent to the Georgia State Mental Hospital to serve out his time until 1973. In spring of that year, young agent Red Farlow investigates the slayings of three members of the Goings family in Valdosta, but he was never able to apprehend the murderer.
Excerpt:
A gentle breeze teased as the man leaned against the flaky bark of a pecan tree in a spot two miles west of Boston, Georgia. Cleet Wrightman soaked up the shade’s comfort after several long, warm April days on the road. His back eased against the trunk. Restful.
Cleet welcomed the morning sunlight as an assurance spring had arrived. Yet, the day warmed quickly. Probably no more than eighty then. He didn’t mind the heat, long as he was in the shade or caught a ride. Both offered a solace of their own, depending.
If he had to walk along the road, arm high begging for a ride, he would be in for perhaps hours of making slow way along Georgia’s two-lane blacktops. Something he had to do. But thumbing wouldn’t get him where he needed to go very fast. Then there was an occasional truck passing thirty yards or so from where he rested. Any one of their drivers might pick him up. Then, it was springtime, and he relished a day of lying in.
He’d gotten to the pecan grove the night before, late, and slept for several hours before the sun woke him up. He rubbed the night grit from his eyes and licked his tongue around a dry mouth. When he stood up and walked around the tree to limber up, he noticed his boots were wet. He shook off the dew, but he feared more blisters that day…
My Review:
Red is hired to look into a case that was closed over fifty years ago. Fifty years ago Red had a case, the slayings of three members of the Goings family, the murderer was never found.
In that same year a man, Cleet Wrightman was was sent to a Georgia State Mental Hospital for the murder of a young woman. Cleet was released almost twenty years later and has not been seen since. Red believes Cleet is still alive but the question is where is he?
Now fifty years later Red has reopened the case. He is very lucky that he has found a witness from the time of the killings in 1955 who has a box of old files on the murder case.
Red believes if he can find the missing Cleet Wrightman he could blow the case wide open as he probably knows more than anyone what truly transpired all those years ago.
As with all of the Red Farlow Mysteries, Cracker Town was a fast-paced read that drew me in from the first page and had me racing to the end to find out who the killer was and where Cleet Wrightman was hiding.
When I saw that there was another Red Farlow mystery out I knew right then and there that I had to read it. The Red Farlow mysteries are filled with lots of secrets that it likes to hold onto revealing them very slowly and it also has a lot of twists, twists that I never saw coming.
As with all of the Red Farlow Mysteries I definitely recommend Cracker Town to all murder mystery fans! Grab your copy of Cracker Town today!
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
W.F. Ranew writes the Red Farlow Mysteries series from Tirgearr Publishing. The most recent book is No. 5, Cracker Town.
Ranew formerly worked as a newspaper reporter, editor, and communication executive. He started his journalism career covering sports, police, and city council meetings at his hometown newspaper, The Quitman Free Press. He also worked as a reporter and editor for several regional dailies: The Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle, The Florida Times-Union, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Ranew has written two previous novels — Schoolhouse Man and Candyman’s Sorrow.
He lives with his wife in Atlanta and St. Simons Island, Ga.
Find all Farlow novels at www.tirpub.com/wfranew — Rich and Gone, Blue Magnolia, East Beach, and Blood Mug.
Buy Link: Amazon
2 comments:
I liked the review.
Cracker Town sounds like a thrilling read and I like the cover! Thanks for sharing it with me! Thanks Avid Reader for sharing your review with me! Have a spectacular holiday season!
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