Master Of The Delta - Softcover

Cook, Thomas H.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 075318317X ISBN 13: 9780753183175

Publisher: ISIS Large Print Books, 2010

Synopsis

They call Eddie Miller "The Co-ed Killer's Son". When Eddie was five years old, his father killed a local college girl, dismembered her body, and buried the pieces in the woods. Where Eddie's family name has brought only infamy, Jack's has bestowed deference and respect. He's returned from college to teach in his hometown. At the back of his class, sits Eddie. Jack sees a young man of promise, struggling with a poisonous inheritance, and encourages Eddie to discover the truth about his father. Others would rather the past was left undisturbed. Jack's father was a teacher himself - he taught Eddie's father - and he knows that not all questions should be answered...the answer to a heartfelt question will always break your heart.

About this title

Review

While the better-known stars of crime fiction routinely shift thousands of copies of their books, there are some writers who are held in far higher esteem by the real cognoscenti of the form. These are the men and women who deliver crime fiction written with far greater skill than the more trumpeted names; writers whose use of language rivals (and often surpasses) that of more ostensibly 'literary' writers. Such a talent is Thomas H. Cook, a North American writer who has built up a considerable reputation as well as gleaning several awards and nominations. Most recently, his highly accomplished Red Leaves was shortlisted for the Crime Writers Association Dagger Award. But in some ways, his latest, Master of the Delta, is his most striking novel yet.

Eddie Miller is known as the 'Coed Killer's son' since his father murdered and dismembered the body of a college girl when Eddie was a five years old. While Eddie chafes under the legacy of this soiled family name, Jack, scion of an aristocratic southern family, enjoys only respect when he returns from college to teach in Lakeland, Mississippi, his home town. While teaching the unlucky Eddie, Jack begins to see that there is more to this young man than most people have perceived: this is someone of real promise, struggling under a grim family legacy. Jack persuades Eddie to directly tackle the past and find out the truth about his father. But there are people opposed to this idea: the school principal, the local sheriff and even Jack's own uncommunicative father. Inevitably, some dark truths emerge, and lives are irrevocably changed.

If this novel were not marketed as a crime novel (with encomiums from such names as Harlan Coben) it would no doubt glean a sheaf of enthusiastic reviews for its penetration and insight. But those who feel that there is no reason why such ambition should not find a place within the context of the crime genre, a rare treat is in store with Master of the Delta. --Barry Forshaw

Review

Any thriller fan will be delighted to get a copy - The Irish Independent. (Irish Independent)

Compelling and atmospheric mystery . brilliant conclusion, which is both powerful and unexpected. Mr.Cook is very definitely a master of the craft - Tangled Web (Tangled Web)

Upon finishing Master of the Delta and finally unraveling all of its mysteries, it is impossible to lay the book to rest. Instead, you are drawn to immediately reread the book with the clarity of hindsight . Master of the Delta is an impressive and worthy successor to Cook's award-winning novel, The Chatham School Affair - Sunday Business Post (Sunday Business Post)

...a clever, unsettling story often reminiscent of William Faulkner - Sunday Times (Sunday Times)

It is a measure of Cook's skill that he can write so grippingly without giving much away until the ultimate shock . Cook is a quiet, elegant thoughtful writer, no less effective for his reticence - The Times (The Times)

Edition details

• Publisher: ISIS Large Print Books
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 075318317X
• ISBN 13: 9780753183175
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 392