Hell at the Breech: A Novel by Tom Franklin

by Tom Franklin

In 1897, in rural southwestern Alabama's Mitcham Beat, an aspiring politician is killed mysteriously. His enraged friends, mostly poor cotton farmers, form a secret society, Hell-at-the-Breech, to avenge him. This hooded gang terrorizes the town for a year, culminating in a massacre where innocents perish alongside the guilty. Four individuals are entangled in this the county's aging, sympathetic sheriff; a widowed midwife who delivered most Hell-at-the-Breech members; a relentless detective waging his own war against the gang; and a young store clerk hiding a terrible secret. Based on real events near the author's childhood home, 'Hell at the Breech' chronicles these dark days, revealing the capacity for good, evil, or both in those involved. It's a captivating and unforgettable testament to the author's immense talent.

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1753

About the author

Tom Franklin was born and raised in Dickinson, Alabama. He held various jobs as a struggling writer living in South Alabama, including working as a heavy-equipment operator in a grit factory, a construction inspector in a chemical plant and a clerk in a hospital morgue. In 1997 he received his MFA from the University of Arkansas. His first book, Poachers was named as a Best First Book of Fiction by Esquire and Franklin received a 1999 Edgar Award for the title story. Franklin has published two novels: Hell at the Breech, published in 2003 and Smonk published in 2006. The recipient of the 2001 Guggenheim Fellowship, Franklin now teaches in the University of Mississippi's MFA program and lives in Oxford, Mississippi with his wife, the poet Beth Ann Fennelly, and their children.