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Hinckley Murder: Franklin, Idaho 1881
ONE BULLET CHANGED EVERYTHING.
A gripping historical novel based on true events, Hinckley Franklin, Idaho 1881 weaves together the lives of individuals across decades and continents, culminating in a tragic encounter in a peaceful frontier town.
In 1881, Franklin, Idaho railroad agent, Joel Hinckley and his young bride Lucy are starting their life together when two drifters, Michael Mooney and Frank Barnes, tragically upend their lives and shock the community.
This novel masterfully traces the divergent paths that bring together these people from around the world seeking opportunity, belonging, or adventure.
Author Kevin Sorensen crafts a rich tapestry of authentic 19th century life, exploring themes of justice, crime, forgiveness, punishment, and the repercussions from impulsive acts. Through meticulous research and compassionate storytelling, he transforms an obscure historical footnote into a profound meditation on how ordinary people process extraordinary tragedy.
More than just a story about a murder, this is a deeply human tale about the complex web of circumstances that shape lives over generations and connects us to one another across time and distance.
A gripping historical novel based on true events, Hinckley Franklin, Idaho 1881 weaves together the lives of individuals across decades and continents, culminating in a tragic encounter in a peaceful frontier town.
In 1881, Franklin, Idaho railroad agent, Joel Hinckley and his young bride Lucy are starting their life together when two drifters, Michael Mooney and Frank Barnes, tragically upend their lives and shock the community.
This novel masterfully traces the divergent paths that bring together these people from around the world seeking opportunity, belonging, or adventure.
Author Kevin Sorensen crafts a rich tapestry of authentic 19th century life, exploring themes of justice, crime, forgiveness, punishment, and the repercussions from impulsive acts. Through meticulous research and compassionate storytelling, he transforms an obscure historical footnote into a profound meditation on how ordinary people process extraordinary tragedy.
More than just a story about a murder, this is a deeply human tale about the complex web of circumstances that shape lives over generations and connects us to one another across time and distance.
300 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 29, 2025
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10 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 8, 2026
This is the story of the murder of a telegrapher in a small southern Idaho town. The book starts with alternating chapters of certain people in the book and how they all come to be in Franklin when the murder is committed. It's written in a narrative non-fiction style, but it really doesn't feel like either a novel or an account, and the alternating chapters become wearisome.
It's an interesting story, but it gets lost in format, and that takes the enjoyment from reading it. It's only 300 pages, but it took me a lot longer to get through it than it should have. The characters start way too far back, some of the histories starting before the character actually involved in the title story is born, leaving confusion over who certain people are and why they matter to the story. I don't need chapters on who the grandparents and aunts and uncles of certain players are if they have nothing to do with the account, past housing a relative on their way to America, never to be seen in the book again. I know everyone comes from somewhere, but some of the back history of some characters could have been written out in a paragraph rather than in multiple chapters.
It's an interesting story, but it gets lost in format, and that takes the enjoyment from reading it. It's only 300 pages, but it took me a lot longer to get through it than it should have. The characters start way too far back, some of the histories starting before the character actually involved in the title story is born, leaving confusion over who certain people are and why they matter to the story. I don't need chapters on who the grandparents and aunts and uncles of certain players are if they have nothing to do with the account, past housing a relative on their way to America, never to be seen in the book again. I know everyone comes from somewhere, but some of the back history of some characters could have been written out in a paragraph rather than in multiple chapters.
December 29, 2025
Interesting story but...
I enjoyed reading the story, but unfortunately the poor writing detracted from it. There were a lot of errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar that annoyed me, but that could be that fault of the editor. I mean, come on, page 271, San Fransisco? And I only point that out because it was the subtitle of the chapter and in bold print, so very hard to miss. But I also found the dialog to be very stilted. I would not recommend this book nor would I read anything else by this author.
I enjoyed reading the story, but unfortunately the poor writing detracted from it. There were a lot of errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar that annoyed me, but that could be that fault of the editor. I mean, come on, page 271, San Fransisco? And I only point that out because it was the subtitle of the chapter and in bold print, so very hard to miss. But I also found the dialog to be very stilted. I would not recommend this book nor would I read anything else by this author.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews