Devilwood: A Novel

by Tom Franklin

DEVILWOOD opens in 1994, where Wilbur Miller, a veteran cop, has been assigned to the gentler beat of the Alabama Agricultural and Rural Crimes Unit. What begins with him looking for a missing calf amidst rumours of a “painter” (the American word for panther) at large, finds him stumbling upon what seems to be a gruesome crime scene. A bare, mangled foot, covered in blood leads him to discover more blood, everywhere - on the walls, the floor, as far as the eye can see. He is drawn back to events decades prior when several families built an evangelical church under the guidance of a charismatic itinerant preacher, a period of time Miller has been compellingly trying to forget . . .

Beautifully told, DEVILWOOD unfolds with growing menace. Franklin is able to conjure the dark and mysterious forces that shape and sometimes violate our lives—which some may call evil—while also being acutely sensitive to the various ways in which people seek grace and, if they’re truly fortunate, occasionally find it.

256 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication February 2, 2027

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.

Reviews

[nyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devilwood, like much of Franklin’s oeuvre, is an ode to the south. Kudzu rich and full of a distinct beauty, the novel showcases multiple perspectives and alternating timelines woven together like a tapestry, but still retains a cohesive, easygoing narrational voice with a prominent southern lilt. We mainly follow officer Miller as he untangles the circumstances of a local woman’s grisly death. The imagery that accompanies his undertaking is stunning—cats rendered feral after being trapped for days with their dead owner, midnight shrieks and thunderous knocking at the door, black panthers and demons. Alabama, as depicted by Franklin, is palpable and candid, yet steeped with the slow creep of dread. There is a certain disquiet in the mundanity of southern life in this novel.

The characters are striking and vivid, with their own dubious motives. Complicated dynamics and relationships are revealed as the narrative progresses, and loose ends are tied together nicely, but are not all the way resolved by the end. An air of mystery lingers after the main conflict—one that leaves a hollowed-out feeling behind, that invites rumination on the bleak motifs throughout the pages. And though it may be dismal, the narrative is sure to remind us that there is one resounding notion: life goes on.

I really enjoyed this one. Recommended to those looking for an impressive, atmospheric southern noir.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this book.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had an absolute blast with this one. I couldn't put it down. Tom Franklin is one hell of a writer, and he creates such an immersive Southern Appalachian world filled with corrupt preachers, cult-like churches, criminals on the run, local legends, and a compelling whodunit. I was completely engrossed from beginning to end.

That said, I don't know that this worked as horror for me. It felt much more like a mystery with eerie, supernatural overtones, and honestly, I was perfectly happy with that. The investigation and the atmosphere kept me hooked.

My only real complaint is that, because I approached it as a mystery, I wanted a few more of the plot threads to be tied up by the end. I understand that the ambiguity is likely intentional and meant to enhance the unsettling atmosphere, but for me it came across more as loose ends than lingering dread. Your mileage may vary, especially if you enjoy stories that leave room for interpretation.

Even so, Franklin's writing is outstanding, the setting is richly realized, and the story pulled me along effortlessly. If you're a fan of Southern noir, Appalachian fiction, and mysteries with just a touch of the uncanny, this is well worth picking up.