Master of the Delta ~ Thomas Cook

Master of the Delta was a page-a-day recommendation.  The little blurb said it was about an english teacher teaching an advanced class on historical evil.  He then discovers one of his students is the son of "The Co-ed" killer, a local murderer.  The teacher encourages this student to write about his father for the class.  It sounded intriguing and so I thought I'd give it a go.

The book was a complete surprise.  The first thing is that it takes place in 1954.  I'd assumed that it was more contemporary.  The second thing was an expectation of a thrillerness, if that's even a word, a dive right in and full speed ahead sort of writing.  That was not this book.  That isn't to say that there wasn't tension and suspense, there was.  It was just a slower more lyrical style of writing. 

Jack Branch is the son of an important southern family.  The family still owns it's plantation out on plantation row.  He's well educated and aware of the privileges his upbringing has brought him.  In contrast to that is Eddie Miller a kid from the wrong part of town with a murderer for a father.  The story is told in three parts that inter cut with each other through out the book.  The main story in 1954, excepts from a trial, and present day.   I enjoyed the writing.  Thomas Cook has a gift for evoking the feel of a time and place. 

My biggest problem is that I kept expecting this to be some other type of book.  A James Patterson, Jeffery Deaver, Dean Koontz thriller.  I'm not sure why.  I kept waiting for the action, the evil, the event, the something to start up.  There must have been something in the blurb that struck my mind that way.  To me this had a more literary feel and style.  The situations and problems in this story are real and much more believable than the serial killer next door who is out smarted by the plucky heroine.  I liked the book.  I liked getting hints and clues from the trial and the present day.  It helped enhance the story.  I don't know that I'd go out of my way to read another of his books, but if one came my way, I'd read it.