I received a free copy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I'm sorry it took me so long to read it.

I've never read Dan Fesperman's work before and I like his style. I think this novel is supposed to be a crime thriller, but for me it was less about the crime and the mystery, and more about the people and society.

Woodrow Cain is newly arrived in New York City after leaving his role in a small Southern police force following a tragic incident and scandal. He's on a steep learning curve, is being used by more than one party to both cover up and uncover crime and, as with most crime novels, while trying to keep everyone else safe is in danger himself. As the real situation he's trying to deal with is slowly revealed to him, it becomes more complicated, not less so, and at times I lost track of what was going on.

The titular letter writer, Danziger, is an interesting character. He comes across at first as this little old man reading and writing letters on behalf of the illiterate members of his community, but it turns out there was much more to him that first appeared. I liked him; he was interesting.

Fesperman's writing style is very easy to read. The story flowed along at steady pace and had enough tension in the right places to make it entertaining. Hard-core crime fiction fans might be a bit disappointed with the lack of focus on the "mystery" but people who like historical fiction with interesting characters would probably enjoy this as much as I did. I'd happily read more of Fesperman's work.