Reviews with content warning for Racism - Decent People

This was my first De'Shawn Charles Winslow novel. I checked his first book out from the library but never got to it but that will be changing.

I'm usually not a fan of historical fiction but Decent People was superbly written. The deaths of three of the towns Black residents had the town reeling. Everyone had something to say about Marian, Marva and their brother Lazarus Harmon being murdered. Decent People was set in 1976, West Mills, North Carolina but the issues the residents faced could have easily been 2023.

Ms. Jo Wright was not for the foolishness! Her man Olympus "Lymp" Seymore was accused of killing the Harmons, his half siblings. The police were not in a hurry to solve this crime or nor did they really care. What a shocker. Jo set out to clear Lymp's name and uncovered many secrets the town's people were hiding. I loved Jo because she was ahead of her time. She was a retiree and made it a point to correct people who had an issue with homosexuals and police injustice.

The townspeople of West Mills were definitely small minded and set in their ways. The other characters such as Savannah, with the biracial children who moved back to West Mills, Eunice and her husband Breezy and their shame about their son being gay. I couldn't get enough of these juicy characters. I kept thinking this book can't possibly be set in 1976! I was completely invested in finding out who killed the Harmons for sure. I still feel like there were a lot of secrets that weren't addressed adequately. Some were uncovered and others weren't and had more questions than answers. This was a great Sunday afternoon read.

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pun1sher's review against another edition

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3.5

Very engaging, I couldn't stop reading. The final plot twist caught me off guard but I'm not necessarily sure if I believe how easy the killer's arrest went, but anyway it was pretty fun.
The characters were enjoyable and interesting and the writing style was simple and on the nose without being crude

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mamaofperfectpayton's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I really enjoyed this book. I took a star away because the story was flowing so well, but the last 2 chapters, which had the most vital part of the story, felt rushed. I really like how it ended.

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dclazygirl's review against another edition

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3.75

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evanf's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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