Reviews

Black Water Rising by Attica Locke

nigellicus's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense

5.0

After rescuing a woman from a bayou late one night, and a dead body discovered near the spot the next day, a Houston lawyer finds himself enmeshed in causes and conspiracies and corruption he wants no part of, his young radical self confronting his cynical present, unwillingly appointed as go-between between a union set to go on strike and the Mayor, but also being followed and threatened and bribed for reasons he can't understand.

laila4343's review

4.0

3.5 stars. After an initial action-packed scene that sets the plot in motion, this one was a slow burn. But once it built a head of steam, it was a very engrossing, conspiracy-laden mystery. Lots of stuff going on - going back to the civil rights movement in colleges in the 1960s and the FBI involvement in that, Big Oil in the 1980s, looming labor strikes that cut across racial and class lines. A smart thriller. I'm looking forward to reading Ms. Locke's other novels, Pleasantville and The Cutting Season. Review to come soon over at Big Reading Life (http://www.bigreadinglife.wordpress.com.)

jens_book_nook's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

kwonset's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

oshrat's review

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

Sorry. Just could not connect. A great mix of too many ingredients . Did not work for me. I adored Bluebird, bluebird. This one should have been kept in the drawer.

vtlism's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Not my fav pace or subject matter but expertly written and engrossing. 

cseibs's review

2.0

I guess this book just confirms that I'm not a mystery/thriller reader. I was excited by the reviews and the awards this book had won, but, having read it, I am disappointed. There were times when Locke got me going and I was eager to find out what happened next, and the plotline had potential. Overall, though, I could not get truly into the book because I found the characters to fall flat, the scenarios improbable, and the ending too neat. There was a lot going on in the novel that could have been good, but I think I would have appreciated it more if either the book was a lot longer and could have given the characters and their situations a more thorough treatment or if Locke had narrowed her scope and given me a more satisfying look at certain situations and characters. I did not hate this book and it was a good way to occupy my time on a long train trip, but this is not the book that will change my mind and turn me into a reader of thrillers.

cpalma1's review

4.0

I wasn’t crazy about the story itself, but the writing was amazing

literarybutterfly's review

3.0

Black Water Rising was my first outing with Attica Locke. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite enjoy it as much as I had hoped. Black Water Rising felt like three books squeezed into one. There were too many macro plots which contributed to inconsistent pacing. Each plot ended up being connected, so I understand why they were included, but it still felt like too much. I haven’t decided yet if I’ll be picking up the next book in the Jay Porter series but I’m definitely not giving up on Locke’s writing. I’m excited to read The Cutting Season next. I think the story in that book might be more up my alley.

liketheday's review

2.0

The novel opens with our protagonist, Jay Porter, taking his pregnant wife out for a birthday "cruise" on Buffalo Bayou in Houston. That gets quotation marks because the boat is kinda crappy and so is the captain. But Jay makes the most of it, at least until the shooting starts.
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