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pambo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Murder and Violence
mcmontgomery's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Having said that, I may go back and read the rest of this series when I feel like something a little more suspenseful.
Graphic: Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Police brutality, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse
megelizabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
For me, the strengths of this book are its vivid depictions of Texan social, cultural, and natural life, its layered, messy characters, and its necessary commentary. Darren's perspective is certainly an interesting one, and I largely found his personal story and the wider events happening to be compelling in an understated way.
As a mystery, this was for me a bit mediocre, and I wasn't a fan of the way some of the 'relationships' (i.e. grooming of underage or at best barely legal girls) are talked about. I also didn't love the ending, though that's more of a personal gripe; it's very much an ending that's setting up the next book rather than giving closure to this one, and I don't tend to enjoy that in series'.
Attica Locke can certainly write, and I'm glad I picked this up even if overall it ended up being just okay. I'd recommend if you're looking for a thriller that's dark but in a quiet way, with a plot that's decent enough but where there's much more emphasis on atmosphere and commentary.
Graphic: Racism, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Blood, Violence, Death, Murder, and Animal death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
novelsistah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Racial slurs
cleches's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, Racism, and Murder
chelseakasten's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Lark narrative is book-ended by a separate narrative that is meant to set the stage for Darren’s current predicament - a suspended Black Texas Ranger who has historically been tasked with investigating the Aryan Brotherhood’s drug trade while being asked to ignore their racial hate crimes. I didn’t dislike this entirely, as it sets a good background, but it introduced a lot of unnecessary characters and ultimately created some confusion for me. I also did not like how it was used to wrap up the book. There was a better ending (not necessarily nice, just more appropriate) in there somewhere.
The third narrative of the book was Darren’s complicated relationships with family members. There were way too many peripheral characters here that really muddied the waters. (Naomi, for example, was distracting. Even the mother really didn’t add much.)
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Death of parent and Murder
rae_bookmarkchronicles's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Racial slurs, Murder, and Racism
readerette's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The n-word appears a number of times and a couple of other slurs come up once or twice--all contextually appropriate for the setting and characters. Just worth calling out to prepare yourself.
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Hate crime, Cursing, Infidelity, Murder, Violence, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Blood
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Vomit, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Infertility, and Rape
emilineopines's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Racism, Alcohol, Gun violence, Murder, Animal death, and Death
hazelgirl21's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Gun violence, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent