Scan barcode
A review by ponch22
Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
4.0
Two down, ten to go on my 2018 Reading Challenge. [b:Bluebird, Bluebird|34219838|Bluebird, Bluebird|Attica Locke|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1494608126s/34219838.jpg|55271375] was "a book nominated for an award in 2018" and it actually won the Edgar Award for Best Novel!
[a:Attica Locke|2829019|Attica Locke|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1332466009p2/2829019.jpg] tells the story of Darren Matthews, a black Texas Ranger who doesn't always get the respect his five-pointed star deserves because of the color of his skin. Set in present day, the novel oftentimes feels like it's set in the Jim Crow days (or even pre-Civil War). The KKK has morphed into the ABT (Aryan Brotherhood of Texas) and racism is bubbling beneath the surface of every page.
The novel features several murders all of which hold a bit of mystery—Darren's friend, Mack, is accused of killing an ABT member who's been terrorizing his family; a black Chicago lawyer, Michael Wright, is found in the bayou behind a small Texas eatery owned by Geneva Sweet; a young, local white woman, Missy, washes up on Geneva's shore a few days later; even the 20-year-old murder of Geneva's husband, Joe plays a role.
A local bar is an ABT hangout and Darren's possible connection to Mack's case is leaving his position with the Rangers at risk. Which might be a good thing, because his wife, Lisa, is upset with his long weekends away with the Rangers; she'd prefer he go back to law school.
There are a good dozen or so other characters, which was my main problem with the novel. It only took me a few weeks to read the book (really sort of done in two large chunks two weeks apart) but I had trouble keeping all the names and relations straight. Darren's own family tree is something I can't quite keep straight, what with his birth mom who he's ashamed of, and two uncles one of who might have been his father—I'm not sure I really remember... And then there are the three men named Wallace Jefferson (original, Jr., and III) who all play a role. It was all a little too much for me to follow.
But the story itself is a pretty neat mystery with maybe one piece of the puzzle left a little too open-ended for me (the final pages of the last chapter). I think I enjoyed last year's Reading Challenge nominee—[b:The Ex|25817395|The Ex|Alafair Burke|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440168296s/25817395.jpg|45264431]—which didn't win the Edgar over this year's novel that did!
[a:Attica Locke|2829019|Attica Locke|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1332466009p2/2829019.jpg] tells the story of Darren Matthews, a black Texas Ranger who doesn't always get the respect his five-pointed star deserves because of the color of his skin. Set in present day, the novel oftentimes feels like it's set in the Jim Crow days (or even pre-Civil War). The KKK has morphed into the ABT (Aryan Brotherhood of Texas) and racism is bubbling beneath the surface of every page.
The novel features several murders all of which hold a bit of mystery—Darren's friend, Mack, is accused of killing an ABT member who's been terrorizing his family; a black Chicago lawyer, Michael Wright, is found in the bayou behind a small Texas eatery owned by Geneva Sweet; a young, local white woman, Missy, washes up on Geneva's shore a few days later; even the 20-year-old murder of Geneva's husband, Joe plays a role.
A local bar is an ABT hangout and Darren's possible connection to Mack's case is leaving his position with the Rangers at risk. Which might be a good thing, because his wife, Lisa, is upset with his long weekends away with the Rangers; she'd prefer he go back to law school.
There are a good dozen or so other characters, which was my main problem with the novel. It only took me a few weeks to read the book (really sort of done in two large chunks two weeks apart) but I had trouble keeping all the names and relations straight. Darren's own family tree is something I can't quite keep straight, what with his birth mom who he's ashamed of, and two uncles one of who might have been his father—I'm not sure I really remember... And then there are the three men named Wallace Jefferson (original, Jr., and III) who all play a role. It was all a little too much for me to follow.
But the story itself is a pretty neat mystery with maybe one piece of the puzzle left a little too open-ended for me (the final pages of the last chapter). I think I enjoyed last year's Reading Challenge nominee—[b:The Ex|25817395|The Ex|Alafair Burke|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440168296s/25817395.jpg|45264431]—which didn't win the Edgar over this year's novel that did!