Take a photo of a barcode or cover
ldea 's review for:
The Bottoms
by Joe R. Lansdale
I started out feeling like this book was a little too much of a To Kill a Mockingbird retread (complete with obvious Boo Radley analog), but by the mid-point of the story the racial politics got considerably more complicated and powerful. Probably the best moment is when Harry's father pierces the Atticus Finch "good white guy" nimbus around him by admitting he screwed up his investigation because of his own prejudice. The mystery itself is also well plotted and threw in enough Red herrings to make the resolution a surprise. The writing throughout is also beautiful and wryly funny, and genuinely frightening at points. The opening scene with Harry and his sister walking through the forest and hearing the sound of someone tracking them chilled me through and through.