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Set in the racially charged southern landscape of the Mississippi Delta in 1969, Lynchard's work fuses a scintillating murder mystery with probing commentary delivered impeccably through introspective character analysis. The narrative revolves around one Paul Lane, a newly minted investigator at the DA's office, a recently released prisoner—Tyrone Braid, and a perfect storm of tumultuous events that leaves an entire community in fear and tests even the sturdiest of moral compasses.
Lynchard wastes no time in getting the reader's attention and keeping it. From the first pages, a chilling scene transpires where the omniscient narrator juxtaposes the seemingly harmless nighttime routine of soon-to-be senior Linda Strawberry with the prying eyes that foreshadow her imminent murder. While havoc was unleashed upon the community, the inner darkness of some threatened to further spiral residents into chaos. As the whodunit reaches a breakneck pace, the predominantly white community is hungry to pin the blame on Tyrone and execute vigilante justice.
References to Emmet Till's brutal lynching a mere fourteen years prior clearly convey what is at stake for Tyrone, who not only served time for watching his employer, a white woman, bathe, but is also Black. Braid truly has the odds stacked against him. Though there are numerous red herrings, the ultimate factor is the fever-pitch build-up of a man's unquestionable guilt simply because he's Black. Whether it's Sheriff Wilson's inherent inkling toward suspecting Tyrone or Dewitt Strawberry's transformation from grieving father to a vengeful vigilante, many in Bolivar County would not think twice about indicting a Black man. Thus, Paul Lane's character serves as the North Star, a guiding light for morality and justice, determined to reach Tyrone before anyone else can. The latter would almost instantly mean a heinous ending to a man's life that only years prior was on the highest of highs as a top football athlete.
An integral attribute of Lynchard's work is the depth of each character, however minor. Every character has a purpose and is subtly woven into the greater fabric of the unfolding mystery. There's thirty-eight-year-old Wayne Milton, whose disposition is highly reminiscent of Lenny from Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. He meanders around the neighborhood and is a known commodity in the community. Then, there's the empathetic pastor whose eyes home in on Wayne as the potential suspect, succumbing to a crime of rage and desire. At the same time, there's Sheriff Wilson and his incessant itch to nab a suspect, completely looking past the undeniable fact that if the suspect was indeed a Black man, the ramifications were almost certainly death.
Overall, the pacing is electric throughout as Lynchard delves into a fascinating cat-and-mouse chase between investigator Paul Lane and Tyrone that spans all the way to Chicago. In the process, it becomes apparent that Lane may truly be Tyrone's only chance to avoid a deadly demise. The visceral details and the callous remarks made by otherwise law-abiding citizens show that the time period was still susceptible to prejudice and the dehumanization of the Black man. As such, Lynchard is unafraid to let his story unfold within the backdrop of 1969, allowing him to deliver a narrative that is riveting in its plot, but is equally insightful in its understanding of historical context and Lane's persistent search for truth that will not rest until every stone is turned and the rightful perpetrator has been apprehended.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review