Reviews
[A] haunting mystery, where the murder of a migrant worker brings past and present into hair's-breadth proximity., Locke makes every scene count with a complex plot that unfolds surprises at every turn and packs a satisfying conclusion.... Highly recommended for fans of fast-paced mysteries with strong geographic angles and appealing underdogs., A thriller wrapped in an involving story of community and family dynamics. Locke serves up a panorama of nuanced characters and writes with intelligence and depth., Compelling. . . . A mystery that expands the whole idea of the mystery, reaching from the present deeply into the past. . . . Great writing, the kind that gives you goose bumps., This taut thriller. . . is knitted with enough shock and awe and backroom politics to keep you reading and guessing all weekend long., The impressively astute Attica Locke writes . . . in much the same way that Mr. Lehane [does]. . . . Each is willing to use the murder mystery as a framework for much more ambitious, atmospheric fiction., I was first struck by Attica Locke's prose, then by the ingenuity of her narrative and finally and most deeply by the depth of her humanity. She writes with equal amounts grace and passion. . . . I'd probably read the phone book if her name was on the spine., [A] haunting mystery, where the murder of a migrant worker brings past and present into hair's–breadth proximity., Absorbing. . . . As she managed to do so well in her first novel, Black Water Rising, Locke draws on the past to remind her characters how much it has shaped their identities and how much it continues to shape the choices they make., Locke knows how to craft a thrilling story…. With Pleasantville she's crafted a legal thriller that shifts between personal tragedy and political corruption always with an eye on the subtle detail or the big reveal., Outstanding…. Ms. Locke elegantly parcels out key information about her characters one piece at a time., Attica Locke's first novel, Black Water Rising, which Janet Maslin called 'subtle and compelling' in The New York Times, is an even better book than its author had in mind...The book cleverly replaces the kind of cold-war paranoia that used to animate thrillers with racial paranoia instead., Locke deftly moves between past and present action . . . [putting] her in the company of master thriller writers such as Dennis Lehane or Scott Turow. . . . Attica Locke [is] a writer wise beyond her years., Dripping with southern Gothic atmosphere. . . . Equal parts murder mystery and family drama, the novel also draws readers in through its considerations of African-American history and life in post-Katrina Louisiana., "Compelling.... Locke, a writer and co-producer of the Fox drama "Empire," gracefully melds politics and racial issues with greed and a family rooted in secrecy for a gripping, believable plot.", Black Water Rising is a stylish, involving literary thriller with a strong emphasis on human politics and character. An auspicious debut from Attica Locke., A nuanced and empathetic look at the unequal, contentious social layers of Houston's African-American population., Locke, a sharp and gifted writer, delivers a complex, suspenseful legal thriller that offers a sophisticated appraisal of our deeply flawed political process, one that is likely to resound with readers., [A] deeply nuanced story . . . As Scott Turow has done, Ms. Locke uses small, incremental deceptions to draw her main character into big and dangerous mistakes . . . Subtle and compelling.
