And even though Jay is tired of wading through other people's problems, he suddenly finds himself trying his first murder case, a trial that threatens to blow the entire community wide open, and reveal the lengths that those with power are willing to go to hold onto it.

Sam is determined that Jay Porter defends his grandson. And when her body is found, Axel's nephew is charged with her murder. But his lead is slipping thanks to a late entrant into the race - Sandy Wolcott, a defence attorney riding high on the success of a high-profile murder trial.Īnd then, just as the competition intensifies, a girl goes missing, apparently while canvassing for Axel. Lockes gripping thriller opens on election night 1996, when a teenage girl. Locke expertly etches a portrait of her anxiety-ridden protagonist, and she animates the complex plot with the assurance of a practiced screenwriter (she’s currently working on an HBO series about civil rights). Axel Hathorne, former chief of police and the son of Pleasantville's founding father, was all set to become Houston's first black mayor. Harper, 26.99 (432p) ISBN 978-0-06-225940-0. As usual the campaign focuses on Pleasantville - the African-American neighbourhood of the city that has swung almost every race since it was founded to house a growing black middle class in 1949. It's 1996, Bill Clinton has just been re-elected and in Houston a mayoral election is looming. Pleasantville - The Jay Porter Mysteries by Attica Locke Publishers Synopsis Book information Sign up to receive wonderful books and offers in your inbox. A native of Houston, Texas, Attica lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and daughter. SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA GOLD DAGGER AND LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2016, THE TIMES 10 Best Thrillers of 2010s She co-created and executive produced an adaptation of her sister Tembi Locke’s memoir, From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home for Netflix, which was a top 10 hit in 50+ countries during its first weeks on air.

Pleasantville by attica locke