This
is another great novel from one of my favorite authors.
The
action takes place in Justice, Mississippi, and consists of two
murder trials fifty years apart. In 1964 a college aged black man is
accused or murdering a high school aged white girl. The conviction
seems a done deal in the racially charged town.
Cooper
Lindsay, son of the pastor of Justice Methodist Church and recently
returned to the town as a lawyer, is approached by the boy's mother.
Convinced he is innocent, she asks Coop to represent him. Coop
struggles with the decision, knowing it would put himself and his
wife and children in danger and would effectively end his career in
his hometown. Remembering his deceased father's sermons on the Good
Samaritan, he takes the case.
The
situation does turn deadly as tempers flare and old hurts are
resurrected. We readers are not privy to all the results of the
violence until another trial takes place in Justice, fifty years
later.
I
really liked this novel. Collins has really laid bare the racial
tension in the town. I really liked Coop as a character. He is a man
who struggles with doing the right thing, knowing it might bring harm
to his family. Yet his father's sermons ring in his ears, inspiring
him to see that justice is done.
I
have never lived in the south and this book is an eye opener to the
prejudice that can still reside in the hearts of people. As we find
out in the book, that prejudice can originate in a lie and needlessly
hurt many people.
Collins
has given us a well thought out plot that spans half a century and
reveals the darker side of mankind, yet encourages us with those
determined to right the wrong that dark side causes. I recommend it.
Ace
Collins has authored more than twenty five books having sold more
than two million copies. He lives in Arkansas. You can find out more
at AceCollins.com.
Abingdon
Press, 320 pages.
I
received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for
the purpose of an independent and honest review.
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