Search This Blog
December Reviews Link-Up
2024 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska (1)
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas (1)
- California (11)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut (2)
- Delaware (1)
- Florida (3)
- Georgia (4)
- Hawaii (1)
- Idaho (3)
- Illinois (4)
- Indiana (4)
- Iowa (1)
- Kansas (1)
- Kentucky (2)
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (4)
- Michigan (1)
- Minnesota (2)
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri (1)
- Montana (1)
- Nebraska (1)
- Nevada (2)
- New Hampshire (1)
- New Jersey (1)
- New Mexico (1)
- New York (10)
- North Carolina (4)
- North Dakota (1)
- Ohio (3)
- Oklahoma (2)
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania (2)
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota (1)
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (4)
- Utah (5)
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia (2)
- Washington (3)
- West Virginia (1)
- Wisconsin (1)
- Wyoming (2)
- Washington, D.C.* (2)
International:
- Argentina (1)
- Australia (6)
- Austria (1)
- Bolivia (1)
- Canada (4)
- China (2)
- England (27)
- France (2)
- Ghana (1)
- India (1)
- Indonesia (1)
- Ireland (4)
- Italy (1)
- Poland (2)
- Russia (2)
- Scotland (4)
- The Netherlands (1)
2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Atmospheric and Haunting, The Cutting Season Gets High Marks From Me
1:51 PM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Caren Gray never intended to return to the Louisiana plantation where she grew up. Serving in the "big house" was her mother's ambition—never hers. But, here she is anyway, walking the land where slaves once toiled. If she'd been born 150 years earlier, Caren would have been working alongside those dark-skinned workers—her ancestors—cutting cane, polishing the master's silver, and raising a family in the tiny slave cottages that still stand on Belle Vie's vast grounds. Instead, she makes good money managing the plantation, inviting everyone from schoolchildren to senior citizens to visit and learn from its history. Maybe it's not the career she imagined for herself, but it works for the 37-year-old single mother.
Then, comes a terrible discovery: the body of a young migrant worker is found on the grounds of Belle Vie. Murder. Caren doesn't recognize the dead woman, but the vicious killing rocks her to her core. She's always felt safe at Belle Vie (the plantation's ghosts notwithstanding), but now she worries—are she and her 9-year-old daughter safe living in such an isolated spot?
As the police struggle to find the murderer, Caren finds herself and many of the people she works with at the center of the investigation. Caren knows she didn't commit the crime, but who did? Was it someone who knew the woman well, a fellow laborer, perhaps? Or a local, upset with the migrant workers for "stealing" jobs that could belong to him? And then there's Groveland—plenty of people are angry with the corporation's aggressive land-grabbing tactics. Could a fanatic protester have gone too far? Or is the killer something less down-to-Earth? Because, as no one but Caren knows, this isn't the first murder to have happened on the grounds of Belle Vie. Maybe the slaves are finally getting their revenge ...
Although I didn't care much for Attica Locke's debut novel, Black Water Rising, I loved her sophomore attempt. The Cutting Season offers just about everything I look for in a literary thriller—a twisty plot, complex characters, a vivid setting, skilled writing, etc. Atmospheric and haunting, the story kept me mesmerized from beginning to end. I don't give out A's very often, but this one definitely deserves—and receives—high marks from me.
(Readalikes: Reminds me a teensy bit of Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman)
Grade: A-
If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for strong language (a dozen or so F-bombs, plus milder invectives), violence and mild sexual innuendo/content
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of The Cutting Season from the generous folks at Harper Collins. Thank you!
Then, comes a terrible discovery: the body of a young migrant worker is found on the grounds of Belle Vie. Murder. Caren doesn't recognize the dead woman, but the vicious killing rocks her to her core. She's always felt safe at Belle Vie (the plantation's ghosts notwithstanding), but now she worries—are she and her 9-year-old daughter safe living in such an isolated spot?
As the police struggle to find the murderer, Caren finds herself and many of the people she works with at the center of the investigation. Caren knows she didn't commit the crime, but who did? Was it someone who knew the woman well, a fellow laborer, perhaps? Or a local, upset with the migrant workers for "stealing" jobs that could belong to him? And then there's Groveland—plenty of people are angry with the corporation's aggressive land-grabbing tactics. Could a fanatic protester have gone too far? Or is the killer something less down-to-Earth? Because, as no one but Caren knows, this isn't the first murder to have happened on the grounds of Belle Vie. Maybe the slaves are finally getting their revenge ...
Although I didn't care much for Attica Locke's debut novel, Black Water Rising, I loved her sophomore attempt. The Cutting Season offers just about everything I look for in a literary thriller—a twisty plot, complex characters, a vivid setting, skilled writing, etc. Atmospheric and haunting, the story kept me mesmerized from beginning to end. I don't give out A's very often, but this one definitely deserves—and receives—high marks from me.
(Readalikes: Reminds me a teensy bit of Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman)
Grade: A-
If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for strong language (a dozen or so F-bombs, plus milder invectives), violence and mild sexual innuendo/content
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of The Cutting Season from the generous folks at Harper Collins. Thank you!
1 comment:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)
Reading
Listening
Followin' with Bloglovin'
-
Bookshelf Bounty18 minutes ago
-
-
Stacking The Shelves5 hours ago
-
Holiday Weekend Book Deals in December12 hours ago
-
Happy Crossword Puzzle Day!!!13 hours ago
-
-
The Shadowed Land By Signe Pike19 hours ago
-
Love Coupons for Bookworms20 hours ago
-
What your inside cats miss22 hours ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
106. Little Christmas Carol2 days ago
-
Swordheart2 days ago
-
-
A Review of The Christmas Mourner2 days ago
-
-
-
-
-
Review: 1984 by George Orwell4 days ago
-
Hide by Tracy Clark4 days ago
-
-
I have been reading...1 week ago
-
-
-
Sunday Post 5583 weeks ago
-
-
I'm Still Reading - This Was My October5 weeks ago
-
Open for Murder by Mary Angela1 month ago
-
Reading Recap September 20242 months ago
-
-
Review: The Duke and I4 months ago
-
Girl Plus Books: On Hiatus4 months ago
-
-
-
What Happened to Summer?1 year ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?2 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
Grab my Button!
Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
- ► 2014 (133)
- ▼ 2013 (183)
- ► 2012 (193)
- ► 2011 (232)
- ► 2010 (257)
- ► 2009 (211)
- ► 2008 (192)
Hmmm, this one sounds interesting. Sigh. I'll have to try to get to it.
ReplyDelete