Attica Locke

Winner of the 2018 Edgar Award for Best Novel One of CrimeReads's Best Novels of the Decade A "heartbreakingly resonant" (USA Today) thriller about the explosive intersection of love, race, and justice from the author of Heaven, My Home When it comes to law and order, East Texas plays by its own rules--a fact that Darren Mathews, a black Texas Ranger, knows all too well. Deeply ambivalent about growing up black in the lone star state, he was the first in his family to get as far away from Texas as he could. Until duty called him home. When his allegiance to his roots puts his job in jeopardy, he travels up Highway 59 to the small town of Lark, where two murders--a black lawyer from Chicago and a local white woman--have stirred up a hornet's nest of resentment. Darren must solve the crimes--and save himself in the process--before Lark's long-simmering racial fault lines erupt. From a writer and producer of the Emmy winning Fox TV show Empire, Bluebird, Bluebird is a rural noir suffused with the unique music, color, and nuance of East Texas. "In Bluebird, Bluebird Attica Locke has both mastered the thriller and exceeded it." --Ann Patchett

Bluebird, Bluebird

When the dead body of a young woman is found on the grounds of Belle Vie, the estate's manager, Caren Gray, launches her own investigation into Belle Vie's history, which leads her to a centuries old mystery involving the plantation's slave quarters--and her own past.

a novel

The cutting season

When African-American lawyer Jay Porter jumps into the bayou to save a drowning white woman in Houston, Texas, in 1981, he finds his practice and life in danger when he becomes embroiled in a murder investigation involving Houston's elite.

A Novel

Black Water Rising

In Black Water Rising, Attica Locke made one of the most stunning fiction debuts in recent memory. Now she returns with The Cutting Season, a riveting thriller that intertwines two murders separated by over a century. Caren Gray manages Belle Vie, a sprawling antebellum plantation-turned-tourist attraction where the past and the present coexist uneasily. Outside the gates, an ambitious corporation has been snapping up sugar cane fields from struggling families, replacing local employees with illegal laborers. Tensions mount when the body of a female migrant worker is found in a shallow grave on the property, her throat cut clean. The police zero in on a suspect but Caren fears they're chasing the wrong leads. Putting herself at risk, she unearths startling new facts about the long-ago disappearance of a former slave that has unsettling ties to the modern-day crime. In pursuit of the truth about Belle Vie's history—and her own—Caren discovers secrets about both cases that an increasingly desperate killer will do anything to keep hidden.

The Cutting Season

The thrilling follow-up to the award-winning Bluebird, Bluebird: Texas Ranger Darren Matthews is on the hunt for a boy who's gone missing - but it's the boy's family of white supremacists who are his real target 9-year-old Levi King knew he should have left for home sooner; now he's alone in the darkness of vast Caddo Lake, in a boat whose motor just died. A sudden noise distracts him - and all goes dark. Darren Matthews is trying to emerge from another kind of darkness; after the events of his previous investigation, his marriage is in a precarious state of re-building, and his career and reputation lie in the hands of his mother, who's never exactly had his best interests at heart. Now she holds the key to his freedom, and she's not above a little maternal blackmail to press her advantage. An unlikely possibility of rescue arrives in the form of a case down Highway 59, in a small lakeside town where the local economy thrives on nostalgia for ante-bellum Texas - and some of the era's racial attitudes still thrive as well. Levi's disappearance has links to Darren's last case, and to a wealthy businesswoman, the boy's grandmother, who seems more concerned about the fate of her business than that of her grandson. Darren has to battle centuries-old suspicions and prejudices, as well as threats that have been reignited in the current political climate, as he races to find the boy, and to save himself. Attica Locke proves that the acclaim and awards for Bluebird, Bluebird were justly deserved, in this thrilling new novel about crimes old and new.

Heaven, My Home

WINNER OF THE HARPER LEE PRIZE FOR LEGAL FICTION Wall Street Journal BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILEY’S WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION From Attica Locke, a writer and producer of FOX’s Empire, this sophisticated thriller sees lawyer Jay Porter—hero of her bestseller Black Water Rising—return to fight one last case, only to become embroiled in a dangerous game of shadowy politics and a witness to how far those in power are willing to go to win. Fifteen years after his career-defining case against Cole Oil, Jay Porter is broke and tired. That victory might have won the environmental lawyer fame, but thanks to a string of appeals, he hasn't seen a dime. His latest case—representing Pleasantville in the wake of a chemical fire—is dragging on, shaking his confidence and raising doubts about him within this upwardly mobile black community on Houston's north side. Though Jay still believes in doing what's right, he is done fighting other people's battles. Once he has his piece of the settlement, the single father is going to devote himself to what matters most—his children. His plans are abruptly derailed when a female campaign volunteer vanishes on the night of Houston's mayoral election, throwing an already contentious campaign into chaos. The accused is none other than the nephew and campaign manager of one of the leading candidates—a scion of a prominent Houston family headed by the formidable Sam Hathorne. Despite all the signs suggesting that his client is guilty—and his own misgivings—Jay can't refuse when a man as wealthy and connected as Sam asks him to head up the defense. Not if he wants that new life with his kids. But he has to win. Plunging into a shadowy world of ambitious enemies and treacherous allies armed with money, lies, and secrets, Jay reluctantly takes on his first murder trial—a case that will put him and his client, and an entire political process, on trial.

Pleasantville

Texas Blues

Zum ersten Mal in der 160-jährigen Geschichte Houstons hat ein schwarzer Kandidat Aussicht aufs Bürgermeisteramt. Auch wenn sein Vorsprung vor der Stichwahl schmilzt. Die Bevölkerung befürchtet wegen der hohen Verbrechensrate sich nicht von der Ölkrise und dem wirtschaftlichen Niedergang erholen zu können. Eine Wahlkämpferin ist verschwunden. Im Fall zweier weiterer vermisster und ermordeter Mädchen ist bereits ergebnislos ermittelt worden. In Verdacht gerät der Enkel eines einflussreichen schwarzen Angehörigen der Community in Pleasantville. Als Jay Porter den Fall übernimmt, deckt er geheime Baupläne und politische Verschleierungen auf. Die Geschichte spielt 1996. Clinton ist zum Präsidenten wiedergewählt worden. Es geht um weit mehr als eine Lokalwahl, bei der eine Staatsanwältin alle Hebel in Bewegung setzt, um sich ein Amt zu sichern. Im Hintergrund bereiten die Republikaner die Präsidentschaftswahl für 2000 vor. Dafür müssen sie Wahlkreise wie Pleasantville für ihre Partei erobern. Wie erfolgreich sie damit waren, zeigten die Jahrzehnte danach.

Kriminalroman

Pleasentville

One of Entertainment Weekly's Biggest Books of Fall 2019 Texas Ranger Darren Mathews is on the hunt for a missing boy — but it's the boy's family of white supremacists who are his real target in this "instantly gripping crime novel" (Booklist) by the award-winning author of Bluebird, Bluebird 9-year-old Levi King knew he should have left for home sooner; now he's alone in the darkness of vast Caddo Lake, in a boat whose motor just died. A sudden noise distracts him - and all goes dark. Darren Mathews is trying to emerge from another kind of darkness; after the events of his previous investigation, his marriage is in a precarious state of re-building, and his career and reputation lie in the hands of his mother, who's never exactly had his best interests at heart. Now she holds the key to his freedom, and she's not above a little maternal blackmail to press her advantage. An unlikely possibility of rescue arrives in the form of a case down Highway 59, in a small lakeside town where the local economy thrives on nostalgia for ante-bellum Texas - and some of the era's racial attitudes still thrive as well. Levi's disappearance has links to Darren's last case, and to a wealthy businesswoman, the boy's grandmother, who seems more concerned about the fate of her business than that of her grandson. Darren has to battle centuries-old suspicions and prejudices, as well as threats that have been reignited in the current political climate, as he races to find the boy, and to save himself. Attica Locke proves that the acclaim and awards for Bluebird, Bluebird were justly deserved, in this thrilling new novel about crimes old and new.

Highway 59 Series, Book 2

Un omaggio dell'autrice alla sua terra, un romanzo che è come il blues, armonia dissonante tra la vita che abbiamo e quella che vorremmo avere. Lark è una manciata di case a ridosso delle paludi, una cittadina dimenticata dal tempo e dal progresso. È tagliata in due dalla Highway 59: di qua c'è la tavola calda di Geneva Sweet, dove servono limonata dolcissima e pesce gatto fritto da mangiare seduti al bancone insieme a neri che in altri locali verrebbero cacciati; di là c'è una grande casa in perfetto ordine, tetto a cupola e staccionata bianca intorno, la dimora dei Jefferson, la famiglia più potente della zona. Come accade spesso nel Texas orientale, solo pochi metri separano mondi molto lontani. Un giorno due corpi affiorano dal bayou: erano un avvocato di colore di mezza età arrivato da Chicago e una giovane donna bianca del posto. In apparenza un caso già chiuso, l'ennesimo crimine a sfondo razziale che tutti dimenticheranno presto. Ma Darren Mathews, appena arrivato a Lark, capisce in fretta che niente è come sembra, lui che incarna una suprema contraddizione: un ranger nero che deve difendere la legge e dalla legge difendersi.

Texas Blues (edizione italiana)

VENCEDOR DO PRÊMIO EDGAR 2018 DE MELHOR ROMANCE POLICIAL Um thriller poderoso sobre a explosiva interseção entre amor, raça e justiça, da roteirista e produtora das séries Empire: Fama e poder e Olhos que condenam. "A escritora de policiais mais interessante dos Estados Unidos." Daily Telegraph No que diz respeito à manutenção da lei, o Leste do Texas segue suas próprias regras – um fato que Darren Mathews, um agente negro da força especial Texas Rangers, conhece muito bem. Com sentimentos profundamente conflitantes sobre ter crescido no estado que é também o lar de uma das mais violentas irmandades arianas do país, ele foi o primeiro de sua família a se afastar o máximo que pôde do Texas. Até que o dever o chamou de volta. Quando a lealdade a suas raízes coloca seu distintivo em risco, ele viaja rumo ao norte pela Rodovia 59 até a pequena cidade de Lark, onde dois assassinatos – o de um advogado negro de Chicago e o de uma mulher branca local – trouxeram à tona antigos ressentimentos. Darren precisa solucionar os crimes e salvar a si mesmo, no processo, antes que a tensão racial de Lark entre em erupção. Envolto pela música, pelos sabores e pelas nuances únicas do Leste do Texas, Bluebird, Bluebird é um romance emocionante e oportuno sobre os embates entre raça e justiça nos Estados Unidos.

Amor, justiça e tensão racial no coração do Texas

* THE BLISTERING FINAL INSTALMENT OF THE AWARD-WINNING HIGHWAY 59 SERIES * ** WINNER OF THE CRIME FICTION LOVER BOOK OF THE YEAR EDITOR'S CHOICE ** ** SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA GOLD DAGGER AWARD ** ** A FINANCIAL TIMES CRIME AND THRILLER BOOK OF THE YEAR ** ** AN OBSERVER CRIME AND THRILLER BOOK OF THE YEAR ** 'One of America's finest crime novelists' - DAILY MAIL 'Lyrical, complex and deeply engaged... this is top-quality crime fiction' - OBSERVER 'A searing story about race and class. Locke's writing is exceptionally vivid' - SUNDAY TIMES Texas Ranger Darren Mathews has handed in his badge. A choice made three years before, which served justice if not the law, means that he may now stand trial. And his mother - an intermittent and destructive force in his life - is the cause of his fall from grace. And yet it is his mother's reappearance that may also be his salvation. A black girl at an all-white sorority at a nearby college is missing, her belongings tossed in a dumpster. Her sorority sisters, the college police, even the girl's own family, deny that she has disappeared, but Sera Fuller is nowhere to be found. A bloodstained shirt discovered in a woodland clearing may be the last trace of her. And Darren's mother wants her son to work the case. Disillusioned by an America forever changed by the presidency of Donald Trump, Darren reluctantly agrees. Yet as he sets out to find a girl whose family don't want her found, it is his own family's history that may be brought painfully into the light. And a reckoning with his past may finally show Darren the future he can build.

Guide Me Home

Adult Book Club Kit

Bluebird, Bluebird : a Novel

Just after dawn, Caren inspects the grounds of Belle Vie, the historic plantation house she manages. Back at her office, the gardener calls to tell her she missed something. Something terrible. A young woman lying face down in a shallow grave, her throat cut clean. So there will be police, asking questions. There are only so many keys, only so many ways in to Belle Vie with its six foot high perimeter fence. And as she lives on site with her daughter, she wonders: how much danger are they in?

In this "captivating" crime novel (People), Texas Ranger Darren Mathews is on the hunt for a missing child -- but it's the boy's family of white supremacists who are his real target. 9-year-old Levi King knew he should have left for home sooner; now he's alone in the darkness of vast Caddo Lake, in a boat whose motor just died. A sudden noise distracts him - and all goes dark. Darren Mathews is trying to emerge from another kind of darkness; after the events of his previous investigation, his marriage is in a precarious state of re-building, and his career and reputation lie in the hands of his mother, who's never exactly had his best interests at heart. Now she holds the key to his freedom, and she's not above a little maternal blackmail to press her advantage. An unlikely possibility of rescue arrives in the form of a case down Highway 59, in a small lakeside town where the local economy thrives on nostalgia for ante-bellum Texas - and some of the era's racial attitudes still thrive as well. Levi's disappearance has links to Darren's last case, and to a wealthy businesswoman, the boy's grandmother, who seems more concerned about the fate of her business than that of her grandson. Darren has to battle centuries-old suspicions and prejudices, as well as threats that have been reignited in the current political climate, as he races to find the boy, and to save himself. A Best Book of the Year New York TimesHouston ChronicleNPRWall Street JournalMilwaukee Journal-SentinelBook PageFinancial TimesKirkusSheReadsSunday TimesLitHubGuardianBook RiotSouth Florida Sun SentinelLonglisted for the Orwell Political Fiction Book Prize

Ian McEwan

Orhan Pamuk

Ferdinand von Schirach

Jean-Christophe Rufin

Sylvain Tesson

Jo Nesbo

Jonathan Coe

Camille Laurens

Maylis de Kerangal

J. M. G. Le Clézio

Frank Bill

Marc Dugain

Sophie Chauveau

Alix Deniger

Retrouvez dans ce dossier gratuit les premiers chapitres de 15 titres incontournables pour vos lectures d'été, dans les collections Blanche, Série Noire et Du monde entier : Donnybrook (de Franck Bill), Noces de charbon (de Sophie Chauveau), Expo 58 (de Jonathan Coe), I Cursini (d'Alix Deniger), L'emprise (de Marc Dugain), Réparer les vivants (de Maylis de Kerangal), Ni toi ni moi (de Camille Laurens), Tempête (de J.M.-G. Le Clézio), Dernière récolte (d'Attica Locke), Opération Sweet Tooth (de Ian McEwan), Police (de Jo Nesbo), Cevdet Bey et ses fils (d'Orhan Pamuk), Le collier rouge (de Jean-Christophe Rufin), L'affaire Collini (de Ferdinand von Schirach) et S'abandonner à vivre (de Sylvain Tesson). Vous pouvez accéder directement à chaque extrait par la table des matières de ce dossier ou lire les extraits à la suite. Retrouvez aussi photographie et biographie des auteurs. Tous ces livres numériques sont en vente chez votre libraire.

Attica Locke

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