Dark of the Moon

A great mix of suspense and an intricate plot, and I could hardly put it down once I got into it. I loved the way he created the characters and thought he did a nice job of depicting the south without being insulting or overly stereotypical. And though Parrish is clearly tackling a lot of complicated issues, especially around race relations, he doesn't get lost in them and instead deftly weaves them into the plot. This was a random pick that I got at the bookstore because it was so cheap, but I'm so glad I did!

From Amazon:

In what can be described as a modern-day "In the Heat of the Night", P.J. Parrish's debut novel delivers chilling suspense, knife-edge tension, and the compelling story of a cop confronting his own biracial identity in Black Pool, Mississippi.

My Thoughts:

In reading the description from Amazon I should have rum far and fast in the other direction from this book when it was compared to In the Heat of The Night...a television show that I hated from the first episode. Because of course, everyone KNOWS that every white person in the South is a heartbeat away from going to a lynching, and they hardly bother to conceal their white hoods. And when our handsome hero is, by the end of the novel, staggering down the RR tracks, running show more from the corrupt law enforcement mob, after barely escaping the noose himself, it's just kind of pathetic. You know from the start where this is going. The devils all had their horns out from the first chapter. Not to mention that the fictional ugliness of Black Pool, Mississippi did absolutely nothing to mend the race relations of that time or this one. Horrible book, about a horrible topic. I'd give it -10 stars if it was possible. show less

This is the first of the, so far, two mysteries staring Louis Kincaid. Louis has come back to Black Pool, Mississippi because his mother is dying. His law enforcement education and experience gets him the job as the first inspector in Black Pool's sheriff's office. But, he got the job over the phone and the sheriff didn't know he was black because he didn't 'sound' black. His first case is a discovery of bones with the lynching rope still attached. Both this book and the second one are just excellently written, finely crafted stories. I understand that Parrish's third is due out this Fall and I'm eagerly looking forward to it.

*All reviews are from online reviews*

It’s 1983, and Louis Kincaid has returned to Black Pool, Mississippi, by request, as his mother is dying. Hired as the county detective might have been a step up for him, but Kincaid is half-black, half-white, and had they known that, he most definitely wouldn’t have been hired.

As a skeleton is exposed, Kincaid is on the hunt: he wants to know who it was so that his/her remains can be put to rest. But as Kincaid digs, his investigation goes beyond that: and 30-year-old case of a missing fifteen-year-old black boy is a clue in the right direction, but is it prudent to continue investigating?

I was sucked into this book almost immediately! The story is somewhat slow paced, but the author(s) manage to give you enough to keep you intrigued. It’s set in 1983, which gives the racial situations an authenticity that I don’t think would be there if it was set in the late ’90s, when it was written. At the end of the book you’re left with a mystery that’s not quite completely solved, so it leaves you with something to think about. Will what happens in Black Pool come back to haunt or help Louis at some point in the future? I guess I’ll have to read more books to find out!

Dark of the Moon is the first book in a series. Louis Kincaid works as a police officer in Michigan. When he finds out his Mother is dying he returns to the small town in Mississippi where he was born to be with her. He is hired over the phone to work as an investigator for the local sheriffs department. Louis is biracial and his arrival is greeted with dismay. A body is found shortly after his arrival it appears the black victim was lynched years earlier. As he works to solve the crime he meets resistance. The people don't really want the crime solved. Some more murders start taking place Louis knows they are some how connected to the lynching victim. As he works to solve the old and new cases he finds himself in danger and than he is show more placed under arrest for murder. He must uncover what the promiment citizens have been hiding for years in order to clear his name. A truly fantastic read i look forward to reading more books by P.j Parrish show less

A friend suggested I might like this series. It was a good mystery. Louis Kincaid is a detective from Detroit who goesA home to Mississippi because the mother from who he is estranged is dying. A body is discovered that has been dead around 30 years and as Kincaid begins investigating his efforts are not appreciated and he has to hurtle many road blocks. There was some predictability but I will probably get the next in the series to see how Kincaid progresses.