Black Water Rising: A Novel (Jay Porter Series Book 1)

Attica Locke— a writer and producer of FOX’ s Empire — delivers an engrossing, complex, and cinematic thriller about crime and racial justiceLos Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist (Mystery/Thriller)Edgar Award Nominee (Best First Novel)The Orange Prize for Fiction (Shortlist) “A near-perfect balance of trenchant social commentary, rich characterizations, and action-oriented plot....

Attica Locke [is] a writer wise beyond her years.” — Los Angeles Times“Atmospheric… deeply nuanced...

akin to George Pelecanos or Dennis Lehane....

Subtle and compelling.” — New York Times Read more From Publishers Weekly This extraordinary debut focuses on Jay Porter, a black lawyer in Houston struggling to become upwardly mobile while weighed down by a past as a civil rights worker who was betrayed and disillusioned.

His moral fiber is put to the test when he’ s witness to a murder that eventually places him and his pregnant wife in jeopardy.

It’ s a good thriller setup, but what distinguishes Locke’ s story are the glimpses into Porter’ s past, which, in turn, focus on the racial rebellions on campuses in the 60s (the author has written an upcoming HBO miniseries on the civil rights movement).

Dion Graham’ s whispery, almost sing-song narration seems initially inappropriate, but, oddly, as the plot unfolds, this approach morphs into a mesmerizing intimacy that makes Locke’ s riveting prose even more compelling.

A Harper hardcover (Reviews, Apr.

6).

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