Pleasantville

A Novel

Paperback, 448 pages

Published April 12, 2016 by Harper Perennial, Amistad.

ISBN:
978-0-06-225934-9
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5 stars (1 review)

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 …

6 editions

Race and racism, modern America, and perfect detective genre

5 stars

Never read anything by Locke I didn't love. She's a genius in her writing and description, and also for the profound complexity through which her stories unfold. I don't like the detective/mystery/crime genre, but I love her work. That she can bring in race and racism in a tale of the modern U.S. and bend but not break the detective genre is an awesome feat. I'll read everything she publishes.