Plano Reads: Bluebird, Bluebird

The Brown Bag Book Club is reading and discussing Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke at the next session meeting on Thursday, November 16 at 12pm at Parr Library. Continue reading for a summary and additional information about this title.

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke 

Available as: Print | Large Print | eBook | Audiobook

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.

If you’re a fan of gripping crime novels with a powerful social punch, then Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke is right up your alley.

The story revolves around Texas Ranger Darren Mathews as he dives headfirst into the investigation of a double murder. What’s so captivating about Locke’s storytelling is how she seamlessly blends the suspense of a crime thriller with the raw complexities of race relations in the Deep South. Locke’s writing paints a vivid picture of the Texas landscape, making you feel the heat and tension in the air. She doesn’t shy away from delving into the intricacies of small-town life and the lasting impact of racial discrimination, making the characters and their struggles feel all too real.

It’s a compelling read that seamlessly merges a thrilling plot with a poignant commentary on race and justice. 

Locke, having stockpiled an acclaimed array of crime novels (Pleasantville, 2015, etc.), deserves a career breakthrough for this deftly plotted whodunit whose writing pulses throughout with a raw, blues-inflected lyricism.

Kirkus, 2017