One danger for a narrator who creates voices for a variety of characters is lack of consistency. Ray Chase’s narration shines at times, bringing human voices to numerous characters. But several main characters’ voices frequently suffer from inconsistency, speaking with a certain tone and cadence one time and a completely different voice the next. This police procedural is set against the backdrop of Martin Luther King’s marches in Birmingham in 1963. It brings to light racial injustices in the South and explores the motivations of both the established order and the Civil Rights activists. One of Cook’s earlier works, its setting and many events are accurate, but its story is weakened by stereotypical characters and weak or obvious plot devices. M.L.R. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
At the height of the Civil Rights movement, a young girl's murder stirs racial tensions in Birmingham, Alabama.
The grave on the football field is shallow, and easy to spot from a distance. It would have been found sooner, had most of the residents in the black half of Birmingham not been downtown, marching, singing, and being arrested alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. Police detective Ben Wellman is among them when he gets the call about the fresh grave.
Under the loosely packed dirt, he finds a young black girl, her innocence taken and her life along with it. His sergeant orders Wellman to investigate, but instructs him not to try too hard. In the summer of 1963, Birmingham is tense enough without a manhunt for the killers of a black child. Wellman digs for the truth in spite of skepticism from the black community and scorn from his fellow officers. What he finds is a secret that men from both sides of town would prefer stayed buried.
1000061534
The grave on the football field is shallow, and easy to spot from a distance. It would have been found sooner, had most of the residents in the black half of Birmingham not been downtown, marching, singing, and being arrested alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. Police detective Ben Wellman is among them when he gets the call about the fresh grave.
Under the loosely packed dirt, he finds a young black girl, her innocence taken and her life along with it. His sergeant orders Wellman to investigate, but instructs him not to try too hard. In the summer of 1963, Birmingham is tense enough without a manhunt for the killers of a black child. Wellman digs for the truth in spite of skepticism from the black community and scorn from his fellow officers. What he finds is a secret that men from both sides of town would prefer stayed buried.
Streets of Fire
At the height of the Civil Rights movement, a young girl's murder stirs racial tensions in Birmingham, Alabama.
The grave on the football field is shallow, and easy to spot from a distance. It would have been found sooner, had most of the residents in the black half of Birmingham not been downtown, marching, singing, and being arrested alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. Police detective Ben Wellman is among them when he gets the call about the fresh grave.
Under the loosely packed dirt, he finds a young black girl, her innocence taken and her life along with it. His sergeant orders Wellman to investigate, but instructs him not to try too hard. In the summer of 1963, Birmingham is tense enough without a manhunt for the killers of a black child. Wellman digs for the truth in spite of skepticism from the black community and scorn from his fellow officers. What he finds is a secret that men from both sides of town would prefer stayed buried.
The grave on the football field is shallow, and easy to spot from a distance. It would have been found sooner, had most of the residents in the black half of Birmingham not been downtown, marching, singing, and being arrested alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. Police detective Ben Wellman is among them when he gets the call about the fresh grave.
Under the loosely packed dirt, he finds a young black girl, her innocence taken and her life along with it. His sergeant orders Wellman to investigate, but instructs him not to try too hard. In the summer of 1963, Birmingham is tense enough without a manhunt for the killers of a black child. Wellman digs for the truth in spite of skepticism from the black community and scorn from his fellow officers. What he finds is a secret that men from both sides of town would prefer stayed buried.
18.87
In Stock
5
1
18.87
In Stock
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
BN ID: | 2940170009992 |
---|---|
Publisher: | HighBridge Company |
Publication date: | 12/04/2012 |
Edition description: | Unabridged |
Videos
From the B&N Reads Blog