In this “captivating” crime novel (People), Texas Ranger Darren Mathews is on the hunt for a missing child — but it’’s the boy’’s family of white supremacists who are his real target. 9-year-old Levi King knew he should have left for home sooner; now he’’s alone in the darkness of vast Caddo Lake, in a boat whose motor just died. A sudden noise distracts him – and all goes dark. Darren … died. A sudden noise distracts him – and all goes dark.
Darren Mathews is trying to emerge from another kind of darkness; after the events of his previous investigation, his marriage is in a precarious state of re-building, and his career and reputation lie in the hands of his mother, who’’s never exactly had his best interests at heart. Now she holds the key to his freedom, and she’’s not above a little maternal blackmail to press her advantage.
An unlikely possibility of rescue arrives in the form of a case down Highway 59, in a small lakeside town where the local economy thrives on nostalgia for ante-bellum Texas – and some of the era’’s racial attitudes still thrive as well. Levi’’s disappearance has links to Darren’’s last case, and to a wealthy businesswoman, the boy’’s grandmother, who seems more concerned about the fate of her business than that of her grandson.
Darren has to battle centuries-old suspicions and prejudices, as well as threats that have been reignited in the current political climate, as he races to find the boy, and to save himself.
A Best Book of the Year
New York Times
Houston Chronicle
NPR
Wall Street Journal
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Book Page
Financial Times
Kirkus
SheReads
Sunday Times
LitHub
Guardian
Book Riot
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Longlisted for the Orwell Political Fiction Book Prize
and some of the era’’s racial attitudes still thrive as well. Levi’’s disappearance has links to Darren’’s last case, and to a wealthy businesswoman, the boy’’s grandmother, who seems more concerned about the fate of her business than that of her grandson.
Darren has to battle centuries-old suspicions and prejudices, as well as threats that have been reignited in the current political climate, as he races to find the boy, and to save himself.
A Best Book of the Year
New York Times
Houston Chronicle
NPR
Wall Street Journal
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Book Page
Financial Times
Kirkus
SheReads
Sunday Times
LitHub
Guardian
Book Riot
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Longlisted for the Orwell Political Fiction Book Prize
Longlisted for the Orwell Political Fiction Book Prizeand some of the era’’s racial attitudes still thrive as well. Levi’’s disappearance has links to Darren’’s last case, and to a wealthy businesswoman, the boy’’s grandmother, who seems more concerned about the fate of her business than that of her grandson.
Darren has to battle centuries-old suspicions and prejudices, as well as threats that have been reignited in the current political climate, as he races to find the boy, and to save himself.
A Best Book of the Year
New York Times
Houston Chronicle
NPR
Wall Street Journal
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Book Page
Financial Times
Kirkus
SheReads
Sunday Times
LitHub
Guardian
Book Riot
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Longlisted for the Orwell Political Fiction Book Prize
and some of the era’’s racial attitudes still thrive as well. Levi’’s disappearance has links to Darren’’s last case, and to a wealthy businesswoman, the boy’’s grandmother, who seems more concerned about the fate of her business than that of her grandson.
Darren has to battle centuries-old suspicions and prejudices, as well as threats that have been reignited in the current political climate, as he races to find the boy, and to save himself.
A Best Book of the Year
New York Times
Houston Chronicle
NPR
Wall Street Journal
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Book Page
Financial Times
Kirkus
SheReads
Sunday Times
LitHub
Guardian
Book Riot
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Longlisted for the Orwell Political Fiction Book Prize
Longlisted for the Orwell Political Fiction Book PrizeLonglisted for the Orwell Political Fiction Book Prizeand some of the era’’s racial attitudes still thrive as well. Levi’’s disappearance has links to Darren’’s last case, and to a wealthy businesswoman, the boy’’s grandmother, who seems more concerned about the fate of her business than that of her grandson.
Darren has to battle centuries-old suspicions and prejudices, as well as threats that have been reignited in the current political climate, as he races to find the boy, and to save himself.
A Best Book of the Year
New York Times
Houston Chronicle
NPR
Wall Street Journal
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Book Page
Financial Times
Kirkus
SheReads
Sunday Times
LitHub
Guardian
Book Riot
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Longlisted for the Orwell Political Fiction Book Prize
Longlisted for the Orwell Political Fiction Book Prize/DIV>
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Longlisted for the Orwell Political Fiction Book Prize
Longlisted for the Orwell Political Fiction Book Prizemore
With so much needed conversation right now about representation in publishing, I was relieved to be reading Heaven, My Home, which is grounded in author Attica Locke’s deep roots in Texas as well as her perspective as a woman of color in that state. She deftly explores issues of race, class and forgiveness. It’s a masterclass in writing smartly, compellingly and truly, from the heart, even if it’s broken by the pain and hate in this world.
Another solid novel from Attica Locke, continuing the tale of TX Ranger Darren Matthews. In the last novel, his mother began to blackmail him, and that story line continues. Matthews is now assigned to find the son of a white supremacist who has gone missing, and in doing so, he uncovers a long history of a family tragedy in a town along Highway 59.
Matthews love life also has its ups and downs in this novel.
I enjoy Locke’s frank telling of racial tensions and family histories.
With Heaven, My Home, Attica Locke does it again. I could not turn the pages fast enough. Eagerly awaiting the next book in the Highway 59 series.
A definite page-turner. The author brings the history of Texas to life. The characters are relatable and the mystery is compelling. Great read.
Couldn’t put it down!
Heaven, My Home has poetic descriptions of East Texas. Although this is a police procedural, the story is really more about Darren’s life as an African American Texas Ranger than about any one case.
I recommend Heaven, My Home to anyone who enjoys character driven novels; however, it is necessary to read the series in order, otherwise this book will have quite a few things that don’t make complete sense because story lines continue.
Content Warnings: many racist slurs
Attica Locke is one of the best contemporary crime writers around.
Darren is a Texas Ranger. He is called in on a case to help find a young boy. As the case slowly develops, so do the racial undertones. He also finds a connection to a previous case. One, in which, he hoped would stay buried.
I enjoy a book where the main character is flawed. And Darren is definitely flawed. He has made plenty of bad choices and big mistakes. One big one from a previous investigation actually has him being blackmailed, by his mother, no less! Darren is such a “real” character with “real” troubles that I rooted for him to succeed. You will have to read the book to see how that worked out!
This is an intricate, twisted mystery with plenty of action thrown in. If you need a good book to immerse your self in. This is it!
I have only read one other Attica book. I must remedy that soon.
I received this novel from Serpent Tale Books for a honest review.
This is the second in the series about Texas Ranger Darren Matthews, the follow up to the hugely successful “Bluebird, Bluebird”, the Hwy 59 series.
This book is every bit as good as the first. It combines mystery with some family drama and historical myth and facts about East Texas.
Darren is back on the job as a Texas Ranger but he has been tied to his desk. He has been continuing his investigation into the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, (often referred to as the ABT) trying to find out the leaders (captains) and collect names of members and what they have been up to and are planning. He agreed to the desk job to appease his wife who didn’t want him on the road and gone from home for long periods of time.
An incident in the east Texas town of Jefferson has his superior requesting that he go to investigate. There is a missing 9 year old boy, the son of a leading white supremacist, there is the feeling that there is a connection between the ABT and the child’s disappearance. Darren is an African American and again faces racism and prejudice in this small town.
What makes this book extremely interesting is the complicated threads between a group of Native Texas Indians who live alongside a group of African Americans in land surrounding Caddo Lake, there are also a group of ABT families living close by on this extended stretch of land.
I had listened to the first book in this series but now reading the second I can appreciate even more the brilliance of Ms. Locke’s writing. Her descriptions of the town, the immense Lake and all of its hidden bayous had me completely immersed in the feel of the raw nature in this area and all of it’s hidden secrets. “Inside the forest they were floating through, there was no sound beyond the tinkle of lake water against the sides of the boat, no world beyond Caddo Lake, Darren had never seen anything like it.”
Darren uses all of his resources and wits to try to find the missing child, “something had rooted his boots in place, some bits in this story that didn’t add up, that played like Russian nesting dolls—open one mystery and find another and another and another and another”. This is just what the reader will experience, so many mysteries, so many secrets, it was great!
I would highly recommend that you read the first book as this is in many ways a continuation of Bluebird, Bluebird. We will continue to watch Darren as he struggles with his marital problems, drinking habit and whether he can rein in his natural instincts enough to work within the laws of the Texas Rangers. I felt that I learned so much about the history of the area and the people who live there. What a great mystery, masterfully written!
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.