Dark of the Moon (Louis Kincaid Mysteries)

In 1983, Lewis Kincaid leaves his Detroit home to go to his birthplace, Black Pool, Mississippi, where his estranged mother lies dying. Lewis needs money to live while attending the death watch. The local sheriff telephonically interviews him, and thinking he is white, hires him. In fact, Lewis is really the result of a mixed race relationship with his mother being black and his father being white.

The relatively easy job takes an ugly spin when a corpse is found. The victim is an African-American who was brutally murdered twenty years ago. Surprisingly, even as his instincts say to let sleeping dogs lie, the sheriff allows Lewis to investigate. Lewis soon discovers what being a half-breed means in the Deep South. The Caucasian race hates him and his insistent inquiries. The Black race refuses to assist a white sheriff. Lewis realizes he just will have to go it alone until his quest is completed.

The intriguing story line brings back memories of a recent era that remains deep in the overall psyche of many readers. The who-done-it is a fine puzzler and fans will enjoy Lewis' character, which is fully developed. However, the support cast falls into stereotypical compartments, thereby subtracting from the overall effect of a good tale. In his debut, P.J. Parrish shows he can spin a good yarn, but needs to provide wider and deeper characterizations for the secondary players when Lewis returns.

Harriet Klausner