Black Water Rising

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Black Water Rising
AuthorAttica Locke
GenreCrime fiction
Published2009
Followed byPleasantville (2015) 

Black Water Rising is a 2009 mystery thriller novel by Attica Locke. Its sequel is titled Pleasantville (2015).

Plot summary

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In 1981, Jay Porter, a Black personal injury attorney in Houston, takes his pregnant wife on a nighttime boat tour of the Buffalo Bayou. They hear the sound of gunshots and a person falling into the water, and Jay dives in to rescue a white woman. The woman refuses to explain what happened and Jay later learns that a man was also killed on the Bayou that night.

Reception

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The novel received positive reviews from critics,[1] although some critics felt that it was overwritten.[2] In The Independent, Stuart Evers felt that the use of "convoluted similes" were "minor faults in an impressive, well-plotted and intelligent crime drama."[3] Kirkus Reviews wrote that "Locke expertly etches a portrait of her anxiety-ridden protagonist, and she animates the complex plot with the assurance of a practiced screenwriter."[4] Publishers Weekly wrote that Locke "steers a gritty drama to a satisfying end, though a sluggish subplot involving labor union issues undermines the novels grander ambitions."[5]

References

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