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Carolina Cruel
In the deep swamps of the South Carolina Low Country, two hunters stumble upon a sheriff’s patrol car, which disappeared over forty years before. Inside the car are bullet holes, blood stains, and scattered bones that provide long-awaited clues to solving one of the palmetto state’s greatest mysteries. Enter cold case reporter, Tindal Huddleston, who must weave through local resistance and historical angst to piece together the explosive story of race, politics, crime and corruption. She recruits Chan Adams, a burned-out former reporter of the local paper, who must overcome the demons of his own painful past before involving himself again in the decades-old case. Against impossible odds, the two reporters will make startling connections between an executed mass murderer, the fallout from the 1968 Orangeburg Massacre, and the hanging of one of the state’s most prominent citizens. And in their search for answers, they will discover a cruelty so devastating; it will change countless lives forever. Mystery fans will enjoy this suspenseful page-turner filled with historical significance and social commentary.
- GenresMystery
257 pages, Paperback
Published June 16, 2017
7 people are currently reading
338 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 24, 2018
Flawed But Worth A Read
Theodore Dreiser's 1925 novel, "An American Tragedy," is widely considered to be one of the "worst written great novels in the world."
Why am I telling you this in a review of Lawrence Thackston's 2017 novel, "Carolina Cruel"? Because many years from now, critics will be saying that "Carolina Cruel" was a not particularly well-written mystery that managed to captivate its audience anyway.
And those critics will be right. Despite its stock characters (the "wise black woman", brusque newspaper editor, outlaw biker, and Southern racists all make appearances), crime story cliches, on-the-nose dialogue, and one plot twist too many, this book managed to keep me guessing all the way up to the last page. Part of the reason why this book was able to maintain my interest despite its many flaws was due to its complicated plot. Cutting back and forth between the early 1960's, the late 1970's, and 2016, Carolina Cruel ties together the murderous rampage of Henry Brooks, a psychotic farmer, the Orangeburg Massacre, a 1968 student protest that turned deadly, and the unsolved slayings of seven black men and two law enforcement officials in 1976 into a seemless detective story with a genuinely shocking ending.
The book opens with two hunters finding an old cop car covered in kudzu vines--and filled with bodies. Two of the bodies belong to a sheriff and his deputy who both went missing in 1976.
In 2016, Tindal Huddleston, a "big city reporter" eager to write a book about the forty-year-old cold case, recruits Chan Adams, a washed-up veteran reporter of the local paper, to help her uncover fresh leads in a case. While the two make sense of all the confusing information that they have, Chan begins to confront the long-buried pain of a personal tragedy, a tragedy inextricably linked to the mystery he and Tindal are trying to solve. What they uncover has the potential to rock a small Southern town to its foundation and to cause a scandal that reaches to the upper levels of Southern society.
Thackston tries to overlay the narrative with an analysis of race and class but it rings hollow due to the fact that the story is told almost exclusively from the perspective of white men; "Carolina Cruel" resorts more to telling than showing. And those characters all too often fell into "but we're not all racist" dialogue with each other. And I never had the feeling that I was reading about a small Southern town in the 1970's because Thackston failed to insert telling period details and to capture the unique rhythms of small town Southern life.
All told, "Carolina Cruel" was an enjoyable read, a slim volume that would be appropriate beach-reading material. However, anyone who is looking for something more emotionally affecting should read another novel.
Theodore Dreiser's 1925 novel, "An American Tragedy," is widely considered to be one of the "worst written great novels in the world."
Why am I telling you this in a review of Lawrence Thackston's 2017 novel, "Carolina Cruel"? Because many years from now, critics will be saying that "Carolina Cruel" was a not particularly well-written mystery that managed to captivate its audience anyway.
And those critics will be right. Despite its stock characters (the "wise black woman", brusque newspaper editor, outlaw biker, and Southern racists all make appearances), crime story cliches, on-the-nose dialogue, and one plot twist too many, this book managed to keep me guessing all the way up to the last page. Part of the reason why this book was able to maintain my interest despite its many flaws was due to its complicated plot. Cutting back and forth between the early 1960's, the late 1970's, and 2016, Carolina Cruel ties together the murderous rampage of Henry Brooks, a psychotic farmer, the Orangeburg Massacre, a 1968 student protest that turned deadly, and the unsolved slayings of seven black men and two law enforcement officials in 1976 into a seemless detective story with a genuinely shocking ending.
The book opens with two hunters finding an old cop car covered in kudzu vines--and filled with bodies. Two of the bodies belong to a sheriff and his deputy who both went missing in 1976.
In 2016, Tindal Huddleston, a "big city reporter" eager to write a book about the forty-year-old cold case, recruits Chan Adams, a washed-up veteran reporter of the local paper, to help her uncover fresh leads in a case. While the two make sense of all the confusing information that they have, Chan begins to confront the long-buried pain of a personal tragedy, a tragedy inextricably linked to the mystery he and Tindal are trying to solve. What they uncover has the potential to rock a small Southern town to its foundation and to cause a scandal that reaches to the upper levels of Southern society.
Thackston tries to overlay the narrative with an analysis of race and class but it rings hollow due to the fact that the story is told almost exclusively from the perspective of white men; "Carolina Cruel" resorts more to telling than showing. And those characters all too often fell into "but we're not all racist" dialogue with each other. And I never had the feeling that I was reading about a small Southern town in the 1970's because Thackston failed to insert telling period details and to capture the unique rhythms of small town Southern life.
All told, "Carolina Cruel" was an enjoyable read, a slim volume that would be appropriate beach-reading material. However, anyone who is looking for something more emotionally affecting should read another novel.
June 25, 2017
This was a very good book. I was sent it as a winner of one of Goodreads giveaways. Lucky me. The story takes place in Macinaw, South Carolina, alternating between 1968, 1976 and 2016. The story tells of Macinaw in the grip of a Mass Murderer, and his execution in 1968. In 1976, Chandler Adams comes to Macinaw a fresh graduate looking for a job as a reporter. Immediately he is swept up in a haunting series of murders. The seven black men who were outraged that there was not justice for the massacre that took place on the Orangeburg campus, were accused of killing the white man, yet they were not convicted. This has left unrest in the town. Suddenly, one by one they are being excuted...in the manner of the executed mass murderer, Henry Brooks. In 2016, Tindal Huddleston comes to Macinaw seeking Chandler Adams, since recently a police car with three bodies was found deep in the woods, rekindling the unsolved mysteries! Details get filled in as the story alternates. Great details and lots of surprises. Very good book!!
July 31, 2017
Carolina Cruel takes place in 3 time periods - 1962, 1976 and 2016. As the story unfolds, the reader is shifted from one time period to another and then back . At first, I was worried that this would cause problems in following the story. But that was not the case. I was drawn in to an engrossing story of murder and mayhem. There are lots of twists and turns in this suspenseful novel. I really enjoyed reading this book.
June 20, 2018
Just finished reading this wonderful story. I was very impressed at how he formatted the book, how the characters seemed so very real, and how he used real people and places where necessary, blending history and fiction seamlessly.
I though I was a pretty decent writer until I read this man's work. (I've got a lot of work to do...lol).
Congratulations Mr. Thackston. Looking forward to your next work of art.
I though I was a pretty decent writer until I read this man's work. (I've got a lot of work to do...lol).
Congratulations Mr. Thackston. Looking forward to your next work of art.
June 3, 2018
This was far better than I thought it would be. I originally started reading it because I knew one of the people the author named a character after.
I read a short (very short) excerpt where he described a location and I was worried he was one of those writers that like to bog things down in overbearing descriptions. I was wrong. He describes the places well enough for you to see them, but he doesn't forgo the plot to do so.
The story takes place in three time periods, and bounced between them on a regular basis. I did get confused once early on, but that was my fault for not paying enough attention to the date clearly marked at the beginning of each chapter.
I will definitely be following Lawrence Thackston from now on. One of his other books, Tidal Pools, is now in my 'to read' pile.
I read a short (very short) excerpt where he described a location and I was worried he was one of those writers that like to bog things down in overbearing descriptions. I was wrong. He describes the places well enough for you to see them, but he doesn't forgo the plot to do so.
The story takes place in three time periods, and bounced between them on a regular basis. I did get confused once early on, but that was my fault for not paying enough attention to the date clearly marked at the beginning of each chapter.
I will definitely be following Lawrence Thackston from now on. One of his other books, Tidal Pools, is now in my 'to read' pile.
December 10, 2022
The next big mystery author
Full of twists and turns, so many players it's hard to figure out who the good guys and bad guys are. Mixes true history with fiction by tying in the devastating Orangeburg Massacre. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys trying to figure out who the murderer is.
Full of twists and turns, so many players it's hard to figure out who the good guys and bad guys are. Mixes true history with fiction by tying in the devastating Orangeburg Massacre. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys trying to figure out who the murderer is.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews