Excerpts-

• From the cover Prologue
  1929
   
  Four hours ‘til dawn. The single streetlamp at the alleyway splays veiled illumination on the wet cobblestone. The rumble and squeak of streetcars ended two hours ago, and the in-a-hurry-owner of the diner hauls out the last of the garbage which tumbles onto the slick red bricks as he slams the door.
  Cress lifts the collar of his tight-fitting jacket against curly brown hair. Alert. Smoking. Shifting from one leg to the other. Leaning into the shadows every time he hears loud voices from the street.
  I can’t feel the rain nor smell it, but I sense its fragrance mixed with the relentless forsythia creeping through every patch of dirt.  Anna Kate often remarked that the flowers are her favorite part of living in Birmingham.
  A car engine’s hum grows louder. Cress melts into the darkness when  the blue sedan eases forward and idles under the lamp. The sight of it passes a shiver my body doesn’t register. Cress steps forward and drops his smoke, grinding the butt under his boot. He shoves both hands deep into the pockets of his dungarees.
  The broad-shouldered detective gets out of the car, moves to the front bumper and stops. His hat cocked back. He stares at Cress in the alley then swivels his head to take in his surroundings. He nonchalantly swipes a hand down the breast of his coat. That’s where he keeps his revolver.
  Cress waits. No longer fidgeting. Squaring his body. He lifts his hands from his pockets and leaves them dangling at his thighs. Finally the big man walks toward him.
  “You’ve been asking for me, boy?”
  “Yeah. I owe you money. I got it here,” Cress slides a hand into his jacket.
  The man tenses.
  Cress extends a palm.
  Do these two know each other?
  The detective closes the gap between them. He’s at least four inches taller but when he draws close, Cress grabs his coat sleeve yanking the big man forward. The guy slips, but doesn’t fall so Cress hits him in the face with his fist—three times—like a sledge hammer on a slab of concrete. The man sinks fumbling for his inside pocket. Cress thrashes him again and again while the struggling detective claws at his assailant’s legs and arms trying to right himself. Cress slides and pivots like a welterweight but his opponent’s size and strength gives him an advantage and Cress loses his footing. Now they’re kneeling face-to-face on the wet pavement. The big man snatches Cress by the hair but he’s not expecting the headbutt. Nor the punch to his solar plexus.
  For a split second the fight pauses. The two stare at each other with gaping mouths and bared teeth.
  When the detective grabs at his coat I think he’s after the gun, but his hand comes away covered in blood. He’s been knifed. Cress thrusts the blade two more times until the man slumps over.
  This man-to-man battle has been quiet. Neither letting out more than a grunt. Cress lifts to his feet, rubbing at his scalp, looking around. He stares at the body then aims his boot for a rib-shattering kick.
  “That’s for my sister,” he says then leans over to wipe the knife on the man’s overcoat. Cress turns away, hurrying towards the opposite end of the alley. The glow of a match spirals then extinguishes in a puddle.
  The detective lays unmoving on the alley’s surface. His left arm stretching to escape. His legs mixing with spilled garbage and soggy cardboard boxes.
   
   
  Chapter One
  The Decision  
  1929
   
  It’s quitting time and a group of my coworkers are...

Reviews-

• Jade Wheeler and Ronald Peet narrate this multigenerational mystery about the unsolved murder of a Black carpenter in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1929. His granddaughter, Meghan McKenzie, an ambitious journalist for the DETROIT FREE PRESS, is determined to get the full story. Wheeler excels in her portrayal of a contemporary journalist, giving listeners a vivid sense of a woman who is fighting to discover the truth about a question that has eluded her family for generations. Peet portrays her grandfather, Robert Lee Harrington, his voice reflecting the ever present frustration and fear of a Black man in the segregated South. Together, they perform a timely novel about hidden violence against the Black community. V.B. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
• 

  June 10, 2024
  

  Head's (Warn Me When It's Time) latest follows Detroit Free Press journalist Meghan McKenzie as she seeks to uncover a story connecting the Black Lives Matter movement with the 1929 unsolved murder of her great-grandfather Robert Lee Harrington in Birmingham, AL. In Birmingham, Meghan is assisted by Kristen, a white librarian; Monique, the leader of the local BLM chapter; and Darius, a city official who becomes a love interest. However, the closer Meghan gets to solving the mystery, the more threats she encounters. Jade Wheeler's delivery as three older Southern Black women who are minor characters is on point. These ladies definitely can be found at family cookouts. As Meghan, however, the story gets in the way of her performance. Meghan's reaction to some threats is implausible, and her relationship with Darius derails the audiobook. In semi-alternating chapters, Ronald Peet's voicing of Robert, who has the weight of his family and Jim Crow on his shoulders, gives gravitas to the 1929 timeline. VERDICT Inspired by true events, the audiobook has a good sense of location and narration but is unevenly executed. Regardless, some listeners will find Meghan's research methods fascinating.--Anjelica Rufus-Barnes

  Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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