Bluebird, Bluebird

"US Highway 59 is a line that runs through the heart of East Texas, a thread on the map that ties together small towns like knots on a string, from Laredo to Texarkana, on the northern border. For black folks born and bred in the rural communities along the highway’s north-south route, Highway 59 has always represented an arc of possibility, hope paved and pointing north." Bluebird, Bluebird is the first in a series of novels by Attica Locke that showcase this highway and the crimes that are committed there. It's a solid mystery novel that also reinforces something we as Americans would rather not face--racism is still alive and well, especially in East Texas.

The protagonist is Darren Matthews, who grew up in the area and is now a Texas Ranger. A black Ranger is still something of a novelty. He had been going to law school, and as the book begins he's planning on turning in his shield and returning to school. That's what his uncle and his wife would like.

But two murders are committed in a small town, and with the possible involvement of the Aryan Brotherhood. "But trying to take down the Brotherhood without dealing with the racial hatred at its core was like trying to take a dip in a swimming hole without getting wet." A black man, visiting from Chicago, is found dead in a river, and later a young white woman, who was seen talking to him at a roadhouse full of Aryan Brotherhood, is killed as well, and Matthews investigates. Like any good mystery, there's an obvious killer, but of course it's not so simple, and old tensions come to the surface.

What Locke does best here is give us a sense of place. One of the key settings is a cafe that is frequented by black folks that I could see, smell, and hear in my imagination. Consider this description of an old car: "The rusting twenty-year-old car looked like a piñata beaten past its breaking point, overflowing with old license plates, iron skillets, two wig stands, old clothes, and a small TV whose antenna was sticking out the left rear window."

I'll take her word for the racial tension that still exists, to the point where a couple of white men can pull a gun on a Texas Ranger without repercussion. The murder of James Byrd Jr in 1998 (he was dragged to his death from the back of a car simply because he was black) is a keen reminder that if this is all true, then we've still got a long way to go.

The title refers to an old blues song, as the blues plays a key part in the story. I liked Bluebird, Bluebird, and just might have a look at the next book in the series.