Undercurrents (Faye Longchamp #11) by Mary Anna Evans is a suspenseful murder mystery set in Memphis. Faye Longchamp-Mantooth is in a totally different cultural vibe as she prepares to lead a group of students in a project for the Sweetgum State Park just outside Memphis, TN. This project is to clear the way for a park expansion and the government has contracted Faye to make a cultural resource analysis because of the Civilian Conservation Corps campground and buildings which had been built in the 1930's by a group of the segregated African-American workers. This was a piece of history which needed to be documented before any excavations in the area could proceed. First, we will meet Kali, a little girl with a big attitude and a survivor's determination.
Early one morning, Faye happens upon a shocking sight, a fresh grave and the loosely turned soil is moving! Quickly she begins to excavate a young woman who has been beaten and left to die in a grave. Kali has seen too much. Faye has seen too much, or so the murderer thinks. A killer is watching!
I love these books. I wish Faye and I could be friends or I could be a part of her team.
This story seems to have a more human element of despair or sadness due to lives trapped in poverty, unsafe neighborhoods, and the high rate of crime. I live 2 hours from Memphis, and I would not want to go anywhere near some of the neighborhoods. I knew tourists who had family members killed walking down Beale Street in daylight many years ago. I could understand the conflicts Faye faces within a neighborhood and community which has citizens with enormous pride of place while they also struggle with the escalating crime on their streets.
A very well written mystery which also exposes the depth of suffering in high crime communities.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
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Art Images and Photographs by Diane Lochala-All Rights Reserved
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