ARC AUDIO BOOK REVIEW: Locust Lane by Stephen Amidon

Publication Date: January 17, 2023
Format: Audio
Genre:  Mystery/Thriller/suspense
Narrators: Cassandra Campbell

Publisher: MacMillan Audio
Length: 
 11 hours 26 min
Buy: Kindle | Audio


Synopsis

On the surface, Emerson, Massachusetts, is just like any other affluent New England suburb. But when a young woman is found dead in the nicest part of town, the powerful neighbors close ranks to keep their families safe. In this searing novel, Eden Perry’s death kicks off an investigation into the three teenagers who were partying with her that night, each a suspect. Hannah, a sweet girl with an unstable history. Jack, the popular kid with a mean streak. Christopher, an outsider desperate to fit in. Their parents, each with motivations of their own, only complicate the picture: they will do anything to protect their children, even at the others’ expense.

With a brilliantly woven, intricately crafted plot that gathers momentum on every page, this is superb storytelling told in terse prose—a dynamic read that is both intensely gripping and deeply affecting.

Review: 

By the end of this book I was so angry I could scream and anything that invokes this kind of reaction I think is worthy of praise.  

There are a lot of characters involved in this but ultimately it is the way people who don't fit in with the posh white neighborhood are treated.  There is the alcoholic who witnessed a man standing in the woods the night Eden is murdered who isn't taken seriously and looked at suspiciously due to his addiction, the tattooed mother of Eden who is not always treated well by police or prosecution, and the step mother of one of the kids involved who has a shady past. 

Anti-immigrant rhetoric is slipped in here and there by cops and other parents, and the whole book ultimately boils down to the haves and have nots. 

Whether you believe it or not the justice system is broken and unjust, black, brown and immigrants are often unfairly prosecuted while white perps get lighter sentences or get off with a slap on the wrist.  This book is excellent at highlighting these flaws and the privilege of thinking this is right. 




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