New Releases by Attica Locke

The case of a missing Black college student who has disappeared from her all-white sorority pulls Darren out of an early retirement; the third and final novel in the "timely and evocative" (NPR) Highway 59 trilogy, from Edgar Award-winning New York Times-Bestselling author Attica Locke. Texas Ranger Darren Mathews isn’t sure he’s been a good cop, but believes he’s got a shot at being a good man—if he manages to dodge the potential indictment hanging over his head and if he, from here on out, pledges allegiance to the truth. It’s a virtue the country appears to have wholly lost its grip on, but one Darren sees as his salvation. He is in the midst of remaking his life with the woman he loves, hoping for the peace of country living at his beloved farmhouse, when he is visited by someone who couldn’t hold the truth on her tongue if it was dipped in sugar, a woman who’s always been bent of tearing his life apart. His mother. Armed with a tall tale about a missing Black college student, Sera (whose white sorority sisters insist she isn’t missing at all). Darren must decide if his can trust his mother is telling the truth—and what her ulterior motive may be, and what if that motive has to do with a grand jury deciding his fate. Darren gets his hooks into the investigation, along the way discovering things about Sera’s family and her hometown that are odd at best, vaguely sinister at worst. Hamstrung by local law enforcement and the Texas Rangers who likewise doubt the account of a missing girl, if Darren wants answers, he’ll need help from the person whom he swore to never trust again—his mother. In this emotionally stirring conclusion to the singular Highway 59 series, Darren reckons with his life’s purpose as he’s forced to choose between his own peace and the higher call to do good.

Zum ersten Mal in der 160-jährigen Geschichte Houstons hat ein schwarzer Kandidat Aussicht aufs Bürgermeisteramt. Auch wenn sein Vorsprung vor der Stichwahl schmilzt. Die Bevölkerung befürchtet wegen der hohen Verbrechensrate sich nicht von der Ölkrise und dem wirtschaftlichen Niedergang erholen zu können. Eine Wahlkämpferin ist verschwunden. Im Fall zweier weiterer vermisster und ermordeter Mädchen ist bereits ergebnislos ermittelt worden. In Verdacht gerät der Enkel eines einflussreichen schwarzen Angehörigen der Community in Pleasantville. Als Jay Porter den Fall übernimmt, deckt er geheime Baupläne und politische Verschleierungen auf. Die Geschichte spielt 1996. Clinton ist zum Präsidenten wiedergewählt worden. Es geht um weit mehr als eine Lokalwahl, bei der eine Staatsanwältin alle Hebel in Bewegung setzt, um sich ein Amt zu sichern. Im Hintergrund bereiten die Republikaner die Präsidentschaftswahl für 2000 vor. Dafür müssen sie Wahlkreise wie Pleasantville für ihre Partei erobern. Wie erfolgreich sie damit waren, zeigten die Jahrzehnte danach.

Le lac Caddo, une immense étendue d’eau verdâtre aux confins du Texas et de la Louisiane, où les silhouettes décharnées des cyprès se perdent dans la brume. Quand le soir tombe, mieux vaut ne pas y naviguer seul, sous peine de ne plus retrouver son chemin dans les innombrables bayous et de «passer une nuit au motel Caddo», comme disent les anciens. C’est d’ailleurs parce qu’un enfant a disparu sur ce lac que Darren Mathews, Ranger noir du Texas, débarque à Hopetown, un lieu reculé habité par une communauté disparate. Quand il découvre que des Blancs pauvres et racistes dans des caravanes de fortune partagent cette terre avec quelques Indiens Caddos et un vieux Noir descendant d’un groupe d’esclaves affranchis, il comprend que l’affaire ne sera pas banale. D’autant que le père de l’enfant disparu, un suprémaciste dont la mère est la plus grande fortune du comté, purge une peine de prison pour un meurtre raciste... Un roman fort qui nous plonge dans l’Amérique de Trump et le Sud profond, où des laissés-pour-compte sont prêts à toutes les violences pour survivre.

Il Lago Caddo è un''imponente distesa d''acqua che si estende tra il Texas e la Louisiana. Come una creatura acquatica la sua sponda occidentale sembra dimenarsi in un reticolo di paludi, isolotti, bayous e canali che hanno osservato, accolto, nascosto, rubato le vite di chi è vissuto su quelle rive. Una sera d''inverno Levi King, nove anni, sta navigando da solo sul lago nella piccola barca del nonno. Ha fatto tardi da un amico e il sole ormai è tramontato, ma deve tornare a tutti i costi a casa, a Hopetown, prima che la madre si accorga della sua assenza. Ma non tornerà, né quella sera né il giorno dopo. I suoi genitori sono convinti che sia vivo e non vogliono arrendersi, ma il tempo passa e secondo loro la polizia non si sta impegnando nelle ricerche: il padre di Levi, Bill King, in carcere per omicidio – ha ucciso un uomo di colore ed è un membro della Fratellanza Ariana del Texas – decide di scrivere direttamente al Governatore dello Stato perché coinvolga i suoi uomini migliori nel caso. Ad affiancare la polizia locale viene quindi spedito Darren Mathews, Texas Ranger di colore che si è distinto per la brillante risoluzione di un caso poche settimane prima. Ma a Hopetown non basta un distintivo per mettere al sicuro un nero: in un clima di odio e intolleranza, Mathews si dedica all''indagine, che lo conduce nel passato della cittadina, al cuore della convivenza forzata tra nativi americani, schiavi liberati (o fuggiti) e la minoranza bianca che continua a dettare legge e si sente ancor più legittimata dal nuovo inquilino della Casa Bianca. Una scrittura vivida e una trama serratissima per parlare di diritti e di giustizia in un romanzo che conferma Attica Locke come un''interprete del presente.

De negenjarige Levi King weet dat hij eerder naar huis had moeten gaan; nu dobbert hij ’s avonds laat alleen rond op het grote Caddo Lake in een motorboot die het heeft begeven. Als hij een andere boot ziet naderen denkt hij dat hij gered is, maar het tegenovergestelde blijkt het geval... Texas Ranger Darren Mathews probeert op te klimmen uit een andere duisternis: zijn huwelijk, carrière en reputatie hangen aan een zijden draadje. Zijn lot is in handen van zijn moeder, maar die heeft niet bepaald het beste met hem voor. Dan stuurt zijn baas hem voor een zaak naar een klein stadje elders in Texas: het zoontje van een leider van de Aryan Brotherhood wordt vermist, en de verdenking valt al snel op leden van de zwarte gemeenschap. Hoe langer Darren met zijn onderzoek bezig is, hoe meer het duidelijk wordt dat niet alles is wat het lijkt en dat het niet altijd mogelijk is om het verleden te laten rusten. Een pageturner over verborgen misdaden, schuldvragen en eeuwenoude vooroordelen in het broeierige Texas.

In this "captivating" crime novel (People), Texas Ranger Darren Mathews is on the hunt for a missing child -- but it''s the boy''s family of white supremacists who are his real target. 9-year-old Levi King knew he should have left for home sooner; now he''s alone in the darkness of vast Caddo Lake, in a boat whose motor just died. A sudden noise distracts him - and all goes dark. Darren Mathews is trying to emerge from another kind of darkness; after the events of his previous investigation, his marriage is in a precarious state of re-building, and his career and reputation lie in the hands of his mother, who''s never exactly had his best interests at heart. Now she holds the key to his freedom, and she''s not above a little maternal blackmail to press her advantage. An unlikely possibility of rescue arrives in the form of a case down Highway 59, in a small lakeside town where the local economy thrives on nostalgia for ante-bellum Texas - and some of the era''s racial attitudes still thrive as well. Levi''s disappearance has links to Darren''s last case, and to a wealthy businesswoman, the boy''s grandmother, who seems more concerned about the fate of her business than that of her grandson. Darren has to battle centuries-old suspicions and prejudices, as well as threats that have been reignited in the current political climate, as he races to find the boy, and to save himself. A Best Book of the Year New York TimesHouston ChronicleNPRWall Street JournalMilwaukee Journal-SentinelBook PageFinancial TimesKirkusSheReadsSunday TimesLitHubGuardianBook RiotSouth Florida Sun SentinelLonglisted for the Orwell Political Fiction Book Prize

Un omaggio dell’autrice alla sua terra, un romanzo che è come il blues, armonia dissonante tra la vita che abbiamo e quella che vorremmo avere. Lark è una manciata di case a ridosso delle paludi, una cittadina dimenticata dal tempo e dal progresso. È tagliata in due dalla Highway 59: di qua c’è la tavola calda di Geneva Sweet, dove servono limonata dolcissima e pesce gatto fritto da mangiare seduti al bancone insieme a neri che in altri locali verrebbero cacciati; di là c’è una grande casa in perfetto ordine, tetto a cupola e staccionata bianca intorno, la dimora dei Jefferson, la famiglia più potente della zona. Come accade spesso nel Texas orientale, solo pochi metri separano mondi molto lontani. Un giorno due corpi affiorano dal bayou: erano un avvocato di colore di mezza età arrivato da Chicago e una giovane donna bianca del posto. In apparenza un caso già chiuso, l’ennesimo crimine a sfondo razziale che tutti dimenticheranno presto. Ma Darren Mathews, appena arrivato a Lark, capisce in fretta che niente è come sembra, lui che incarna una suprema contraddizione: un ranger nero che deve difendere la legge e dalla legge difendersi.

Un potente thriller sobre la explosiva intersección entre amor, raza y justicia, de la guionista y productora del programa " Empire, de Fox TV " , ganador de un Emmy. En lo tocante a la ley y el orden, el este de Texas tiene sus propias normas... Un hecho que Darren Mathews, un " ranger " de Texas negro, conoce demasiado bien. Con sentimientos encontrados por haberse criado en el estado de la estrella solitaria, Mathews fue el primero de su familia en abandonar Texas y no mirar atrás. Hasta que el deber lo llama de nuevo a casa... Cuando la fidelidad a sus raíces pone en peligro su trabajo, sube por la autopista 59 hasta la pequeña ciudad de Lark, donde dos asesinatos (un abogado negro de Chicago y una mujer blanca de la localidad) han alborotado el avispero de los resentimientos. Darren debe resolver los crímenes, y salvarse en el proceso, antes de que estallen los antiguos conflictos raciales en Lark. " Texas Blues " , una novela negra rural impregnada con la música, el color y los matices únicos del este de Texas, es una obra emocionante y oportuna sobre la colisión de raza y justicia en Estados Unidos. Con sus prometedores giros y su lento suspense, y ambientada en una remota población rural, claustrofóbica, que mide menos de diez kilómetros de un extremo al otro, La hoguera explora el tema de si es posible o no superar el pasado. "

A "heartbreakingly resonant" thriller about the explosive intersection of love, race, and justice from a writer and producer of the Emmy-winning Fox TV show Empire (USA Today). "In Bluebird, Bluebird Attica Locke had both mastered the thriller and exceeded it."-Ann Patchett When it comes to law and order, East Texas plays by its own rules -- a fact that Darren Mathews, a black Texas Ranger, knows all too well. Deeply ambivalent about growing up black in the lone star state, he was the first in his family to get as far away from Texas as he could. Until duty called him home. When his allegiance to his roots puts his job in jeopardy, he travels up Highway 59 to the small town of Lark, where two murders -- a black lawyer from Chicago and a local white woman -- have stirred up a hornet''s nest of resentment. Darren must solve the crimes -- and save himself in the process -- before Lark''s long-simmering racial fault lines erupt. From a writer and producer of the Emmy winning Fox TV show Empire, Bluebird, Bluebird is a rural noir suffused with the unique music, color, and nuance of East Texas.

Louisiane, 2009. La plantation de Belle Vie a été transformée en parc d’attractions historique, témoignage d’une époque révolue. Mais à Belle Vie comme partout en Amérique, à côté de ce passé reconstitué et souvent mythifié, l’histoire suit son cours. Les champs de canne à sucre appartiennent aujourd’hui au groupe Groveland Farms, qui cherche à s’agrandir et remplace les employés locaux par des immigrés clandestins. Un matin, le corps d’une jeune femme est retrouvé près de la clôture de la propriété, la gorge tranchée. Pour Caren Gray, responsable du domaine, c’est le début d’une plongée dans les eaux troubles du présent, mais également dans les secrets du passé : Belle Vie, malgré les efforts pour passer sous silence la réalité de son histoire, s’est bâti sur le sang, la violence et l’exploitation...

WINNER OF THE HARPER LEE PRIZE FOR LEGAL FICTION Wall Street Journal BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILEY’S WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION From Attica Locke, a writer and producer of FOX’s Empire, this sophisticated thriller sees lawyer Jay Porter—hero of her bestseller Black Water Rising—return to fight one last case, only to become embroiled in a dangerous game of shadowy politics and a witness to how far those in power are willing to go to win. Fifteen years after his career-defining case against Cole Oil, Jay Porter is broke and tired. That victory might have won the environmental lawyer fame, but thanks to a string of appeals, he hasn''t seen a dime. His latest case—representing Pleasantville in the wake of a chemical fire—is dragging on, shaking his confidence and raising doubts about him within this upwardly mobile black community on Houston''s north side. Though Jay still believes in doing what''s right, he is done fighting other people''s battles. Once he has his piece of the settlement, the single father is going to devote himself to what matters most—his children. His plans are abruptly derailed when a female campaign volunteer vanishes on the night of Houston''s mayoral election, throwing an already contentious campaign into chaos. The accused is none other than the nephew and campaign manager of one of the leading candidates—a scion of a prominent Houston family headed by the formidable Sam Hathorne. Despite all the signs suggesting that his client is guilty—and his own misgivings—Jay can''t refuse when a man as wealthy and connected as Sam asks him to head up the defense. Not if he wants that new life with his kids. But he has to win. Plunging into a shadowy world of ambitious enemies and treacherous allies armed with money, lies, and secrets, Jay reluctantly takes on his first murder trial—a case that will put him and his client, and an entire political process, on trial.

En sen kväll i Houston 1981. Jay Porter hör ett skrik i mörkret. När han räddar en kvinna från att drunkna i floden öppnar han oavsiktligt Pandoras ask. I sin ungdom var han politisk aktivist, nu är han advokat och väntar sitt första barn. Jays hjältemodiga handling visar sig få omvälvande konsekvenser som hotar inte bara hans karriär och familj utan till och med hans liv. Han dras allt djupare in i ett mysterium vars förvecklingar leder till Houstons absoluta maktelit. Jay inser att han måste konfrontera spöken ur sitt eget förflutna. Svarta vatten är Attica Lockes mycket hyllade debut. En nervkittlande thriller som skickligt kombinerar socialt engagemang och intensiv psykologisk spänning. Boken har nominerats till en rad priser däribland Orangepriset 2010.

Retrouvez dans ce dossier gratuit les premiers chapitres de 15 titres incontournables pour vos lectures d''été, dans les collections Blanche, Série Noire et Du monde entier : Donnybrook (de Franck Bill), Noces de charbon (de Sophie Chauveau), Expo 58 (de Jonathan Coe), I Cursini (d''Alix Deniger), L''emprise (de Marc Dugain), Réparer les vivants (de Maylis de Kerangal), Ni toi ni moi (de Camille Laurens), Tempête (de J.M.-G. Le Clézio), Dernière récolte (d''Attica Locke), Opération Sweet Tooth (de Ian McEwan), Police (de Jo Nesbo), Cevdet Bey et ses fils (d''Orhan Pamuk), Le collier rouge (de Jean-Christophe Rufin), L''affaire Collini (de Ferdinand von Schirach) et S''abandonner à vivre (de Sylvain Tesson). Vous pouvez accéder directement à chaque extrait par la table des matières de ce dossier ou lire les extraits à la suite. Retrouvez aussi photographie et biographie des auteurs. Tous ces livres numériques sont en vente chez votre libraire.

From Attica Locke, a writer and producer of FOX’s Empire: “The Cutting Season is a rare murder mystery with heft, a historical novel that thrills, a page-turner that makes you think. Attica Locke is a dazzling writer with a conscience.”—Dolen Perkins-Valdez, New York Times bestselling author of Wench After her breathtaking debut novel, Black Water Rising, won acclaim from major publications and respected crime fiction masters like James Ellroy and George Pelecanos, Locke returns with The Cutting Season, a second novel easily as gripping and powerful as her first—a heart-pounding thriller that interweaves two murder mysteries, one on Belle Vie, a historic landmark in the middle of Lousiana’s Sugar Cane country, and one involving a slave gone missing more than one hundred years earlier. Black Water Rising was nominated for a Los Angeles Times Book Prize, an Edgar® Award, and an NAACP Image Award, and was short-listed for the Orange Prize in the U.K.

When the dead body of a young woman is found on the grounds of Belle Vie, the estate''s manager, Caren Gray, launches her own investigation into Belle Vie''s history, which leads her to a centuries old mystery involving the plantation''s slave quarters--and her own past.

Retrouvez dans cette sélection les premiers chapitres de 10 romans policiers du catalogue numérique des Éditions Gallimard. Vous pouvez accéder directement à chaque extrait par la table des matières de ce dossier ou lire les extraits à la suite. Tous ces livres numériques sont en vente chez votre libraire.

Dans la lignée de Dennis Lehane et George Pelecanos, une nouvelle voix de la littérature américaine se fait entendre : pour son premier roman, Attica Locke a écrit un thriller brillant, que les lecteurs ne sont pas près d''oublier. Jay Porter est loin d''être l''avocat qu''il aurait voulu devenir. Son client le plus prometteur est une prostituée de bas étage, et son cabinet se trouve dans un petit centre commercial minable. Mais cela fait longtemps qu''il a enterré son rêve américain et mis soigneusement de côté sa facette la plus sombre : les armes, l''enquête du FBI et le procès qui a bien failli le détruire. Houston, Texas, 1981. C''est dans cette ville que Jay pense pouvoir repartir de zéro. Jusqu''au soir où il sauve une femme de la noyade, et ouvre la boîte de Pandore. Les secrets que cache cette dernière vont en effet mêler Jay, malgré lui, à une enquête criminelle qui mettra en péril sa carrière d''avocat, sa famille, sa vie même. Mais avant d''éclaircir un mystère dont les ramifications remontent jusqu''aux plus hautes sphères du pouvoir économique local, Jay devra affronter les démons de son passé. Une écriture intelligente qui captive le lecteur dès la première scène, jusqu''au dénouement haletant : Marée noire signe l''arrivée fracassante d''un nouveau talent.

In the tradition of Greg Iles and Dennis Lehane comes a powerful new voice in American fiction. Locke''s debut thriller involves murder, greed, and redemption, set in the oil boomtown of 1980s Houston.

Black Water Rising was shortlisted for the Orange Prize, nominated for an Edgar Award, an NAACP Image Award and a Los Angeles Times Book Prize.On a dark night, out on the Houston bayou to celebrate his wife''s birthday, Jay Porter hears a scream. Saving a distressed woman from drowning, he opens a Pandora''s Box.Not the lawyer he set out to be, Jay long ago made peace with his radical youth, tucked away his darkest sins and resolved to make a fresh start. His impulsive act out on the bayou is heroic, but it puts Jay in danger, ensnaring him in a murder investigation that could cost him is practice, his family and even his life. Before he can untangle the mystery that stretches to the highest reaches of corporate power, he must confront the demons of his past.A provocative thriller with an exhilarating climax, Black Water Rising marks the arrival of an electrifying new talent.