The Cutting Season by Attica Locke
Caren Gray returned to Belle Vie, the Louisiana plantation on the Mississippi River, years ago when Hurricane Katrina ruined the life she had made for herself and her daughter in New Orleans. She is now the General Manager of the historic site and popular venue for weddings and other catered events. As a young girl she spent a lot of time at the former sugar cane plantation since her mother was the cook for the family who lived there. Prior to that, for a number of generations, her family worked the land, first as slaves then as freedmen. Now she, and her daughter Morgan, live at Belle Vie and all seems perfect.
Nothing ever stays perfect. The body of a migrant worker, a woman who worked the fields bordering Belle Vie, is found murdered near the reconstructed slave cabins. Why would someone kill this woman? Caren finds herself swept into the investigation as trespassers and stalkers begin dogging her trail. Caren is also carrying out an investigation of her own. She’s trying to discover what happened to Jason, her ancestor who worked at the plantation after the Civil War, after he was freed and could have chosen to go anywhere and do anything, but instead choose to stay.
A well-crafted mystery, the clues are presented as Caren discovers them and you’ll be puzzling out the mystery as she does. A good pick on audio, but I would have liked more southern dialect in my reading.
