Bluebird, Bluebird: Booktrack Edition

By: Attica Locke

Narrated by: J.D. Jackson

Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Bluebird, Bluebird: Booktrack Edition adds an immersive musical soundtrack to your audiobook listening experience! *

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.

*Booktrack is an immersive format that pairs traditional audiobook narration to complementary music. The tempo and rhythm of the score are in perfect harmony with the action and characters throughout the audiobook. Gently playing in the background, the music never overpowers or distracts from the narration, so listeners can enjoy every minute. When you purchase this Booktrack edition, you receive the exact narration as the traditional audiobook available, with the addition of music throughout.

©2017 Attica Locke (P)2019 Mulholland Books

Critic reviews

Winner of the 2018 Edgar Award for Best Novel

A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice

A Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize

A Washington Post 10 Best Thrillers and Mysteries of 2017

A Kirkus Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2017

A Financial Times Best Book of the Year

Best book of the year from Vulture, The Strand Magazine, Southern Living, Bolo Books, Publisher's Weekly, Book Riot, The Guardian, Lit Hub, The Boston Globe, Dallas News, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Minnesota Public Radio, Texas Monthly, The Daily Beast, and the South Florida Sun Sentinel

"A quick course in plotting and nimble characterizations rooted in a vividly evoked setting"—Nicole Lamy, New York Times Book Review

"An emotionally dense and intricately detailed thriller, roiling with conflicting emotions steeped in this nation's troubled past and present. . . . A rich sense of place and relentless feeling of dread permeate Attica Locke's heartbreakingly resonant new novel about race and justice in America. . . . Bluebird, Bluebird is no simple morality tale. Far from it. It rises above "left and right" and "black and white" and follows the threads that inevitably bind us together, even as we rip them apart."—James Endrst, USA Today

"Gripping, suspenseful and gut-wrenching . . . I've never bought the notion of the Great American Novel. I think when literary historians look back, they'll realize this time had many, but if Attica Locke's Bluebird Bluebird isn't on the list, I'm coming back to haunt them. . . . This is a layered portrait of a black man confronting his own racial ambivalence and ambition told with a pointed and poignant bluesy lyricism. . . . Locke's novel is America 'telling on itself.' Listen up."—Carole Barrowman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Mystery, Character, Location - loved it

Initially, it felt a bit like entering the story in the middle but once i adjusted my mindset - it just added to the enjoyment. A good story, immersed in an interesting location and very messy. Not always the best decisions were made, but that is real life.

Attica Locke’s Genius

This superb novel deserves all the awards an praise it has received and more. It not only places racial politics within the context of history and contemporary life, but writer Attica Locke’s brilliant work reminds millennials and Generation Z youths that the social ills of today have a direct connection to the state of Texas and nation’s past. The award-winning writer’s appreciation for history, southern culture, Black rural life, and class makes this extraordinary story very relevant in the twenty-first century. A native Houstonian, the author’s love for her home state is also inspiring and confirms that despite the ongoing culture wars that divide Americans of the US today, those who have experienced disappointment after disappointment as well as the horrors of racial exclusion, for example, ironically never give up on their complicated ancestral ties and homes, even if these hometown places have failed to protect all its citizens from the stench of bias and exclusion. This, again is amazing and symbolizes God’s love for humanity.

Defines excellence

In a galaxy of shining talent Attica Locke has a distinct luminescence that makes her star stand out uniquely brighter than the others. Mistress of the mystery sweeps the board with tens for character development, storyline, twists and turns, setting and flow. Rich in
Many hues this stunner is one of the finer Edgar winners

Very Engaging Book

This book is on par with some of Audible's 5-star rated books. It was a great listening experience. The characters were very interesting, and I liked very much how each character was developed. The story had intrigue and suspense. Lastly, I loved how they were able to use music and other sounds to enhance the listening experience. I recommend this book to everyone looking for a tremendous audible experience.

I probably won’t recommend it.

The ending was less than satisfying. Also I had a lot of trouble with the names of the character Randii and Wendy Not ones I associate with deep East Texas or the many, many black folk I know from my days in Spring, Texas.