Heaven, My Home

De: Attica Locke

Narrado por: J. D. Jackson

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

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Timely and evocative."—NPR "Fresh Air"

"Captivating."—People

"Bewitching story and luscious language . . . . The story has legs, the characters have character, and the dialogue has a wonderful regional tang. But it's Locke's descriptive language that gets me."—New York Times

"Atmospheric . . . Ms. Locke, a canny storyteller, ties up enough strands to satisfy readers, while leaving enough loose ends to make us eager for Ranger Mathews's next adventure in the Lone Star State."—Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal

"Locke's beautifully written crime fiction (which also includes "Pleasantville," "Black Water Rising," and "The Cutting Season") have a remarkable immediacy--you breathe with the characters and walk in their paths."—Seattle Times

"Pulse-pounding."—Chicago Tribune

"Locke skillfully packs Heaven, My Home with realistic and, at times, uncomfortable situations as she depicts complicated characters. In Darren, Locke has fearlessly shaped a character that constantly walks a tightrope of being a good man with a quest for justice and being an extremely flawed person. . . . [Locke] once again excels in her superior storytelling."—Oline Cogdill, Associated Press

"With her usual aplomb, Locke tackles history and its all-too-real emotional fallout in this splendid follow-up."—Boston Globe

"[Locke] has proved that there's demand for stories about black characters. . . . Her books, categorized as mystery or crime, are also unabashedly about black experiences, examining the legacy of black history in the context of modern politics and culture. The crime she really concerns herself with is an existential one: the legacy of America's original sin. The protagonists in her novels are mostly black men, and she writes with the authenticity of a lived experience."—Madhulika Sikka, Washington Post

"Riveting."—Philadelphia Inquirer

"Attica Locke has gained a reputation as a marquee literary chronicler of Texas and the South, particularly the parts and people that usually go unnoticed, and one of the hallmarks of her fiction is the insightful way she explores how black and white people can live almost entirely different experiences inside the same time and place. . . . [Heaven, My Home] is a thrilling mystery, yes, but it's also a powerful meditation on what it means to be human in these frightening times."—Texas Observer

"In this scalp-prickling encore to her Edgar-winning Bluebird, Bluebird, Locke brings back intrepid Texas Ranger Darren Matthews . . . a gumbo of race and class prejudices captured in vivid detail."—O Magazine

"Attica Locke's novel is masterful. It's a quick read, not in the sense that it is short, but that it goes - and goes fast. It's a page-turner in every way."—San Francisco Chronicle

Perfect!

It takes an amazing writer to evoke compassion for characters that you know you should hate. A great read with a twist that I didn't see coming...and I always see them coming. Can't wait for the next book in this series.

Great story

Continuing story of Texas ranger Darren with interesting sub stories re race, relationships and friendships.

Easy read. continues from first book. Book club

Easy read. Book club selection. Enjoyed by all. Story well told by the main character.

A tougher start, but I couldnt put it down

This has a tougher start than the first book, but if you like reading about making bad decisions...this is the book for you. The character and performance make up for a few areas in the story that felt contrived. I do recommend this book.

Great Story

There were so many relevant and relatable thoughts conveyed in the telling of this story. I thoroughly enjoyed the depth of the journey the book took you on through race, politics and internal struggle to be the best version of yourself. Great story!

Attica Locke does it again.

I absolutely love her style of storytelling. she is excellent at captivating the audience. I recommend her books to all.

UNEXPECTED PEOPLE

The exciting mystery plot had me trying to figure out the connection to each of the characters .The way the author wrote history into the story by the layers of the characters and their relationships to race ,gender age region and class! The description of the settings and environment s gave the reader a sense of being an observer’ within the story and the ending “Oh my”….

Better than the 1st Darren Mathews Book

This book relies heavily on the reader having read the 1st book in the series.
The main character, Darren, is so relatable but it's almost depressing how much he's treated badly. The relationship with his mother - described in the 1st book and continued in this one - is especially heartbreaking. As a mother, I can't imagine treating my son like she does.
The plot of this book is incredibly smart and tight, but the sub-plots all started in the 1st book and will presumably continue into the 3rd book since this one ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger. I love this author and this narrator and can't wait to get the 3rd book in this series.

Hastily Written, Poorly Performed

I have listened to Attica Locke's three previous books, which were wonderful, and I mean WONDERFUL. I'm not a fan of this narrator, but Bluebird, Bluebird was so well constructed that I could overlook his delivery.
This book, however, her second in this series, feels hastily written, and could not help me forget how much I disliked the voice reading it. The ideas are all there - waiting to be better organized and delivered- but the story doesn't do them the justice they deserve. I don't know if Ms Locke switched editors or if they all decided that getting this book out fast was more important than doing a good job. Whatever the reason, this book doesn't hold a candle to her others, and it's a shame because it has at least as much to say.

Good But A Lot of Slow Spots

I thought the book was good but it had a lot of slow spots for me. I don't really mind that when I'm reading if those instances are providing me with information that usually comes up later in the book. But this time it felt a little more like literary filler in some spots. There were a few loose ends at the finish but I guess there has to be a place to pick up for the next installment in the series. I liked it but I hope the next book moves a little faster and wraps up a couple of nagging story-lines for the audience. I would like to see it develop in some new areas and explore some of the known characters that still don't have much development. I've read all but 1 of the author's books so I know it can only get better the next time around.