River Ghosts (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Five Star Mystery Series) - Hardcover

B. R. Robb

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1594146543 ISBN 13: 9781594146541

Publisher: Five Star, 2008

Synopsis

Kirkus Starred Review Literary Mystery on Racism and Race Relationships; the Antidote to a DysTrumpia Society: River Ghost's soars as a murder mystery in literary fashion, but its story is so much more. Sadly relevant to today's racial dynamics, both subtle and blatant. Rich Hill symbolizes the unification of Black and White, at first a creation of beauty, birthed in love that later, due to horrific murders, can only sense the worst, as well as rejection from both sides. In his search for the truth of his parents' murders in the face of DNA evidence, Rich discovers a path toward understanding and acceptance, of finding good among the bad, that his existence symbolizes the better possibilities of humanity, and solutions to problems that have dogged American society for far too long. Followers of Trump will find much to dislike, even hate, in River Ghosts, "Believe me." For the rest of society, for those willing to listen, there is beauty within River Ghosts, among those who give legitimacy to the concerns of all sides. In coming to the truth of his parents' murders, Rich Hill's understanding, which soothes his deepest wounds, will give open-minded, anti-DysTrumpia Society readers of River Ghosts a sense of the truth that may restore hope in all of us.

About this title

About the Author

BR Robb graduated from Loyola School of Law in Chicago, worked as a prosecutor as well as a public defender before entering private practice.

From the Back Cover

"River Ghosts takes readers on a trip that goes beyond skin-deep reactions and crime to confront the spirits that move all humans. Expertly mixing the cold facts of a long-ago crime with the simmering passions of today's society, River Ghosts hits hard with a story that doesn't fade with time, engaging from the first page to the last, with intriguing plot twists along the journey." - Burt Constable, The Chicago Daily Herald

*

"River Ghosts - Wow. Smooth and fascinating. River Ghosts haunts me on so many levels. Richard Hill's pain after, as a boy, witnessing his parents' murders. His certainty shattered years later when DNA testing frees the one man his own testimony helped to convict. The actions his aunt takes to protect him from the truths of today's social issues, all of this neatly woven into the story. I found myself thinking about the characters. Now I suspect it will stay with me for some time to come. The first person, present tense gives River Ghosts a unique voice, an immediacy to Richard's emotions. Oddly enough, I found myself wondering about the author. Whether Africa-American or White, or perhaps multi-racial. Perhaps a police officer or lawyer. A church-goer or heretic. A reporter or a mother . . . I gave up and decided the author is a damn fine writer. Here's hoping that this is just the first of many yet to come!" - Elizabeth Vaughan, bestselling author of The Chronicles of the Warlands trilogy.

From the Inside Flap

Richard Hill's childhood memories begin with the innocent belief that love between his Black father and White mother created him, that he is proof of a good and purposeful God. His innocence ends at age eight when Richard's parents hide him at the outset of trouble. A neo-Nazi youth who rapes his mother and murders her and his father. Richard survives, a witness to violence and, he believes, his own cowardice.

On the strength of Richard's testimony, a white jury convicts Henry Clayton, a teen bearing swastika tattoos, and sentences him to death. But friends and neighbors, who once surrounded Richard with support, shy away from his rage. His future in ruins, Richard soon perceives that the mix of his parents, his green eyes staring through light brown skin, satisfies neither side.

Sixteen years after the murders, Richard receives a letter from the prosecutor's office. The language is clear - DNA evidence coupled with the testimony he gave as a boy have exonerated Henry Clayton. Richard is the man who remains imprisoned, alone with his discredited nightmare.

Henry Clayton arrives, dressed in the clothes of a preacher, claiming rebirth, extending his hand not only to return to Richard to faith, but also to use this faith to find the true killer. Even as Richard begins to take a step in a new direction, one had never thought possible, his youth and voices from his past reach out to oppose Clayton. How, he is often reminded, can a traumatized memory from so long ago defeat a perfect science?

Its frightening insight into the best and worst of men and their institutions, thoughtful intrigue, and superb attack upon preconceptions make River Ghosts a mystery devoid of coincidences or tidy endings and will grip readers from the stunning opening to its powerful last page.

Reviews

This thought-provoking mystery from the pseudonymous Robb, whose first novel, The Widow's Son, was published under his real name, Bruce Steinberg, examines a racially motivated hate crime with a terrifying twist. Hidden under a table, eight-year-old Richard Hill witnesses 18-year-old Henry Clayton, who sports a swastika tattoo, rape Richard's white mother, then murder her and his black father at his parents' home in Red River Falls (evidently located near Chicago). Sixteen years after Henry is convicted, new DNA evidence gains him a governor's pardon and release from prison. Now a Red River Falls police patrol officer, Richard suspects the new evidence is bogus. When the murder of an elderly gay man points to an old white power buddy of Henry's as the culprit, Richard and his white squad partner suspect Henry's connected. Proving that connection is another matter and a testimony to friendship and faith under fire. Robb depicts Henry's terror campaign and Richard's hunger for justice with steely eloquence. (May)
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Edition details

• Publisher: Five Star
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1594146543
• ISBN 13: 9781594146541
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 307