Review #13: "The Cutting Season" by Attica Locke

Favorite Quotes:

"Caren was, at that moment, a mere thirty yards or so from a crime scene, but, of course, she didn't know it yet." -page 9

"Not the kind of emptiness that comes with vacancy, but rather a kind of strained quiet that was trying too hard, the tightness that comes when someone somewhere is trying very hard to be still, to restrain every twitch and wayward breath." -page 14

"It used to embarrass Caren, how much they looked alike, as if she'd huddled alone in a dark room, and sculpted the child from her own flesh." -page 48

"It was the look in his eyes that finally broke her, when she finally started to cry. What she saw was relief. In the end, her transgression had cost him nothing. She had given him his way out." -page 180

" Caren had the awful thought that they'd kept him in lockup for the past few days for the sole purpose of aging him, curing him like a cut of meat, making him look more like the thug they were here to charge. It was a reminder of the ways an arrest can often work backward, making a criminal of any life it touches. It pained her to see him this way." -page 283

About the Main Character:

Caren is the manager of Belle Vie, an old Southern plantation, where her mother worked and her ancestors were slaves. She is a single mother of 9-year-old Morgan. As the novel begins, Caren finds a dead body on her property. Locke shows the audience Caren's nature through her interactions with those involved in the case and those who work with her. I think one of Caren's most interesting traits is her internal struggle over her feelings about Belle Vie. On one hand she's drawn to it. Her history is there and her memories with her mother, but on the other hand it is painful and dangerous. The addition of this internal struggle along with the multiple external struggles really added depth to the novel.

Another Character to Note:

Jason is Caren's great-great-great grandfather. He was a slave at Belle Vie that later went on to gain his freedom. Then he went missing, never to be seen or heard of again. As this modern day murder unfolds, Jason's story is at the forefront of Caren's mind and becomes interwoven into the plot of the novel. As a reader you get just as invested in Jason's story as you do in the current case.

Plot Breakdown:

1. A Presence and a Body...the slave quarters on Belle Vie foreshadow the crime scene

 

2. Questions and Donovan...the detectives are suspicious of Caren and narrow in on a suspect

 

3. Morgan...how is Caren's daughter involved?

 

4. Problems at home...cue Morgan's dad's return

 

5. The reporter and the preacher...Caren learns more about the case and how the detectives are far off

 

6. Goodbye to Belle Vie

 

7. The Clancy's (Belle Vie owners) and Caren's history...Jason and how it ties into the current case

 

8. Who is the murderer?

 

 

Something Interesting to Note:

 

Another side plot of this story is that of Caren's love life. She has Morgan with her ex, Eric. He comes back into town when he fears his daughter might be in trouble. His history with Caren causes the heat to rise! Then there is the reporter who shows a lot of attraction to her and feeds her information about the case {which totally keeps her interest!} And lastly we have Bobby Clancy, Caren's childhood crush who resurfaces into her life. Although, I thought it was a bit of a disappointment in the romance department, the love aspect of the novel does charge the pace at times.

 

Should you read The Cutting Season before you die?

 

While I would recommend it to read, I wouldn't say it is something you have to read before you die. It's a good mystery with lots of interesting plot lines, but it reads a little too fluffy {for lack of a better word obviously...suggestions are welcome :)} And while Locke does a good job of presenting several suspects, it's not terribly hard to figure out the "Who dunnit?" part of the novel. Good book, fun read, but not a must.