This tells the story of three police chiefs of the small fictional town of Delaney, Georgia and their involvement in trying to solve a series of murders. The novel is divided into three parts, each named after a chief. The first, Will Henry Lee, was police chief in the 1920s; the second, Sonny Butts, was briefly chief right after World War II, and the third and final part of the novel deals with the first black police chief, Tucker Watts, in 1963.
I enjoyed the television miniseries of this novel and it proved faithful to the book. This isn't just a mystery. In fact, I wouldn't call it much of a mystery since the identity of the murderer is strongly implied early on--but it is an engaging portrait of a small Southern town over 40 eventful years and a fascinating look at law enforcement and the racial relations of the period as well.
This was over 500 pages and it went all too quickly--often suspenseful and never dull.
