I don’t think literary crime is for me. The writing was very well done, but I didn’t remember the first book, and I feel like there should have been more recap if it was going to be such a big part of this book.

Heaven, My Home is about a 9-year-old who left home and 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.

That summary alone had me interested enough to read the book, and I'm glad I did because it's a great story.

I don't love crime novels with cliffhangers but I would definitely recommend this author/series to people looking for a solid crime fiction novel!

This was a good follow up to the first one. Quite a mystery with good writing. Sometimes I got a bit put off by some of the comments the men made, but it's probably an accurate thing haha. Looking forward to the next one.

Texas Ranger Darren Matthews is tangled into his own actions from previous book Bluebird, Bluebird. He is getting threatened and manipulated by his mother Bell, even though it was his uncles William & Clayton who raised him.

Levi King, son of Bill King the head of the ABT (Aryan Brotherhood of Texas) goes missing from a boat on Lake Caddo in Jefferson. Levi lived with his mother, half sister and step father in a Trailer in hopetown. There are a lot of hate crimes going on in the place and people are not afraid to show their rascism.

Lieutenant Fred Wilson sees this opportunity to get more information on ABT and sends Darren Matthews to tag along the investigation. Even though Darren was not allowed to actively participate in the Levi's case, he finds himself drawn into the lives of people around the town and connected to Levi. And Darren is sure that Levi is alive and wants to find Levi alive before it is too late.

Set in the wake of Trump's election, we see Texas which has growing racism, hate crimes, violence and killings. I did like the first book more than this one. It was a good read , a good plot but most of the spotlight was on Darren's life than on the mystery.
It was a good read.

Thanks to the ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nine year old Levi King goes missing. He is from a family linked to the Aryan Brotherhood and there are inter-family squabbles that might make Levi’s disappearance an inside job. African American Texas Ranger Darren Matthews is assigned to the case as part of his investigation of the Brotherhood. This is the second book in the series featuring Matthews. It involves a different case than “Bluebird, Bluebird”, but events from book one have continuing ramifications for Matthews. The backstory from the first book is described in detail, so this book would probably work as a standalone.

“...everyone in this little county excelled at obfuscation and misdirection.” That pretty much sums up the goings on in this police procedural that almost loses track of poor Levi while it piles on real estate shenanigans, harassment of an African American community, a missing woman and a shooting. The author is good at creating an atmosphere and describing complex racial histories. Unfortunately, I don’t like Matthews. He’s the typical cop in crime novels who drinks too much, has a bad marriage and makes dumb choices. I don’t find him very interesting. The problems that Matthews created for himself in book one are still unresolved at the end of book two. I’ll probably read the next book in the series.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Heaven, My Home, is the second installment in Attica Locke’s Highway 59 series, set primarily in East Texas. This isn’t not a stand -alone, so be warned you will want to read Bluebird, Bluebird first.
“Heaven” picks up where the first novel ends, at the end of 2016, as the 45th President stirs the pot and racial tension and hate crimes are on the rise. Darren Matthews, the anti hero of Locke’s series is an African- American Texas Ranger who in this second installment is currently tied to a desk and trying to save his ailing marriage. Locke excels with her East Texas setting and the mood of her novel is dark. The 9 yr. old son of the Arian Brotherhood leader has disappeared and Darren is called in due to his ABT expertise.
Highly Recommended.

I recommended this book during my presentation at ALA. Attica Locke consistently writes amazing, socially conscious mysteries and I, of course, loved this one too.

Attica Locke is quite possibly my favourite mystery author currently writing in a series. I really liked Bluebird, Bluebird and recommended it to people who I thought might like it, but with Heaven, My Home, I am shouting from rooftops. I don't even know how to talk about this book other than that it's some of the best mystery-writing out there in terms of having compelling cases and characters and locations that give the story such a sense of place.

This book picks up where Bluebird, Bluebird left off, so don't skip the first installment.

A wonderful follow up to Bluebird, Bluebird. Locke is cinematic in her writing and I look forward to what's next!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

Synopsis/blurb.....

In this "captivating" crime novel (People), Texas Ranger Darren Mathews is on the hunt for a missing boy -- 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.
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My take.....

Heaven, My Home is the second Darren Mathews book from Attica Locke after Bluebird, Bluebird. I've enjoyed both books without feeling the need to backtrack on the author's earlier works, of which there are a few. (Three)

Here Mathews is forced into an investigation into the disappearance of a boy; the boy's father (incarcerated) and step-father have links to white supremacist groups. Mathews with a potentially career ending event and investigation from an incident in the first book hanging over him, sees the opportunity to solve the crime and manipulate the outcome to save himself. Whether he can also save his marriage is debatable.

Race, politics, a missing child, tension and conflict in a community, FBI involvement, a strained friendship, a more strained marriage, lies, hate, land, history, decline, influence, family, the water, Aryan Brotherhood, an investigation..... and lots more besides.

I quite like Darren has a character. He has his flaws, he might be guilty of some rash decision making and mistakes and he's in a difficult predicament. His heart is in the right place. He's more on point here and less beholden to alcohol as a crutch and he's hopeful he can save the boy when everyone else seems to have given up on him. That he might be able to manipulate events to relieve some pressure on him is understandable.

Race is very important here and plays a big part in the aims of the FBI, with events foreshadowed by the impending Trump administration taking office.


I liked the history element Locke introduces to the narrative, which helps sustain the story. I enjoyed the setting of the book and the tensions and conflict surrounded race added layers to a missing child case. The outcome and the speed at which we came upon it all worked for me.

There is still the over-riding story ARC concerning Darren and his career and marriage still to be resolved, but I didn't feel manipulated by the author into issuing a BOLO for the next book in the series. That said I'll probably want to read it at some point although I'm unaware of a third book coming down the pike.

4 from 5

Read - January, 2020
Published - 2019
Page count - 308
Source - initially a Net Galley book, but borrowed from Leighton Buzzard library to read
Format - hardback

http://col2910.blogspot.com/2020/02/attica-locke-heaven-my-home-2019.html

A fantastic follow up to Bluebird Bluebird so tense so atmospheric.A book I was drawn into kept me reading late into the night. Arica Locke an amazingly talented author .#netgalley#mullhollandbooks

Probably the best crime novel of 2019, the second novel in this series brings our favorite Texas Ranger to the beginning of the Trump presidency. The novel excels in the portrait of contemporary America. Bring on the third!

Characteristically even-handed and subtle about race relations, description of a certain neighbourhood or social milieu, and introducing me to a very atmospheric part of Texas I wouldn't have believed existed (or that it existed in Louisiana). Full of moral dilemmas and pertinent questions, very current subject matter.

I absolutely fell in love when I read Bluebird, Bluebird. So, I could not wait to pick up this book and continue on with the story of Darren, the Texas Ranger. This book has him taking a case of a missing child of a member of the ATR. This leads him into the twisted world of HopeTown. Will Darren be able to solve the mystery and protect the land of the Cado Indians while he does it?

This book is full of twist and turns that will keep the reader intrigued till the last page and then have you wanting more!

Hard for a non-Texan

It's hard for me, not a black Texas Ranger, to judge the cultural authenticity of this book, but it sure feels real. Darren Matthews, who is a black Texas Ranger, is trying to make sense of a kidnapping in East Texas, a dark, strange place almost as alien to him as it is to most readers. Newly arrived white supremacists live cheek by jowl with long-standing black and Native community. None of them want a Ranger poking around. Matthews is also fighting alcohol and trying to preserve his marriage to a woman who is halfway out the door, in part because she is not supportive of his choice to be a Ranger at all. It's a great read and a good continuation of the series that began with "Bluebird, bluebird" in 2018.

Attica Locke is quickly becoming an alternative crime writer and very good at that. I was fascinated by her style and writing prose. Good stuff.

We continue with Texas Ranger Darren Matthews, this time he is investigating the disappearance of the nine year old child., he is also working on his marriage and unfortunately, dealing with his mother who seems to still not have her sons best interest at heart.

Again, Attica Locke is able to weave a page turning story. This story is so strong and the suspense is palpable, Ya'll it was so thick and crazy, I was sure if I could finish this book. But I did.

Attica Locke is steadily becoming one of my favorite authors. She is able to keep her stories inclusive of several topics without loosing focus of the theme of the story.

.This is a awesome follow up to Bluebird Bluebird and a great addition to this series.

This book was a great sequel to Bluebird, Bluebird. The setting in small town Texas is very atmospheric and the plot is well written. There are many elements and topics to this story. I can’t wait to see how the next installment evolves.
Many thanks to Mulholland Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.