Dark of the Moon (Louis Kincaid)

P.J. Parrish's "Dark of the Moon" is a captivating debut novel---the first in the Louis Kincaid series.It is 1983 and Louis returns to Black Pool, Mississippi from Detroit to care for his dying mother. He stays in law enforcement as an investigator for the BPSD.Louis discovers the thirty-year-old remains of a lynched black man. Much like Harry Bosch, Louis feels the need to speak for the dead---he wants to ID the body.The local white trash, insular policos with vested interests and powerful families want the past to remain in the past. There are obviously secrets to be protected in this small southern town.Louis has only two slim clues, an ally with the FBI in Jackson, and an unknown collaborator feeding him info bit by bit. A couple of murders suggest that the secrets will remained silent. Will these present day murders lead Louis to the solution of the lynching and the person(s) responsible for the cover-up?As the odds against Louis locating the answers mount he shows more resolve in getting to the truth. He refuses to back off---his deep sense of honor and integrity eventually winning over some in the Sheriff's Department.Intricately plotted, a strong cast, believable dialogue and creditable resolution combine to make this one a keeper. This is a wonderful series with a protagonist to cheer for.

I found this mystery about Louis Kincaid, a bicultural cop who returns to his roots in Mississippi to care for his dying mother, very down to earth! Louis who is of mixed origin is working for an all white police department, where prejudice is a rule of thumb. :( While having to deal with the animosity of this small town police force, he stumbles upon some buried bones of a young African American who was buried with a nose around his neck & a book. Louis feels connected to this poor young man & to the surprise of everyone, he starts to unravel a well kept secret in this town. Everyone is afraid to talk, but Louis persists in finding this boys killers. I found this story to be very real & interesting! I love the way the authors how wound this mystery together. I am now their number one fan!! So, I hope the Parrish sisters keep on writing more books about Louis Kincaid so I can keep on reading about him. I've already read Dead Of Winter & it's even better than the first book, so if you want a nail bitter, edge of your seat book, look for more books writen by the Parrish sisters. ;)

I am not one to ever read mysteries. As a matter of fact, I avoid them. But after reading the cover of this one, I had to buy it. I was NOT dissappointed a single bit about the book. It was wonderful. Very emotional and bone chilling. Sure, there was a lot of drama but I guess that is what makes this type of book so good. I fell in love with the main character, Louis Kincaid, the deputy that is assigned to solve a murder mystery of a young black man that was brutally murdered approximately 20 years prior. He is in a Southern state and they still hold some prejudice there, so basically, he has limited information given to him and limited help from the citizens that know more then they will let on. With a lot of twists and turns, the book keeps you guessing. There are parts that really make you mad and you just want to throw the book across the room, but there are also heart touching parts as well. A very good book with a great plot and characters that you either hate or you love. I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves murder mysteries. I avoid those books and I absolutely loved this one!

This as good as any Detective book I have read in years. Having lived in the south this book hits home. 99.9% peaple in the south are verry good and friendly but there are a few that fits these charectors too a tee, Im sad to say. This book takes you a step back in time and in the shoes of a black detective trying to solve a case no one wants solved. Read it, you wont be disapointed. I cant wait till the next P.J.Parrish book.

I read this book from beginning to end in one day - I couldn't put it down! The main character, Louis Kincaid, is well-developed and sympathetic, but Parrish avoids making him a cliche (big city cop in a backwater town). He comes home to the South to be with his estranged mother as she lays dying of syphilis and cirrhosis of the liver. He has to come to terms with his feelings for her, and with the contempt of nearly everyone in this small Mississippi town. Louis is interracial and so is not accepted by either the whites nor the blacks of the town. The mystery unfolds gradually and is far from predictable. It had so many twists and turns that it kept me reading long into the night. Parrish does an excellent job developing all of the characters and I can't wait for his next Kincaid novel to appear!