Hostage of Lies

One decision sets in motion a ripple that will affect a family for years, until finally a daughter is faced with the decision whether to break the chain, even at the expense of her own future. This book is deep, but written in a style that is easy to read.

Like so many, I read Maxine Thompson's "The Ebony Tree" before "No Pockets In A Shroud." The characters, Jewel Shepard and others, took us on an emotional rollercoaster with leaps and bounds through shame, betrayal and secrets. However, I wanted to know what started this journey of disgrace. The answer is given in "No Pockets In A Shroud," the forerunner of "The Ebony Tree.""No Pockets In A Shroud" is the ultimate definition of ...."What's done in the dark will come out in the light." It is written with the boldness and tenacity that has become the signature for Maxine Thompson. Imagine Nefertitti, absent from her family because of her imagined shame. She returns only to find that she was the only one who didn't have a reason to be ashamed.This is 244 pages of fast-paced drama, with one secret after another being uncovered. You cry, you laugh, you challenge your own motives of keeping secrets. But, you will also wait at the bookstore for another riveting book from Maxine Thompson.

No Pockets In A Shroud unfolds within a labyrinth of devastating generational family secrets and taboos. Two brothers love the same woman. Miss Magg loved the youngest brother Tiger Godbolt, but having been an insecure orphan, she winds up marrying the older staid brother, Revered Godbolt for security. Ironically, years later, their daughter, Nefertiti, also marries the brother who was her parents' preference, as the original love triangle is mirrored in the next generation. The triangle boomerangs when Nefertiti, the minister's prodigal daughter, returns home after a seven year absence, intending to come to terms with her past and to search for a child she was forced to give up for adoption. No Pockets In A Shroud is an evolving and utterly fascinating story of human complexities, choices, sacrifice, consequences, revenge, and ultimate redemption.

Maxine Thompson is an excellent storyteller for the new millinneum! I couldn't put this novel down. She draws you into her work of fiction immediately along with dropping tidbits of African American History that must be told. I must admit, I was still thinking of the people of Shallow Grove and their problems days after I finished reading. If this is a sample of Ms. Thompson's literary works, I can hardly wait for her future novels.

I work in an elementary library and I think this will one day be a required reading for high school students. The story is a fast read, and I was thoroughly engaged from beginning to end!