Customer Reviews

Blood on the Leaves

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Set in Jackson, Mississippi, Blood on the Leaves weaves around wonderfully drawn three-dimensional characters amid social injustice and long suppressed memories. The catalyst is in the actions of one charismatic Professor Martin Matheson, a disputatious community leader, who uses his classroom as a medium to resurface 30-40 year old unsolved crimes involving murdered/lynched blacks. He wantonly distributes the names and addresses of whites suspected of carrying out theses deadly deeds and when the white named suspects are murdered in similar manners as the black victims, pandemonium breaks loose and Matheson is arrested and charged with murder. The community is immediately split along moral and racial divides.

The core of the story centers on theatrical courtroom scenes of Professor Matheson's trial; however, it is the internal struggles of the key characters that add depth and drama to the plot. For example, prosecuting attorney James Reynolds is the only black assistant DA with an impeccable win ratio and is also a social acquaintance of the defendant. Reynolds is assigned to prosecute Matheson against his wishes by his racist and inept boss (the County's District Attorney). He suffers from haunting, sleep-depriving nightmares, and wrestles with his own internal morals regarding justice and duty. Todd Miller, Matheson's defense attorney, is a white Civil Rights lawyer who was disowned and disenfranchised by his family in the 1950's for his liberal political views. Stetson also interjects ingenious subtle references to and commentaries on modern day political groups and social issues that trigger deep internal examination on the reader's part.

Bravo, Mr. Stetson! This book is extremely well done - a true page-turner until the very end! When I finished Blood on the Leaves, I was emotionally drained but thoroughly entertained! Stetson's skill as a playwright brought the story to life via dialogue, carefully crafted scenes and vivid imagery. It is a suspenseful, thought-provoking story that grapples with age-old concepts of revenge, redemption, and morality! This book is most definitely on my 2004 favorites list and I am looking forward to the next release.

Reviewed by Phyllis

APOOO BookClub
Nubian Circle Book Club

Move over John Grisham. There's a new king of torts; and he's taking the literary world by storm. In his amazing new debut novel "Blood on the Leaves," Jeff Stetson crafts a delectable tale of racial hostility, murder, and retribution that commands your attention.

In the book, several of the white men accused but never convicted of murdering blacks during the civil rights era are turning up dead. What's more, they're dying in the same fashion as their alleged victims of long ago. When it is discovered that Professor Martin Matheson has composed a list of the men for a college course he teaches, he becomes the prime suspect in the murder investigations. Matheson, an intelligent yet pompous man believes the men got just what they deserved. But did he participate in their untimely deaths? That's what James Reynolds, the only black prosecutor in the district attorney's office, would like to know.

When Matheson is arrested for one of the murders, he hires long time civil rights advocate, Todd Miller as his attorney. Miller, a middle-aged man who sports a pony tail and is a friend of the prosecutor, comes from a long line of attorneys. And by the way, Miller just happens to be Caucasian. Though Miller is not thoroughly convinced of his clients' case, he cannot refuse what will prove to be the case of a lifetime.

Thus sets the stage for the trial of the century, even bigger than O.J. When Reynolds's haunting secret of the past reveals itself again, he becomes even more dedicated in proving Matheson's guilt. But battle with a genius professor, a seasoned attorney, and a history of bigotry may prove to be enough to send the prosecutor over the edge. Can he win the case? And if he does, will justice be served? Regardless of the outcome, the clear winner will be the reader.

Jeff Stetson, writer of the long-running play The Meeting, has crafted a powder keg of a tale full of intrigue and shock that will leave readers longing for more well after its dynamic conclusion. Though you may not be able to decide which side to cheer for, you will no doubt love this remarkable book. This is the kind of story moviemakers should eat up. I hope Hollywood is listening. Run out and buy "Blood on the Leaves" today!

Emanuel Carpenter
Author of "Where is the Love?"
emanuelcarpenter dot com

BLOOD ON THE LEAVES by Jeff Stetson turns up the volume on originality, suspense and mystery. It is a bold new step for an established writer who has received many awards for his projects in the theatre and movie industry.

The storyline takes place in Mississippi, a stronghold of several unsolved killings and lynchings against blacks during the Civil Rights era. Professor Martin Matheson, an activist, discusses several of these cases with his class and distributes a list of the black victims and their white accusers. The list includes their names, addresses, and other pertinent information.

When the white accusers begin coming up dead one by one by the very same method they killed the black victims, all attention is diverted to the professor. Assistant District Attorney James Reynolds, who is also black, now faces the difficult task of prosecuting the professor. However, because of the issues in the case, he will also have to come to terms with his insecurities and haunting dreams that keep him awake at night. He is matched up against the professor's defense attorney who is a liberal white Civil Rights lawyer who will become a strong adversary during the trial.

The suspense, and political foreplay is nonstop and takes you on an educational journey on life and times in the south during the Jim Crow years. The courtroom drama becomes the main plot, leading up to the grand finale. Both the primary and secondary characters complement each other with strong dialogue and intensity in bringing to the forefront a unique blend of issues, drama and emotions. Who is responsible for the murders? Is it a lone vigilante, members of his class, or the professor?

Jess Stetson is a writer to watch on the literary scene. His writing style and strong character development put him at the front of the line. What makes BLOOD ON THE LEAVES stand out impeccably is the subject matter and how well it is presented to the reader. The originality of the plot made it an instant winner. I highly recommend BLOOD ON THE LEAVES because it is a great book to choose when you're looking for something unique and different.

Reviewed by Kalaani
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

I was in Palm Beach Florida last weekend on vacation when I came across an editorial in the Palm Beach Post urging its readers to read BLOOD ON THE LEAVES. The opinion piece stated the book was "as engaging and compelling as a novel by James Patterson or John Grisham." It concluded with the rather weighty notion that "if you really want to understand black history, I urge you to read Blood on the Leaves." I had never recalled reading a book review that glowing, let alone one written by an editorial writer. So I bought the novel, unconvinced it or any other book could live up to that type of hype.

On my flight back home to Detroit I decided to read a chapter or two with the intention of either putting it my briefcase to complete at my leisure or leaving it behind tucked neatly beside the air-sick bag. The plane flew into some violent turbulence and my sole thought throughout the entire disturbance was Lord, please don't let this plane crash before I finish this novel. And, my friends, I can't think of a better recommendation than that. The book was magnificent.

The editorial writer who brought this novel to my attention, however, was wrong in two important ways. Patterson and Grisham are terrific writers but the two of them combined couldn't have written this novel with the same degree of eloquence, humor, tenderness and power. Secondly, this novel is not simply for those who want to understand black history. It's for those of us honest, open and courageous enough to dare to understand American history or quite frankly, world history as it pertains to issues of justice, revenge, retribution and the fine line between hero and terrorist, good and evil, right and wrong.

Yeah, I know. Sounds overblown. That was my feeling after I read that editorial. I was wrong and if you don't find the time to read this marvelous novel, you will have missed something quite special, extraordinary, and fear not, incredibly entertaining. Had this novel been written by either Patterson or Grisham, in addition to being considered their best and most important work, it would no doubt be on the bestseller list for as long as the Da Vinci Code. As you can tell, I loved this book. I firmly believe that you will, too, even if you read it as I did, in the middle of a storm.

This powerful book cost me about 4 hours of sleep. I simply couldn't put it down. The premise is powerful. The writing is spellbinding. The detail the author used to describe the slayings, particularly for a black person from the South, is simply overwhelming. And the plot is so wickedly taunt, you have NO chance of figuring out what will happen before the very end. The moral interplay between "justice" and "vengence" and who deserves which will give you pause. By the middle of the book, the pace is simply breathtaking. Do yourself a favor and read this one.

I would not have known about this magnificent novel were it not for Essence magazine. It appeared on their national bestseller list for the past two months and a number of readers raved about the book and the author on the magazine's website. Simply put, this novel is AWESOME. At a time when poorly written erotic fiction or baby-mama-drama or urban/chick lit seems to dominate the bookshelves in black bookstores, it is not only refreshing, but critically important for something of substance to be embraced by the masses.

This is literary fiction at its finest. A great mystery that addresses history with fresh insight, humor, passion and integrity. Jeff Stetson is an extraordiany talent who writes with power and intellience. I've never read a novel so beautifully written that explores such horror and brutality. It's poetic, lyrical and spellbinding. He's in the tradition of Toni Morrison and James Baldwin with regard to writing novels of substance dealing with complicated issues of race and justice, but he also displays the skills and craft of John Grisham and James Patterson in writing terrific page-turning commercial fiction. Evidently the author's a noted international playwright and screenwriter. But whatever talents he may have displayed in those other fields, he outdid himself with Blood on the Leaves. I can't imagine a better or more important novel and I can only hope that it continues to be supported so that it achieves the audience it deserves. It's much more than a best seller. It's a fabulous book that should be mandatory reading in every high school and college literature class.

Blood on the Leaves is a book that will make you cry and laugh and get angry and reach deep down to deal with both rage and forgiveness. It's an amazing history lesson that doesn't preach, it reveals. Above all else, it makes you think long after you've finished the final stunning pages. If Stetson doesn't already have a fan club, I'm starting one and I hope you'll join me. Pack a lunch because it should be a very long line.

I've never written a review on line before, but I LOVED Blood on the Leaves. I've read the other reviews on this site regarding this book, and I'm glad to know I'm not alone, but I have to tell you, the review that said the characters in this book weren't fully realized or adequately described physically, is completely off base. Virtually all the characters in this book, including the minor ones, male, female, old, young, black, white are not only fully developed they are absolutely unforgettable. I for one, don't need every detail of a character's physical description detailed, but the author did that clearly and effectively. For example, when we meet the main antagonist (or is he the protagonist? read it and make up your own mine!) the reader knows how his voice sounds, how he walks, talks, dresses, and the reactions he gets from the students, especially the women in his class. We know how tall he is and what he looks like when the sun strikes him from behind. I don't know what else a reader would need to get a picture, but I've got a pretty good idea what he looks like, and I wish I were him!

But as great as these characters are, the real brillance of this book rests with the issues raised, all with intelligence, humor, passion, and eloguence. But none of that would matter if it wasn't also a terrific story, equal parts mystery, thriller, character study and courtroom drama. The dialogue is exceptional. The descriptions of the murders both past and present and chilling and spellbinding. The courtroom arguments are incredibly moving and throught provoking. The comments about black leadership, justice, heroes and terrorists are provocative and profound. I've never read a fictional novel that had so much truth in it and forced me, as a reader, to consider and reconsider my views about race, retribution, and so many other life-reaffirming issues and human values.

As I said, I LOVED this book and I've got the feeling that the author in the final analysis wrote this book with a great deal of love and integrity for the history and struggle this novel so magnificently presents. All you need to do to know that is read the dedication at the beginning of the book. Mr. Stetson, thank you so much for a book that will stay with me for a very long time. I truly believe it has the opportunity to make a helpful contribution to a better understanding of the world, and our place in it. This novel can change attitudes as well as hearts, and for that, the book deserves a ten!

I heard Mr. Stetson on a radio interview discussing his book and I pulled my car to the side of the road and used my cell phone to order BLOOD ON THE LEAVES. I thought he was an extremely intelligent and articulate person and I couldn't wait to see what he had written. I'm a retired creative writing teacher and I've read at least one book a week since I was a teenager but in the last few years I've stayed away from most "commercial" books. With rare exception, they're poorly written. While successful authors know about "formula" they care very little about craft and exhibit virtually no real literary skill. So while I was anxious to read Mr. Stetson's book, I frankly didn't expect much. I was pleasantly, even overwhelmingly, surprised.

I believe this book will be a classic. It deserves to be read by anyone who loves a great story and brilliant writing. What is most remarkable about this book is the subject matter and how it's explored. Mr. Stetson has chosen to deal with volatile, provocative and complex issues and has managed to do so in a way that constantly entertains and stimulates both the mind and the heart. From the first page to the last, I experienced a vast range of emotions and I was simply unable to put down this book until I discovered how it ended.

The beauty of this book is the knowledge that, like all truly great works, it will never end. It'll resonate with me for a very long time. It's the first new book I've read in the last decade that has made me want to come out of retirement and relive the joys of teaching literature. BLOOD ON THE LEAVES is that rare gift that can change how the reader views the world and his position in it.

Thank you, Mr. Stetson, for such a wonderful and vitally important work of art. I'm sending to you, through your publisher, a personal note of gratitude and congratulations, which I hope they will forward. Please keep writing.

I can't use enough superlatives to describe this book. It is an incredible mystery, a thought-provoking character study, an amazing court-room drama. Most importantly, it is a book that forces you to think about justice and retribution and the often ignored history of this country. It is funny, intelligent and moving. I can't understand how this book hasn't been more widely championed by the media. It's an extraordinary debut novel. I have read passages aloud to my friends and we've laughed and cried and gotten angry discussing the issues raised. I might add for what it's worth, I'm a white male who is very conservative and I'm not usually attracted to books that deal with race but I love great mysteries. This book isn't about black or white. It's about humanity and hope. It was written with clarity, passion, compassion and integrity. I simply could not put this book down after I started. And now that I've finished, I know it is a book that I will reread many times. I've recommended it to my closest friends and complete strangers. And now I recommend it to you. It's a remarkable achievement and I encourage all readers who love great writing to get this book. You will not be disappointed.

I loved this book and read it when it first came out. It was at my university's library in the free reading section. As a teacher, I think it is an interesting premise.

Are we, as teachers, liable for what we teach our students?

It also is an interesting "take" on the South, especially in light of recent news.

I would love to talk to others about this book and have recommended it to my bookclub.