Dark Of The Moon (Louis Kincaid) [Paperback]

P.J. Parrish (Author)

Book Description

Series: Louis Kincaid | Publication Date: January 1, 2005

In what can be described as a modern-day "In the Heat of the Night", P.J. Parrish's debut novel delivers chilling suspense, knife-edge tension, and the compelling story of a cop confronting his own biracial identity in Black Pool, Mississippi.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The ghosts of a small town's bigoted past are tangible presences in this tense but predictable crime drama set in racially divided rural Mississippi. Mulatto police investigator Louis Kincaid is newly relocated from Detroit to the sleepy burg of Black Pool when a local field yields a gruesome discovery: the remains of a young black man lynched 20 years ago. Louis attempts to establish the man's identity and the motive for his killing but meets stiff resistance from diplomatic good-old-boy sheriff Sam Dodie and shifty local politicos who consider the past "over, totally irrelevant, and certainly not worth digging up." The two crime-scene clues Louis has to work withAa moldering book of poetry and a medallion linked to the antebellum white aristocracyAare soon compounded by the suspicious deaths of several town elders, which suggest the desperate attempt of someone, possibly the mayor or the district attorney, to keep the town's dark and dirty history secret. Louis, who is cut from the same stylish cloth as John Ball's Virgil Tibbs, is an absorbing character, unable to detach emotionally from his investigation and unwilling to accommodate Black Pool's arrogant attitudes toward blacks. His supporting cast, which includes an abundance of oafish white-trash cops and sympathetic Southern belles who introduce hints of taboo interracial sex, are too familiar and give the novel too many points of correspondence with In the Heat of the Night and similar racial ly charged crime thrillers. Parrish's debut is promising, but Louis Kincaid deserves future adventures that are more challenging and original.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

An overwrought debut thriller set in the not-quite-ready-to-be-new South. It's 1983. To Black Pool, Mississippi, returns native Lewis Kincaid, drawn there by a dying mother. Not that he likes her muchshe's a drunk, plus she deserted himbut Lewis is never one to shirk his duty. She's black, Lewis's equally no-account father was white, and Lewis can think of a dozen places he'd rather be than in a town where biracial means second class at best. Theres Detroit, for instance, where he enjoyed the beginnings of a nice career in law. Now, however, to help pay the bills while he keeps his deathwatch, Lewis hires on as a deputy to Sheriff Dodie. It's a chance gig, which is to say it happens by telephone: Dodie, worn, weary, and a little dim, hires Lewis under the impression that he's white. Still, Dodiethat seeming redneckhas other sides to him. When the skeleton of a teenaged young black boy, victim of a 30-year-old lynching, is discovered, Dodie permits Lewis to investigate. It's permission granted reluctantly, of course. ``Things like that are part of the past,'' Dodie says. Not to be dissuaded, Lewis starts to dig, an activity that rouses almost as little enthusiasm among the towns blacks as it does among its whites. Unwelcome, unpopular Lewis gets beaten, shot, and nearly lynched himself. But indomitable amalgam of super- and soaper-hero that he is, he takes on all comers, resists all temptation (an adorable white girl throws herself at him harder than a Nolan Ryan fastball), and leaves Black Pool a degree more enlightened than when he arrived. Clumsy prose, stereotyped peopleand a first novelist who has to learn that in plotting the twist is better than the wrench. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Pinnacle (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786017155
• ISBN-13: 978-0786017157
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #338,806 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

P.J. Parrish is actually two sisters, Kristy Montee and Kelly Nichols. Their books have appeared on both the New York Times and USA Today best seller lists. The series has garnered 11 major crime-fiction awards, and an Edgar® nomination. Parrish has won two Shamus awards, one Anthony and one International Thriller competition. Her books have been published throughout Europe and Asia. Parrish's short stories have also appeared in many anthologies, including two published by Mystery Writers of America, edited by Harlan Coben and the late Stuart Kaminsky. Their stories have also appeared in Akashic Books acclaimed Detroit Noir, and in Ellery Queen Magazine. Most recently, they contributed an essay to a special edition of Edgar Allan Poe's works edited by Michael Connelly.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite a debut, September 3, 2003

By 

nobizinfla "nobizinfla" (Windermere, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark Of The Moon (Paperback)

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.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too much melodrama., May 25, 2000

By 

Old Fisherman "Jim" (Orange, California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark Of The Moon (Paperback)

Louis Kincaid, a black Detroit policeman, returns to his hometown of Black Pool, Mississippi to be with his dying mother. While there he joins the sheriff's department and becomes embroiled in a thirty-year old mystery when a skeleton with a noose still around its neck is unearthed. As he delves further he stirs up the white and black communities and his own life is put in jeopardy before the mystery is finally solved.

After reading most of the previous reviews I'm afraid I'm going to have to take the minority position. I feel the book's strength is its plot. For a first mystery, it's well plotted and there are enough plot twists to keep you interested. However, most of the characters are sterotypes. The evil, ambitious Mayor, the corrupt DA, the struggling-to-get-out-from-under-the-evil-mayor sheriff, the cracker deputies, the tragic southern belle, they're all here. It's borderline soap-opera.

In a technical vein, I found the dialog a bit stilted. I also, in the beginning of the book at least, found it hard to figure out what day it was or even the time of day. It seems like many of those little anchor points that keep you grounded in the story were missing. I also felt the book went about three chapters past the spot it should have ended.

I feel bad in a way putting down this book. I have tremendous respect for anyone who can sit down and write a novel from start to finish and then get it published. I've tried and I know the odds. However, I think this book needed some more work. Would I recommend it? Yes, if you like mysteries I think you should give it a shot. This is the author's first book so he hasn't hit his stride yet. With some polishing and tighter editing I think this book really could have been very good. Perhaps the authors next will be better.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good series start, May 15, 2002

By 

Angel L. Soto (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark Of The Moon (Paperback)

Louis Kincaid, a former Detroit police officer, moved back to Black Pool, Mississippi to take care of his dying mother. He took a temporary job as a deputy in order to continue his law enforcement career. During one of his patrols he finds the body of a black man that was lynched approximately thirty years ago. Most people in town want to keep the past buried by making him a John Doe; Kincaid wants to identify the victim and give him justice.

This is the first novel for the sister team of P. J. Parrish. Their main character is a conflicted young man with a strong sense of responsibility. Deputy Kincaid is going to explore Black Pool's dark history in order to find out the hidden facts. He will defy the town's authority and discover the truth even if it costs him his life. Once he starts there is no turning back.

The authors do a great job with characterization. They show the town's diversity by including the town's rich white people all the way to the poor African Americans. There are times that they go overboard showing the community's racism that it almost falls into a stereotype. One dislikes the characters before one even knows them. The story is thought provoking and a good start to the series. DEAD OF WINTER follows DARK OF THE MOON and does a good job of it.