Customer Reviews

EYEWITNESS

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Even though the eyewitness of a crime may be considered by some as the "king of the trial process," a number of studies have shown that people are not always accurate in identifying people that they see for a few seconds. Therefore it is the reliability of eyewitnesses along with their personal prejudices that Ms. Beamon focuses on in her second novel, EYEWITNESS.

Someone is setting fire to predominantly black churches in small southern towns and the sixth fire just destroyed the newly built Beulah Baptist Church. What makes this burning so significant, is that this is the second time this church has been destroyed and a respected white man of the community is found dead at the scene. This case has lawmakers very concerned and wondering when the person responsible for these fires, and now murder, will strike again. The only accurate identification that two eyewitnesses give of the man seen leaving the burning church is that he is wearing a jogging suit. One eyewitness says he was black and the other eyewitness says that he was white.

So which of the descriptions do the police follow-up on? The black man of course! It will be the questioning and beating of a young local black man by state marshals that will have readers fully immersed in this novel to the very end as the truth of who is committing these crimes is revealed. The crisp dialogue and the surprising actions of some of the characters add greatly to the overall premise and pace of this story. M. C. Beamon is indeed an apt storyteller whose talent as a writer grows with each novel!

In 1995, a wave of church burnings broke out across the South. About 40 churches were burned in an 18 month period. Reminiscent of the church burnings of the civil rights era, emotions ran high as racism bore its ugly head. M.C. Beamon's sophomore novel, Eyewitness, tackles the topic of racism and takes us behind the scenes of a church burning investigation.

An early morning jogger is murdered after he stumbles upon Beulah Baptist Church on fire. Inexperienced officers must tackle the murder investigation and find the person responsible for burning several churches in the South. As the readers digs deeper into the novel, they find the predominantly African American church was built despite much adversity in a well-to-do neighborhood. Finding the suspect should have been a large task. In their haste to nab a suspect, the investigators concentrate on one eyewitnesses' report instead of examining all leads. With a suspect in custody, the police department's case disturbingly unravels.

Beamon's talent for detail and developing characters are strongly displayed in her second novel. Clearly she has grown as a writer and makes extensive use of her journalist skills to produce a very believable, gripping story.

M. C. Beamon's sophomore novel, Eyewitness, undertakes the difficult issues surrounding racial prejudice, personal culpability, and redemption. In her novel, a small, secluded Southern town has reluctantly embraced the concept of integration with the construction of the historically African American Beulah Baptist Church in a traditionally Caucasian neighborhood. However, early one summer morning the peacefulness of Emerson Woods is awakened to the smell of smoke, fire, and gunshots to find a church engulfed in flames and a local White resident murdered on its front lawn.

The police question two eyewitnesses that yield differing descriptions of the perpetrator: an upright White citizen describes a White man leaving the scene and an elderly, visually impaired Black citizen describes a Black man fleeing the area. Unfortunately, the personal issues of the investigating officers lead them to arrest and brutalize an innocent black man. The story continues and we eventually learn that police officers, lawyers, sheriff, and the eyewitnesses themselves have varying degrees of pernicious baggage that clouds their "vision" and the ability to "see" the truth. Their impartiality and judgment is blurred by their personal ills. However, each eventually realizes that to solve the murder and to identify the arsonist they must face their problems and work together (instead of against each other), before the truth can be "seen".

Besides a few loose ends surrounding a few of the main character's personal issues, the book moved at a solid pace and was very well written. Beamon's writing style is precise and succinct; the novel is easy to read and the message is clear. The reader walks away with valuable lessons on faith, healing, and transcendental justice. I look forward to reading Ms. Beamon's next release.

Reviewed by Phyllis
APOOO BookClub, The Nubian Circle Book Club

Crimes have been committed in the small town of Emerson Woods. Beulah Baptist Church has been set ablaze and when Randolph McGee stumbles upon the arsonist during his morning jog, he is shot to death by the merciless culprit in an attempt for the arsonist to protect his identity. Beulah Baptist, a church a predominately Black congregation, has been a source of controversy in the small community every since it was built in a predominately White part of town. When the police begin to question potential witnesses, two starkly different descriptions of the arsonist emerge. All the witnesses describe the same apparel, height and build, but some describe the alleged suspect as being White while one describes him as a Black man. The stakes are raised even higher when the church fire is linked to similar church arsons throughout the South. The ensuing investigation results in unlikely friendships developing, and racial division at it's worst. Who really committed the crime and which "eyewitness" description is correct?

M.C. Beamon has written a powerful story about how deceiving perceptions can be. Further she adeptly demonstrated how our racial stereotypes can cause us to "see" things inaccurately. This story is so much more than a mystery. As the author uncovers the clues that will eventually lead us to the truth about the crime, she weaves in lessons about racial healing, faith and justice. Eyewitness is a novel that reminds us that things are not always as they seem.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay