Murder Mystery And Forgiven Tormentor
By Ray Saadi
THE FORSAKEN, By Ace Atkins, Putnam Publishing, $26.95
br
Atkins takes us back to the familiar territory of Jericho, Mississippi where Sheriff Quinn Colson, while prepping for his reelection, is also preparing along with Chief Deputy Lillie Virgil for the imminent return from prison of Chains LeDoux, the biker-gang leader of the “Born Losers.” LeDoux has promised vengeance on the town and is particularly enraged at Quinn’s investigation into the lynching of an innocent Black man for the shooting death of a teenage girl and rape of her friend some 30 years before. Powerful forces in the town are also angered by Quinn’s investigation and plot to have him and Lillie charged with the murder of a corrupt policeman.
br
br
br
Unbroken By Laura Hillenbrand, Random House, $27
br
As a little boy Louis Zamperini sneaked booze and stole from neighbors and friends alike, but later, when he was introduced to running track he was transformed. He won races in the 1936 Olympics and was predicted to break the 4-minute mile, until WWII. As an Army Air Corps bombardier he was shot down over the Pacific and survived 47 days on a tiny raft, mostly without food or water, until being rescued, unfortunately, by the Japanese. For two years he was brutally beaten, starved and unspeakably humiliated by a sadistic camp guard, yet remained unbroken and pledged to murder the guard, when the war abruptly ended. Later Louie, inspired by Billy Graham, found and forgave his tormentor. He died July 2nd but will live again in a movie of his life opening this December.