Roots of Murder

A Nell McGraw Investigation #1

by R. Jean Reid

With a flash of blinding headlights and the scream of metal on metal, Nell McGraw's husband Thom is killed and her life is shattered. Now she's alone in Thom's Mississippi hometown, trying to care for her grieving children while returning to work as the publisher of the Pelican Bay Crier, the newspaper Thom's grandfather founded.

When Nell is called to a site where human bones have been found, she's determined to see the guilty parties receive the justice they deserve. But in Pelican Bay, the stories of the past may be too dangerous to be told. Threatened by the men who want their secrets to stay buried and the family of the drunk driver who killed Thom, Nell finds that if justice is to be served, it will come with a deadly price.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller

480 pages, Paperback

First published July 8, 2016

About the author

Pseudonym for author J.M. Redmann.

Reviews

["Avonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roots of Murder by R. Jean Reid is a mystery that is both thought provoking and powerful.

I had a hard time putting this story down and it lingered in my mind when I was not reading. It starts out a little slow, but there is a lot of history to incorporate and it picks up speed very quickly with a suspenseful climax. Although fictional, this story covers very real topics regarding race relations, social injustice, poverty and voting rights in the South during the 1960’s and today.

Nell McGraw is trying to deal with her grief and that of her two children as they go on after the loss of Thom, Nell’s husband. She takes over running Thom’s weekly local paper, the Pelican Bay Crier in Mississippi by herself now instead of as a couple. Nell gets a call that human bones have been found in the park and they appear to be about 50 years old. This discovery leads Nell and her coworkers at the paper to go on a search to identify the bones and to find out why they were buried there.

While Nell and her coworkers try to discover the mystery surrounding the bones, Nell is dealing with the backlash from a local family trying to get her to quit prosecuting the drunk who caused the accident that killed her husband. The paper is covering the race for mayor and also trying to unravel a past scheme to steal the valuable property of poor black residents through property tax fraud. The author weaves this web of several storylines, past and present, into an amazing story.

I really want this book to be the start of a series! Nell is such a strong female lead with her own problems to conquer and a wonderful cast of secondary characters. I did not want this book to end.

Thank you so much to Midnight Ink and Net Galley for giving me a free ebook ARC copy in exchange for and honest review.

[Krystin | TheF*ckingTwist · Rating 2 out of 5]

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Hey look, there's me reading this book:


Some good things: Nell seems like a great outline for a strong female character. I quite liked her. And two: The author obviously leans socially liberal and so I agreed with the book on a level of principal and ethics. Things like race, equality and poverty were handled with care and an open mind while also giving us history lessons on things like the civil rights movement and America's treatment towards Black people up to the present day.

But the not-so-good things...

Judas Priest was this ever slooooowwwwwwwww.



I had a hard time keeping my eyes open.

This was barely a mystery. BARELY. It's more of a drama about losing a husband and raising shitty kids around racist asshats.

Three sets of skeletal remains are found within the first few pages of the book, but, AND I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING, Nell doesn't start actually investigating the situation until about the 60% mark. Sixty. SIXTY. Six & zero.

Then there's the police. Three sets of remains are found in the woods and the police want nothing to do with them. We're talking about three dead human beings, but even though the police swear an oath to serve and protect (lol) they're just going to ignore this one because it's probably going to be a pain in the ass. WHAT? But then again, maybe it's not so surprising some cops are terrible at their jobs. I don't know!

The police, and any investigation, are literally nonexistent in this story. So we're left with a journalist from a tiny independent newspaper calling relatives to make death notifications and ask for dental records. Snooze.

I literally woke up at the 96% point of the book because I dropped my tablet on my face. It was just that kind of reading experience for me.

⭐⭐ | 2 stars

book source: Midnight Ink via Netgalley

[Hesch Aut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good news first: This is the start of a series. And this means, there will be a lot of explorations of interesting characters that are already being introduced to us with this book. The bad news: This is the START of a series. We can’t yet binge-read, we have to wait for the next one, and this will probably take a while.

As a die-hard Mickey Knight fan, I already knew the author is not only able to tell great stories, but also that she wonderfully creates three-dimensional characters, who are alive with page one already.
For example: We witness the suffering and struggles of the main character Nell, while at the same time we also see her strengths. As a young widow who suffers from an aweful loss, she demands justice, doesn’t seem to get any, she is being threatened (from more than just one side), she tries to be a good mother for a child and a teenager, and she also has to completely take charge of the local newspaper, which belonged to her deceased husband. And while facing all this, she won’t let despair and fear take over. Clearly a strong fighter, she doesn’t allow anyone to intimidate her. Whenever I thought now she might give in a little, she wouldn’t. Not at all. And that I thoroughly enjoyed, also because it was credible. What a fighter, I thought throughout the whole book. How couragious she is! Love her already! And what I also thought throughout the whole book: Please let Kate become a love interest!

But, this book is not just book one of a series, it is not meant to entertain with a happily-ever-after love story or even introduce us to a proper one. It is a highly political book with a mission and a very timely topic. If only it wasn’t so timely! And if only it wasn’t so important to write it – and for us to read it. For me as a European this was an educational insight into American history, that made me not only look up Chaney, Schwerner and Goodman, but made me become even more interested in the roots of all this hatred, and the roots of murder in these cases.

If you are interested in recent American history, if you like strong women, if you love a series with well developed characters, if you care about justice, if you care about people, this might be a great read for you.

[Lexxi Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

My link to the internet hasn't been good so I might rewrite the below at some point when I have a better connection. Spend more than 3 minutes on it.

Long and short: Good solid mystery set in Mississippi. The owner of a small town newspaper, a woman and the lead character, is still in mourning after her husband was killed by a drunk driver. The story follows her on her 'officially there' first issue, then I believe for 3 to 4 weeks. Several issues of interest: the girlfriend (or wife?) of the man who killed Nell's husband (Nell being the as yet unnamed by me main character) keeps calling Nell begging for Nell to not press charges because . . . . it's too hard to have him go to jail - plus the brothers miss their little brother and . . . might do something (threat followed through).

Meanwhile there's a mayor's race - current incompentent mayor running against two no-chance candidates - one because he wants to go back to the good old days of slavery and stuff (Everett) and is therefore too extreme, while the other one is . . . black. So obviously Marcus, the black candidate, has no chance. Then a man from a prominent family throws his name into the ring, late but still - he is from a prominent family. So now it's neck-and-neck for the mayor race. The book is less about that race than about the newspaper covering it and uncovering things from long ago.

The main story-line, though, involve the uncovering of bones that show obvious evidence of murder. There is a good chance that this long ago murder might have an impact on the mayor race - since the bones had been on the current mayor's former land (donated to become a park with the prevision that it would not be developed). The long shot can't win candidate, Marcus, tips Nell off on who the bones might belong to - though somewhat indirectly by pushing a specific name in front of her - that specific name knew of corrupt land deals that moved 20% of the black owned land to white owners from around the late 1950s to late 1960s (or there abouts). Is the land corruption that occurred roughly at the same time as the murder have any actual connection with each other? That's one of those mystery things that's tracked in the book.

I rather liked most of the characters. Very well rounded, deep critters. My main problem with the book lies in something Nell did during the story. 1) she drank a lot (in and of itself . . meh; 2) her husband was killed by a drunk driver and there is a long scene during which Nell drove around drunk. She had gone to a party - driven there by someone else, so she allowed herself to drink. When she was dropped off at home, her kids were at her dead husband's mother's place and . . the house was too empty. So she drank more. Then, couldn't stay in that empty house and . . . . went driving. Randomly. With no destination. While dunk. WTF?

Rating: 4.54

February 9 2017

[Lis Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naomi "Nell" Nelligan McGraw is a woman from the midwest, who married the son of a newspaper owner in Pelican Bay, Mississippi. In time, Mr. McGraw Sr. died, Thom inherited the paper, and Thom and Nell ran it together.

Now Thom has been killed by a drunk driver, and Nell is a widow, raising their two children and running the paper on her own. It's only been a month, and she's just beginning to regain her emotional footing. It's a challenge being a single parent of a teenager and a pre-teen, but the paper is also a challenge. Nell is a good journalist, and a good editor, but Thom was the one with the people skills, good at handling the staff. Nell has no confidence in her skills in that area. She's managing, though.

Then she gets a call from Kate Brown, owner of the local bicycle shop. She was out hiking in the state park, and found a tree downed by the recent storm. In its roots, there were two skeletons. And they were clearly murdered.

When a third skeleton is found, and the remains are dated to the 1960s, right in the middle of the civil rights unrest, the tension goes sky-high. Nell pursues the story despite pressure from the Mayor, the chief of police, and a flood of angry letters and phone calls. There's a mayoral election campaign on, and that makes this an even bigger controversy. The mayor's family owned the land that's now the state park, and the mayor donated it on condition it never be developed a couple of decades ago.

When Nell starts looking into how the major's family got the land originally, things really start to heat up. These murders were a product of the civil rights conflict, as everyone wanted them not to be, and also connect to a land fraud scheme that could tear Pelican Bay apart.

I like Nell, her kids, and her employees, and the challenge of the big, controversial story and all the fallout from it tests the character of the entire staff, as individuals and as a team. This is a great, absorbing mystery.

Recommended.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

[Mommacat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our story opens with a young widow attempting to pick up the pieces of her life with her two children. She is a journalist living in a small town in Mississippi determined to keep her husband's family's weekly newspaper flourishing.

More than a mystery/thriller ROOTS OF MURDER is a treatise on bigotry of how the past shapes the present. Where wealth and greed mean more than the lives of those in the community. It seems that the more things change the more they stay the same.

I can't say that I liked this book. It wasn't what I was expecting and I felt that those who needed the message are unlikely to read it. I received my copy of ROOTS OF MURDER from the publisher.

[Viccy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last month, Thom McGraw was killed by J.J. Jones, driving drunk. 50 years ago, three young people were killed by the KKK. Nell McGraw, Thom's widow and the owner/publisher/editor of the Pelican Bay Crier in Mississippi has to cover the news. Nell has to take on the entrenched Southern establishment to bring justice to the African-American community who lost so much in the days of the Civil Rights movement. This is a powerful indictment of what was done to poor people who were unable to defend themselves. Read this book to find out why what happened in the past impacts everyone today.

[Amy Navarre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book! Very well written!

This adult fiction novel is so realistic it could easily be based on actual events, so much so that the disclaimer in the copyright section is well warranted. This author has found a way to work in political/social issues into each book of this series; however, I personally feel she does so with sensitivity. Within this story, the author touches on racism, both racism of the past and present. An ever present theme throughout this series is a gender gap (the difference in the way Nell is treated as a professional woman as opposed to the professional men within the story). Although these themes and issues are present, they do not overpower the story.

It reads like a classic "who done it" alongside a suspenseful thriller. There are twists and turns that result in dramatic flair. I loved how each part of the multi-faceted plot fits in the end. The wit peppered throughout this story is refreshing and entertaining. The language is for the most part clean; the only profanity utilized is done so to heighten the tone. Overall, I would describe the language usage throughout the novel as expansive: R. Jean Reid writes in such a way that the overall story is easy to read and comprehend, only occasionally throwing in a "five-dollar word". In my opinion, the occasional "five-dollar word" just heightens my interest. The characters are fully developed - I found the main character, Nell McGraw, relate-able. In addition, although reading the series in order will allow a deeper understanding of the characters, I appreciate how each book within this series can be read as a stand-alone book or in whatever order the reader so chooses.

I enthusiastically recommend this book. (This would be an especially great book club pick as it lends itself to so many discussion possibilities.)

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book in a new series by the author of the Micky Knight series. The book tells a powerful story and is thoughtfully written. The heroine is the recently widowed co-owner of a Louisiana weekly newspaper, who is struggling to deal with her grief, her rage at the drunk driver who caused her husband’s death, and dealing with both the newspaper and her two children on her own. Without her Louisiana-born husband to shield her and grease the wheels of communication, she feels like she comes across like the Yankee she is. The characters are well-developed, and the story is engrossing. A good start to a new series.

[Selena Maranjian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of the author's other series, featuring PI Mickey Knight. This debut of a new series, though, didn't grab me quite as much. I found the book slightly slow-going -- but I did keep turning the pages, wanting to find out the conclusion. I'm even toying with the idea of reading the other book in the series, but that's still a maybe. The book did offer some characters I cared about, and the setting, in the small-town South, was interesting, too.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story that takes you into the deep south's history of racial divide and hatred. Not a quick read.

[Lynn Loves Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fabulous book. I cannot wait to read the next one!

[Nancy Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put it down

A satisfying gem of a book for the reader, although the story wraps up a bit too neatly for reality.

[Josephine Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great! It had its ups and downs, but I stayed pretty much hooked the entire time. At times I felt as if there could’ve been more drama. Overall, it was worth reading.

[Lac772 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it and the story line. Planning to continue reading this series and this author.

[Jannelies (living between hope and fear) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roots of murder is not so much as a thriller as well as a lesson in history, and much more. I wouldn’t be surprised if more books with Nell McGraw in a leading role would follow (although sometimes here name is not Nell but Naomi Nelligan. I wonder what’s the use of using the two names?). Now we got to know her, this recently widowed owner of a small town paper, the author could use this character very well to write more about how sometimes awful truths need to be unveiled to do justice.
The story about how three dead people ended up in a single grave, and how these murders more than fifty years later affect the lives of a large group of citizens of a small town, is very well written. There are lively and interesting characters, there is suspense, love, great dialogues and a little romance. I especially liked the way Nell learns to step in the footsteps of her dead husband, and on the other hand still be herself, a good journalist and mother.
What made this book interesting for me was especially the fact that it gave such a good insight in the big influence the segregation had and still has on daily life. This also goes for the fact that that mayors and other officials have to elected every four years, so they are often more preoccupied with the elections than with doing their job. I’m from Europe, and we never had segregation. In Roots of Murder you can clearly read that there are still (too) many people that judge other people only by the colour of their skin. And in Europe, we don’t have to vote all the time; mayors and other officials are appointed and just do their jobs. Also, we don’t have problems with local police and sherriffs so there is never any argue about jurisdiction.
So, yes, I enjoyed the book for the biggest part. There is only one thing that made me give the book 3 starts instead of 4. And that is the drinking and driving Nell does all the time. Nell’s husband Thom was killed by a drunk driver. And what does Nell do? She goes to a meeting where there’s champagne served and she has three glasses, because someone took her there and she doesn’t have to drive. Then, she is safely delivered home sometime around 22.00. She changes clothes, takes her car and drives into town! What’s more, she meets someone there, goes to a bar and downs three beers. And then she climbs in her car again and drives home.
Is this very, very strange or not? She does it again later in the book, although not with so much drink in her. I really don’t understand why she, of all people, would do that.

[Linda Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nell McGraw is a newly widowed publisher of the Pelican Bay Crier, the Mississippi town's small newspaper. She's still struggling with the loss of her husband and taking care of her grieving children.

Her husband was killed in an auto accident by a drunk driver. Wasn't his first time driving drunk nor was it his first drunk driving accident. The man's wife and brothers keep calling Nell asking telling her not to testify..and threatening her family.

Meanwhile, Nell is called to a site where human bones have been found and according to a Forensic Anthropologist, they've been hidden for 50 years. She's determined to identify these victims and the guilty person(s) receive their punishment.

But this is a small Mississippi town .... stories of the past do not want to see the light of day. And Nell is using her front page newspaper to expose them. Men, including the local law, are threatening her.

And when she connects the victims to the racial unrest of the 60s and to three missing civil rights activists, does her search become dangerous.. not only to her, but to her children, as well.
Nell also stumbles across the fact that a lot of well-to-do white men were defrauding black land owners and taking their property.

This was quite a good story... well-written. The author certainly did her homework on how life was back in those days. Racial tensions were high. And African Americans had no one to turn to.

The characters are great. Nell is finding that she's stronger than she thought ... but she's had to be. She's a mom of a teenage girl .. enough said! Her younger son is trying to be the man of the house. And she's so mad at her husband for not being there. Nell is dealing with a mother-in-law that has never approved of her. And she's fighting the entire town in order to print the truth ... a truth that might get her killed.

Her team at the newspaper, with one exception, have Nell's back. There are those, black and white, who are helping Nell, and one of them are murdered for it. The sheriff, the Mayor, the constituents who are running for mayor, are mostly corrupt. Family roots go a long way down.

My thanks to the author / Midnight Ink / NetGalley who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

[Heidi | Paper Safari Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a timely book this is, in the midst of #blacklivesmatter rallies and such racial division in this country this book felt like I was reading the current news instead of a book. Don't get me wrong it was engaging and entertaining as well but it just seems so strangely timely for me to read it right now.

I could go on a whole tirade about how racism is so systemic in our society today but I won't. I will just say that this book could have taken place today, yesterday or sadly even a few years from now. The injustice Nell uncovers is a story that has actually played out across the country - the difference is that this one only lasts 480 pages instead of the years and heartbreak that something like this would actually have caused and when you are done you can either closed the cover and put it behind you or really think about it and help create change.

This is a brilliant book with a timely subject, well researched, well written and a sad look at America's past and present when it comes to race relations.

[M.E. Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

R. Jean Rein is J. M. Redman for those of you who are Mickey Knight fans. This is the start of a new series, I hope. The main protagonist is Nell McGraw, editor of the Pelican Bay newspaper, a small weekly newspaper in a small Mississippi town. The story opens a month after Nell's husband is killed by a drunk driver, and she is beset with problems. She has to decide whether to keep the paper, founded by her husband's grandfather, open and running or sell it. Coping with unexpected loss, she has two children to support, an over-bearing MIL to keep at bay. The family of the drunk driver is threatening her.

On top of all this, she gets a call about a story: old human bones discovered in the forest designated as a park. A distraction and a catalyst, she becomes determined to see justice served both in the present and in the past.

Good writing, good pacing, characters that I'd like to read again.

[Jackie Roche · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank NetGalley and Midnight Ink for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest and open review.
Nell McGraw is attempting to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. When human bones are found she is determined to solve the mystery of who they were and why they were killed.
The story moves between the present and the 1950's, when racism and sexism was rife in the southern states of America.
I enjoyed this book mainly because I'd studied the affects of racism while I was at University.
This novel is a good mystery with plenty of twists and turns and some romance thrown in.
I'd definitely recommend this book and will look out for others by Ms Reid.

[Beccabrewing · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked about this book is that it focused on the injustices of a corrupt system before, during and after the civil rights era, versus lurid and graphic descriptions of murder, torture and rape, to tell an interesting story. While the characters occasionally veered into one-dimensionalality and stereotypes, they were nevertheless likable and believable. I really enjoyed this southern romp that brought to light many of the injustices of a "Good Ole Boy" system of doing things, as well as the terrible crimes of property theft committed against those that did not have very much power.

[Pat Empson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nell is recovering from her husband's death in an accident and having to take over the newspaper they ran together. She is also trying to carry on as usual with her two children. She gets pulled into an investigation involving bones long hidden and buried. Involved are crooked politicians, law enforcement and a history of that no one wants dug up. The story takes place in southern Louisiana where blacks were cheated out of their property by unscrupulous white people.

[Arlene Arredondo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but from the start it was very slow paced. I couldn't relate to the main character, but that is just my point of view.

Note: I received an ARC from Netgalley for review purposes.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for Mystery Scene Magazine
https://www.mysteryscenemag.com/26-re...