A Black female forensic anthropologist finds herself caught up in local Louisiana intrigue in contemporary America.
Fingers show up in unusual places in fictional Nakadee, Louisiana, where our protagonist, Dr. Lula works on a research fellowship, digging up slave burial remains.
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Vibrant and compelling, Severed is the debut novel from author VL Towler, who brandishes her pen with unabashed flair. Original in thought and tenor she admirably declines to serve up archetypal forensic fiction, eschewing the tedium of less imaginative works to take her readers on an intriguing journey that challenges racial and cultural stereotypes. We may supposedly live in a post-racial world, but it's not a colour-blind one; we might advocate greater tolerance, but old cultural prejudices still bubble beneath the surface. At its heart Towler’s novel might be an old-fashioned murder mystery but her prose is extraordinarily smart. Every word of dialogue is measured, insightful and polarizing, taking us to the crux of her characters. This allows for the obligatory tension and suspense, which is the back-bone of the genre, but more notably social commentary. It’s this more than anything than brings her wonderfully nuanced characters to life, and no more than protagonist Lula Logan. Through tender attention to Lula’s sensibilities and Towler’s ability to enunciate the intricacies of forensic anthropology, she engenders an authenticity often absent in lesser works, and elevates her novel to a class of its own.
Weaving multiple narratives through an imaginative and richly layered plot that is flawless in its execution, Severed proves immediately engaging and a genuine page turner from the start. Boding well for future releases from V L Towler it is recommended without reservation.
All Carson Reno Mystery Series Books are standalone novels. It is not necessary to read them in any particular order.
A famous author is murdered, Carson is at the scene of the crime and considered a prime suspect – but he doesn’t remember anythi
