Between Black and White (McMurtrie and Drake Legal Thrillers #2)

As I make my way through this series, even at book two, I keep asking myself how can this series get any better? Simply put, because Robert Bailey is a master with words! Bo is one of my favorite characters in this series. To see him on trial for murder about killed me. The twists and turns in this book had my jaw dropping left and right. I kept asking myself how could isht get any deeper. Never ask that question unless you want the answer to it. Aside from a well written plot, which this book has in spades, CHARACTERS make or break a story. The characters in this book (and series) are everything. They\’re flawed and relatable. They\’re super heros in their own rights. There is no question who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. Even with complex pasts, these characters are easy to read and love. I can\’t give this book enough praise. I couldn\’t put it down. Just do yourself a favor and download this whole series.

I work for a small, plaintiff\’s law firm and after I read The Professor, I bought copies for both of the attorneys at our firm. I purchased copies of Between Black and White (BB&#) for them before I ever read it – I suspected it would be very good. When you live in or around Little Rock, Arkansas, you understand what Pulaski Tennessee, goes through. The first thing people think when Little Rock comes up, is the integration crises of 1959. The interesting thing is that Pulaski, Tennessee, and Pulaski County, Arkansas, where Little Rock is located, are both named for Polish Count Casimir Pulaski. Having said that, I strongly encourage you to read The Professor before you read BB&W, it will give you background on the characters and the action. I started reading this book Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. and I didn\’t take off my PJs, didn\’t go get my mail, didn\’t eat a bite of anything. I drank two cups of coffee and fixed myself a glass of Coke. I was just about there when my son and his wife came over. They stayed no more than 30 minutes and left. I immediately returned to my book and at 9:00 p.m. closed it – finished. As a 5 year old boy, Bo Haynes watched as his dad was hung by 10 members of the Ku Klux Klan. Although he knew who one of the men was, because he was so accustomed to hearing his voice, the Sheriff said he couldn\’t take the word of a 5 year old boy about the man\’s voice. Point to remember. Before his dad walked out into the night to face what he knew was coming, he made his son promise, among other things he would take care of his momma (Point to remember), and he would make something of himself. The next morning his momma was gone and he never saw her again. Sports, football in particular, a blown out knee, and a law professor challenged him to do what he promised his daddy he would do. He graduated from Alabama School of Law and returned to Pulaski, Tennessee, to put the men who hanged his daddy in jail. There you have the plot of the book, it\’s the twists and turns that make it interesting. I had an idea how it would turn out but boy was I wrong. I didn\’t see those two coming, the brother and sister, the boy and his \”daddy\” – nope those were complete surprises. Block some time out when you start this book because you won\’t want to quit reading it until your finish it.

Read book 1 for free, have purchased books 2 and 3, and have finished book 2. Great storytelling. Flawed characters you love to root for and against. As a (white) native of Alabama who is pushing 60, I find the author captures very believably the sad history of the Deep South circa 1960s, and illuminates the vestiges of racism and bigotry that still exist in pockets here and there today. If you read the book, be ready for some offensive and derogatory references to African-Americans made by the villains in the narrative. If that language sets your teeth on edge and raises your blood pressure, those physical responses are exactly what the author is going for. He deftly shows how despicable and debilitating racism was and still is.

Between Black and White is a great follow-up book to The Professor, picking up where The Professor left off. The 1960s were difficult times in the South and old ways were hard to let go of even for those who knew they were wrong. Being originally from Lawrence County, the characters and places were recognizable and real. I\’m hopeful there will be another book continuing on Tom McMurtrie and Rick Drake\’s legal defense of those whose case seem already lost. My husband was a \”country\” lawyer and I a legal assistant so I can relate to the difficulty of defending those who most had already convicted before trial. Congratulations, Robert Bailey on another great read.

I truly enjoyed this story. There is nothing that warms the heart of an avid reader like a well rounded, well written book. I just completed book two of four in the McMurtrie/Drake legal thrillers. I always say that even in fiction, a story has to make sense and above all else be believable. Even if it\’s sci-fi, which we allow a broader latitude for, if it\’s well written, and under the hands of a good author, it will make sense. I loved the main character, Thomas Jackson McMurtrie, along with Bo, Rick and a few others. They were so well developed, that I felt as if I knew them personally. There is truly never a dull moment with his books. There are some situations you anticipate along the way, but believe me when I tell you, there is much that you never ever see coming. ? I\’m so glad that I happened upon Mr. Bailey\’s books on my Kindle. It was truly a serendipity moment and that I had the foresight to purchase the set. It has been my experience and I know that I\’m not alone, where you happen upon a book and the reviews are good and so you read it and then you\’re scratching your head like what the hell and you realize that there is a huge discrepancy between the reviews and the book. You know you\’ve read something wonderful when the story and its characters stay with you long after you\’ve finished the story and you feel just a little bit sad because it has ended. I hope Mr. Bailey never stop writing because he\’s found his true calling and long live the McMurtrie/Drake legal thrillers. Ok, gotta run…book three is calling my name ?

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