Furious Hours

I was captivated by this book! It's essentially three mini-biographies tied together with a common thread and the story is stranger than fiction. Furious Hours tells the story of a black southern preacher who had a bad habit of buying life insurance policies on friends and family members who would then "mysteriously die." Even though everyone knows he was responsible, he was a slippery man and the law couldn't seem to get any charges to stick. At the funeral of an adopted daughter (who "mysteriously died") the reverend was shot to death in front of 300 people. The story then switches gears to cover the story of the lawyer who defended the man who shot the reverend. The final profile in the book is that on Harper Lee, the famed novelist who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee, was fascinated by the case and thought that maybe she would try her hand at true crime writing to get her out of a slump. She spent years covering the reverends case, interviewing the lawyer, townsfolk, family members and more. But what ever became of her manuscript? Compelling and wonderful, this is a must read for fans of southern gothics, Harper Lee, and true crime. Hard to put down!

To Kill a Mockingbird

I haven't read this since high school, but I'll be damned if it hasn't aged remarkably well. It was even better than I remembered it. It's down to earth and Scout is the perfect protagonist, as her childhood views and observations help cast the story in a new innocent light. Full of southern injustice and white privilege, this classic tale has much to offer American society. It's still as poignant as it was when it was first written and has just as much to offer us now. Brilliantly written, I'm far too scared to try and the sequel, "Go Set a Watchmen." I'm plenty content with this little masterpiece. Required reading, there is soo much to talk about!