Bluebird, Bluebird (A Highway 59 Novel, 1)

Attica Locke’s Bluebird, Bluebird didn’t just pull me in—it snatched me into a chokehold and refused to let go. From the first page, I was caught in the slow burn of her storytelling, the thick tension of East Texas heat, and the quiet urgency that pulses through every chapter. This isn’t just a mystery; it’s a reckoning. At the heart of it all is Darren Mathews, a Black Texas Ranger grappling with identity, duty, and history. He’s a man caught between worlds—between law and justice, family and self, silence and truth. Locke writes him with such emotional complexity that I felt like I was living inside his struggle, watching him try to carry the weight of generations on his back. What sets Bluebird, Bluebird apart isn’t just the plot, though the mystery is beautifully layered and satisfying in its revelations. It’s how Locke wraps racial history, cultural tension, and the ache of the South around every character and scene. She doesn’t flinch, and neither can we. This book doesn’t let you read it casually. It asks for your full attention, challenges your assumptions, and lingers in your thoughts long after the final page. I found myself rereading passages not because I missed something, but because I wanted to stay there a little longer, to sit in the discomfort and beauty she crafted so masterfully. Bluebird, Bluebird has me in a literary chokehold, and honestly? I’m not ready to be released.

Content warning for violence, murder, racism, hate crime, and related topics. I liked pieces of this novel, and overall it was an enjoyable crime mystery. I hadn't known anything before about the Texas Rangers, and now I know lots of things! I liked the characters in this novel, I think that was the high point for me. They were all dimensional, even the bad guys. What didn't work as well for me was the pacing. I think it was meant to be a fast-paced, action/adventure feel, but there were some things that slowed it down for me. I liked the conclusion, but I kind of rolled my eyes when it ended with such a dramatic secondary plotline cliffhanger.

Good book but not my favorite book to read this time. Kinda boring but I will try this author out next time.

October 2019-Andrea