BROKEN CHAIN

Three mysterious murders in Louisiana in 1909 cause sorrow for a man and his family in this debut historical novel. 

Avery Blount and his wife, Viola, live in Tickfaw in southeastern Louisiana with their two children, nearly 2-year-old Milton and 1-month-old Millie. Avery is of Native American descent and works in the lumber industry at its peak in the early 20th century. A quietly confident husband who dearly loves his family, Avery is accused of murder in the aftermath of the brutal killings of John Breland and his wife and stepdaughter. Soon, Avery is unjustifiably charged with homicide, eventually moved to a New Orleans jail, and defended by the idiosyncratic lawyer Clay Elliott. What follows is a courtroom drama (presided over by an alcoholic judge) told in rich detail by Shirley Blount, Viola’s granddaughter. In the New Orleans Parish jail, Avery fights the “pain of thinking about Viola, his children, his dear parents, his brothers, his sister, old Jacob, Just Sam, Katie and other close friends.” Back at home, Viola is bereft, left to care for her children and reminisce about her daily pasture walks with Avery. The book is intricately plotted and peppered with captivating details about early-20th-century Louisiana politics and world and national events. For instance, on Oct. 8, 1909: “While Japan forced China to sign a treaty threatening their policy of ‘open doors,’ airships took flight over St. Louis, and states decided the election of senators by direct vote.” Such particulars about historical milestones and the social atmosphere of Tickfaw enrich Avery’s odyssey through the Louisiana court system and the struggles to learn the truth about the real murderer. One downside to the work is an overreliance on historical mystery plot structures; for example, the prologue takes place in the 1970s, when a woman named Jane Robertson checks in on 93-year-old Viola (the story-within-a-story device). And since the tale is based on the author’s own grandmother, it would have benefitted from a more autobiographical tone.

A well-researched family story told with gumption and intrigue.