I was looking forward to hearing more about how attorney Jay Porter does or does not make it up to his long-suffering wife Bernadine, but the family drama in this book is more between Jay and the daughter who was in utero in [b:Black Water Rising|6214113|Black Water Rising (Jay Porter #1)|Attica Locke|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327883835l/6214113._SY75_.jpg|6394686] and now a refractory teenager.

The murder mystery in this book, sad to say, is almost a sideshow next to the mysteries of racial politics and corporate power in Houston, Texas. Those (and the supporting cast of reporter Lonnie Phillips and driver/buddy/man of all dirty work Rolly Snow) are what make this book worth reading from beginning to end. It feels a little bit like watching The Wire for the first time.