A sheriff in the south in the 1980s has a mystery on his hands. Someone abandoned an airplane on the runway of the local airport. While there's nothing in the aircraft, there is a body on the tarmac, and soon local folks draw the conclusion that the dead man was involved in drug running. It's all inflamed by racism (the victim is Black) and a red-hot campaign to replace the sheriff with a man who is openly white supremacist, given to terrorizing the Black community that lives on a plot of land he would like to develop. returnreturnThe pros: a strong sense of place, a gnarly mystery, and a sympathetic protagonist. Character development is in depth and involving. The author doesn't shy away from dealing with racism. returnreturnThe cons: the conflict is far from subtle and the villain is so villainous it's a bit much. In real life, there are political actors who are shockingly corrupt and racist without apology, but somehow in fiction I want a little more subtlety. Is that a failure to address real life in all its ugliness? Maybe .... but compared to the complexity and detail devoted to the sheriff's and the victim's families, his opponent seemed to be drawn with a crayon.