Percy Lynchard’s historical crime novel, the first in a series, revolves around a murder investigation in 1969 Mississippi.

In the Delta’s Bolivar County, two young white women are murdered and raped. Paul Lane, a lawyer with the district attorney’s office, is tasked with investigating the case. Suspicion quickly falls on Tyrone Braid, a black ex-convict on parole for a peeping-Tom offense. Despite holes in the case, the local Citizens Council, a more “respectable” successor to the Ku Klux Klan, plans Tyrone’s murder.

Tyrone, believing his situation is hopeless, goes on the run. Now, Paul needs not only to identify the murderer, but protect Tyrone from vigilante justice.

Meanwhile, an intellectually disabled white man has been strangely preoccupied with the murders. Is he the true guilty party? And a burglary has taken place around the same time. It seems unlikely to be connected to the other two crimes, but could it be?

Racially charged thrillers set in the Deep South are thick on the ground, but Guilty in Mississippi is a worthy addition to the subgenre. Lynchard delivers complex characters without compromising the novel’s pace. Paul, although committed to seeing justice done, lives in uneasy peace with segregation rather than crusading to change it. And Tyrone, although his circumstances garner the reader’s sympathy, is often impulsive and irresponsible.

Lynchard’s often-witty writing style is another asset to the novel. For instance, news of the first murder “spread through the small community of Interstate as rapidly as rumors of infidelity did.”

The book is not without flaws. There are some repetitive expository passages, particularly near the beginning, and the first name of a female villain feels like a cheap shot when it’s finally revealed. These are minor, however, compared to its virtues.

Fans of John Grisham and Greg Iles will find much to admire here and will be eager to read the next installment in the series.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.