Decent People

The “propulsive” (L.A. Times), “intriguing” (Wall Street Journal) story of a black community reeling from a triple homicide, and the dark secrets the killings reveal.

In the still-segregated town of West Mills, North Carolina, in 1976, Marian, Marva, and Lazarus Harmon-three enigmatic siblings-are found shot to death in their home. The people of West Mills-on both sides of the canal that serves as the town's color line-are in a frenzy of finger-pointing, gossip, and wonder. The crime is the ...