The Secret of Magic

In 1946, a young female attorney from New York City attempts the impossible: attaining justice for a black man in the Deep South.

Regina Robichard works for Thurgood Marshall, who receives an unusual letter asking the NAACP to investigate the murder of a returning black war hero. It is signed by M. P. Calhoun, the most reclusive author in the country.

As a child, Regina was captivated by Calhoun’s The Secret of Magic, a novel in which white and black children played together in a magical forest.

Once down in Mississippi, Regina finds that nothing in the South is as it seems. She must navigate the muddy waters of racism, relationships, and her own tragic past. The Secret of Magic brilliantly explores the power of stories and those who tell them.


My Review

I really and truly wanted to love this book. I picked it up so excited to read it. I had such high hopes for this book. The beginning started out just fine. I was outraged by the murder of Lt. Joe Howard Wilson. Even though I had not gotten to know him that well yet. So I was glad someone had taken an interest in his murder and wanted justice. Regina was sweet but she came off naïve some. For someone who just graduated Law school, I figured she would come off as a strong force to watch out for. I did not get this from her.

The other story within this story of the book written by M.P. Calhoun of "The Secret of Magic" did not thrill me or draw me in. In fact after a while I did not read these parts. Having done so did not deter from my reading of this book. Which found me skimming it after a while. There was a lot of talking. Overall an alright book but could have been better.