Decent people : a novel
(Book)

When three siblings are found shot to death in the still-segregated town of West Mills, North Carolina, in 1976, and the white authorities show no interest in solving the case, Josephine Wright sets out to prove the innocence of her childhood sweetheart,Olympus "Lymp" Seymore, the murder victims' half-brother and the leading suspect in the case.

1976. In the still-segregated town of West Mills, North Carolina in 1976, three siblings-- Marian, Marva, and Lazarus Harmon-- are found shot to death in their home. It creates a frenzy of finger-pointing, gossip, and wonder: the first reported murder in the area in decades-- but white authorities don't seem to care or have any interest in solving the case. Ms. Jo Wright has just moved back to West Mills from New York City to retire and marry a childhood sweetheart, Olympus "Lymp: Seymore. When she discovers that the murder victims are Lymp's half-siblings, and that Lymp is one of West Mills' leading culprits, she sets out on a transformative manhunt to prove his innocence. What she discovers is a pattern of cover ups-- of racial incidents, homophobia, and medical misuse-- that could upend the reputations of many. -- adapted from jacket