Chiefs is a rare, not-so-distant past mystery that credibly qualifies as true historical fiction. It predominantly chronicles the small Georgia town of Delano and the three generations of police chiefs who deal with the mundane, the dull and ridiculous, and the demoralizing intimidation of everyday life in the Deep South. The story center on a succession of disappearances of teenage boys, the first of which occurs in 1920, and how each chief attempts to solve the crime and uncover the identity of this baffling killer. It is utterly masterful how Woods seamlessly weaves the individual personalities of his three main characters, from different eras, into the unraveling of the arcane felony.
What is amazingly refreshing about Chiefs is its total and complete lack of political correctness. The dialogue is gritty and raw. The politicians are players, corrupt, yet with their own morality. There are no “pretty” words for African-Americans. Yet there is no offense here. The words ring with the truth of the tension between the races and the echo’s of the early civil rights movement.
Woods has filled his novel, republished in a 25th anniversary edition, with tense moments, an uncommon plodding wittiness, history, culture, and best of all, a great story that keeps you flicking pages so quickly a bookmark isn’t even needed… you can’t put it down!