Times's Witness: Times's Witness

This ``leisurely, winning chronicle'' of two murder investigations and multilayered injustice in a Southern town features a large cast of sharply drawn characters. According to PW , Malone's ``intriguing plot'' is saved from apparent aimlessness by police chief ``Cuddy'' Mangum, ``as engaging a tour guide through this peripatetic narrative as anyone could ask.'' (Feb.)