Written by an attorney, When Cicadas Cry (Union Square & Co. 2024) is an interesting legal thriller with enough lawyering to satisfy fans of the genre plus plenty of mystery to engage “whodunit” fans. Author Caroline Cleveland closely tracks the legal thriller formula in the early pages, but then she dashes headfirst into a suspenseful cold-case murder mystery, thereby heightening the tensions and adding another dimension to the novel. Set in the South Carolina Lowcountry, When Cicadas Cry has an atmospheric gloss and a plot that never forgets generational racism. While there are some plot devices more akin to contrivance than coincidence, the novel’s rising suspense should carry readers right past such spots.
The book starts with a line sure to catch readers’ attention and which offers a big clue: “I never meant to kill the first one.” From there, the as yet unidentified killer observes: “That’s the thing with a secret this old. You’re not keeping it anymore. It keeps you.” Such an opening sets the tone, baits the hook, and launches a tale in which racial unrest and relatable characters play importantly in the interwoven plotlines.
The lawyer at the center of the story, Zach Stander, was once a hotshot well-to-do attorney. After a serious misstep, however, he finds himself disgraced and needing to rebuild his reputation and his legal practice. A phone call in the pre-dawn hours might give him that chance—or it might finish destroying him.
An older Black man, Elijah Jenkins, calls to ask Zach to represent his grandson, Samuel Jenkins, who has been arrested in the bloody killing of a young, attractive White woman. Zach remembers meeting Eli at a legal clinic but has no strong ties to the man or his grandson. Zach soon learns the murder victim, Jessie Gadsden, was beaten to death inside a historic church at night. Evidence points to Samuel, who after all was found covered in her blood. His explanation for why he was in the church in the first place is shaky. But Eli believes in the innocence of his grandson and urges Zach to represent Samuel. Yet, there are as many reasons for Zach to decline the case as there are reasons to believe Samuel is guilty of the heinous crime.
Thus far, the structure is classic legal thriller structure—a lawyer with too much to prove and a client with the odds stacked against him. It’s a well worked formula, which is not to denigrate the novel but to observe it will be comfortably familiar to those who read legal thrillers on a regular basis. Part of what makes any legal thriller appealing is the long odds against the attorney and his or her client, and author Caroline Cleveland skillfully works this angle.
However, the author adeptly moves away from the tropes and formula when she inserts a story-in-a-story involving Addie Stone, the loyal girlfriend of Zach. Addie is a former law enforcement officer turned private eye. About halfway through the book, she seizes control of the story in a way that moves “When Cicadas Cry” into fresher territory. When Zach and Addie relocate temporarily to the small town that’s the site of the murder, out of boredom she volunteers to help local law enforcement officials with a cold case—two high school youths, both female, White, and full of promise murdered on Edisto Beach some thirty-four years before. The cold case has haunted many for decades, and the odds that Addie can solve it are slim to none. But as she edges closer to the truth, the danger to her increases as does the overlap with Zach’s case.
The legal maneuvers in the novel are primarily pre-trial and written with an insider’s knowledge of the legal system. Author Cleveland finds the right balance between enough pre-trial courtroom maneuvering to be authentic but not enough to tire readers with too many legal details. Many successful legal thrillers—like the bestsellers of Alabama attorney Robert Bailey for example—go full throttle into the murder trial with plenty of courtroom action. However, Cleveland creates her climatic ending out of other materials. Before the climax, however, the author also does a tricky thing with her first-person narratives of the killer. Cleveland reveals enough through the words of the unidentified killer to lead readers into a false sense of knowing—or suspecting—who the real killer is. However, Cleveland then whips all those assumptions asunder with the ultimate reveal. In pulling this off, the author demonstrates her skill and talent.
Caroline Cleveland
Caroline Cleveland is a labor and employment lawyer and the founding partner of Cleveland & Conley, LLC. A native South Carolinian raised in the Lowcountry, she earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1991. When Cicadas Cry is her first novel.
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