This legal thriller was a fast-paced story of a crime in a southern community., with racism and biases at the center. The killer whose identity is unknown to the reader, narrates portions, giving clues that really make you look in multiple directions as the drama builds. The current crime alongside a cold case adds another nice layer. The characters were interesting and I'd love to see this as a series!
Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape media for the ARC.

I’m giving this book 3.5 stars but rounding up to 4 stars. I loved the writing style of the author and it kept me engaged and interested almost the entire time I was reading. However, there quite a few instances where I was kind of bored and just waiting for it to move on and get on with it. I believe the author did a great job bringing some much needed attention to the unfairness of the justice system and racial bias, as well as racism and the violence it brings with it. I definitely recommend this book, even though it is heartbreaking and at times hard to get through because it’s so sad. Also, a dog does die, so trigger warning.

When Cicadas Cry by Caroline Cleveland is a great debut novel. I love that the killer teases us throughout, slowly sharing their side of things. While something is said early on that made it (almost) clear who the guilty party is, Caroline does a good job of building tension and making readers/listeners question this certainly. After all is revealed, it becomes an action novel, which isn't my thing, so my interest waned.

I can't review this book without addressing the connection between race and policing. The writing seemed to lean toward supporting the police's perspective and Caroline's Goodreads page makes a point to say that she's a lawyer that represents law enforcement. (Everyone deserves to be fairly represented, but why is this on your Goodreads Author page??) At one point, two police officers (current and former) are talking about the contradiction of citizens wanting crime removed from their neighborhood while also claiming that when police are in said high crime areas, they are being profiled by the police. This is so inherently racist to say, which made me uncomfortable and not want to go on with the book.

Finally, I found the author's note interesting as it appears to conflict with their books supposed support for police. Everyone has the freedom to support or oppose anyone they choose. I am uncomfortable supporting someone that fails to recognize the historical roots of racism in policing, which is why I'm wanting to know where they lean given these contradictions.

As someone that prefers women narrators, I was able to enjoy the deep timbre of Adam Barr's voice.

In this legal thriller/ cold case mystery, we meet Zach Stander, a lawyer looking to redeem himself and his romantic and sometimes professional partner that works as an investigator, Addie Stone.
We follow Zach as he defends the black, but probably innocent, suspect, Sam Jenkins, in a high profile murder case. As Zach gets sucked in by the case and Addie gets bored doing nothing, she offers to help the local police station out by reopening a cold case.

This was a very fast-paced story that sucks you in right away. When one of the cases is dragging, the other picks right up. If this was not a book, but real life, it would probably have been less obvious that the two cases are connected, but reading the book, it became obvious pretty quickly. As we are nearing the end, the case also becomes a little more arbitrary and hints about the killer are being dropped more, obviously. The beginning of the book felt like a legal drama, then we have a cold case and the ending and the parts that are written from the killer's perspective felt like a thriller. I thought it was refreshing to read a thriller from a legal standpoint, especially if wrongful conviction is a possibility, as it just brings in a totally new form of angst. Obviously, there is also the topic of race, and I have seen some people say that the book is reminiscent of “To Kill a Mocking bird”. As someone that is not from the US, I don’t know if the depiction of the issue is accurate or how satisfying it will be to read, also depending on ones own background. Zach, being the well-meaning white guy that thinks that both sides essentially want the same, might be a bit too on the nose for some. Then again, this topic does not take up as much space within the book, as I thought it would.

Addie is such a badass, that it is almost unrealistic. I wish she would have gotten more appreciation from Zach, who just cuts her out of the case in favor of working with a retired local lawyer, Colleton Burns. Addie is a very loving partner that respects Zack’s decisions and supports him in any way she can. I just wish this was reciprocated by Zack, or that his lackluster approach to their partnership would bite him in the ass at some point. She’s a 10/10 while he’s only a 05/10. If this were to become a series (I think Zack & Addie have enough potential for that), I could actually see Addie being more of a main character than Zack.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for gifting me this ALC of the audiobook to review.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced audio book. Great Southern Racial Murder Mystery! This book was slow and steady with a great crescendo at the end! This is told from multiple POV, including the guilty party.

#WhenCicadasCry #NetGalley

Huge fan of this one! I listened to the audiobook and was immediately hooked from the first chapter. I loved the author’s writing style- character descriptions, scenery and especially the storylines. I would love to see this as a series, I would read every single one. Highly recommend!

EXCERPT: 2017 - I never meant to kill the first one. She was an accident - her own fault, for the most part. And that second one? She was a casualty of necessity. Wrong place, wrong time. But this one . . . this one was different.

ABOUT 'WHEN CICADAS CRY': Zach Stander, a lawyer with a past, and Addie Stone, his indomitable detective and lover, find themselves entangled in secrets, lies, and murder in a small Southern town.

A high-profile murder case— A white woman has been bludgeoned to death with an altar cross in a rural church on Cicada Road in Walterboro, South Carolina. Sam Jenkins, a Black man, is found covered in blood, kneeling over the body. In a state already roiling with racial tenson, this is not only a murder case, but a powder keg.

A haunting cold case— Two young women are murdered on quiet Edisto Beach, an hour southeast of Walterboro, and the killer disappears without a trace. Thirty-four years later the mystery remains unsolved. Could there be a connection to Stander's case?

A killer who's watching— Stander takes on Jenkins's defense, but he's up against a formidable solicitor with powerful allies. Worse, his client is hiding a bombshell secret. When Addie Stone reopens the cold case, she discovers more long-buried secrets in this small town. Would someone kill again to keep them?

MY THOUGHTS: When Cicadas Cry is an absolutely stunning debut novel. Atmosphere oozes from every page. The tension in the final chapters left me with half-moons dug into my palms. I feared for Addie's life.

Caroline Cleveland is one of those rare authors who can hit the ball right out of the park in all three elements of the successful novel - characters, setting and atmosphere. It is impossible to read this without coming to care greatly for the characters: Zach, who really needs to figure out just what he wants; Eli, the accused Sam's grandfather; Colleton Burns, Eli's great friend and a respected retired lawyer; Sam who is overly economical with the truth to his own detriment; and Addie with the big heart, quick mind and an ambition Zach isn't currently sharing. Honestly, there were times I wanted to give Zach a quick slap upside his head - he can be extremely obtuse!

Cleveland captures the racial tensions around the BLM movement and uses it to great advantage in when Cicadas Cry. We have the two opposing factions, each wanting their very own brand of justice, never mind whatever the truth happens to be.

Pressures arising from the case cause tension between Zach and Addie, causing Addie to volunteer to investigate a cold case from some thirty odd years earlier, never dreaming to do so might put her life in danger. Now, I thought I had this all figured out, but was I ever wrong! Yes, I'm eating Humble Pie (with lashings of ice cream 😉)

The story is told from multiple points of view, including that of the killer, as in the excerpt above. This added another layer of mystery and even more tension to the storyline.

When Cicadas Cry is a beautifully written novel that held me entranced from beginning to end. The author's notes at the end are particularly interesting so don't be tempted to skip them.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

#WhenCicadasCry #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Caroline Cleveland is the founding partner of the law firm Cleveland & Conley, LLC, where she represents private and public employers, including law enforcement. A native South Carolinian, she inevitably writes from a Southern perspective. She gravitates -- both as a writer and a reader -- toward mystery and suspense, and she cannot resist a character with a dark secret.

She lives in Charleston, South Carolina with her husband, David.

DISCLOSURE: I was privileged to receive both a digital and audio ARC for review. My thanks go to both Union Square & Co., a subsidiary of Sterling Publishing and Dreamscape Media respectively. The audiobook is ablely narrated by Adam Barr.

All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

When Cicadas Cry is an atmospheric mystery set in rural South Carolina. When a white woman is found brutally murdered, a Black man is found kneeling over her body. This man, Sam Jenkins, asserts his innocence and the quest to prove it begins. But soon two cold case murders from over thirty years ago come to the attention of Zach Stander, the lawyer defending Sam Jenkins. Untangling the past and present is complicated and dangerous as family alliances and old secrets are strong in these isolated communities.

The strengths of this novel are its descriptions of the scenery and way of life in the deep South, and the narrator artistically brings each character to life. As a resident of the South, I am picky about Southern accents and even regional differences and his vocal abilities were impressive. The combination of the character development and writing with the audiobook was a great experience. I loved the main cast of characters and Sam's grandfather is just incredible. Zach was not as evenly developed as I would have liked, but I enjoyed his perspective and character.

However, I have several issues with this novel. My antennae went up early on when there were frequent references to the motto "Heritage, not Hate" in regards to the Civil War. The question was repeated, "Is so and so on the side of heritage or hate?" Ya'll, there's no such thing. If you are flying the stars and bars, that's hate. I'm not willing to debate this in the year 2024 and this was my first clue that the author and I wouldn't see eye to eye. And unfortunately, the final twist and the resolution of the mystery was uncomfortable and offensive. There were a few lines intending to make it socially palatable... maybe? If so, it didn't work.

I had high hopes for this To Kill a Mockingbird inspired story, and I am ending the reading experience disappointed. I would love to read a similar story by a Black author with the lived Southern experience. Those books exist, so I'm off to find some.

First and foremost I want to thank Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for accepting me as an ARC listener for the audiobook of When Cicadas Cry.

This being a debut novel is just absolutely astounding! Caroline Cleveland wrote a very powerful and emotional mystery/thriller crime story that really reflects on the racism through the nation in the earlier/mid 1900s and how it is still very present in some areas of the south.

A murder case that should have been about whether or not there was reasonable doubt, instantly became about how a black man was suspected of murdering a white woman in a church with the alter cross.
Zach takes on the case as Sam's lawyer as his girlfriend/partner, to kill time while her partner is working this high profile murder case, decides to volunteer helping the town with cold case files.
Finding the truth in Sam's case and in the cold case and realizing how they tie in together was an amazing journey. I thought I had it narrowed down to two suspects but I was soooooooo wrong!!! But once you realize who it is .... you want it to get to the reveal of WHY.
The story gives the POV of the legal team and then sprinkles in the killers POV which is what makes you think you have it all figured out.
I enjoyed this story immensely and binged it in one day.
Anyone who likes fictional crime stories that reflect real life cases, and the who done it mysteries...this is for you!!!
Adam Barr performs the crap out of this story!

*************SPOILERISH **********************
*********MORE A TRIGGER WARNING**********
**********DONT READ PAST THIS IF YOU DONT WANNA KNOW A SINGLE THING***************


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***********the dog dies**************************
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Good story that kept you guessing. Narrator was good and the story moved steadily. Two murder cases that occur 30 years apart wind up being related.

South Carolina attorney/author/southern storyteller Caroline Cleveland delivers a dazzling debut legal thriller, WHEN CICADAS CRY. The past collides with the present when a white lawyer defends an accused innocent black man of murdering a white woman in this southern town.

A WINNER out of the gate from a new voice in Southern fiction.

*AUDIOBOOK: I listened to the audiobook narrated by 🎧 Adam Barr for a stellar performance for all voices! Impressive, my Favorite Southern/Legal/Debut and Favorite Audio/Narrator for May (and top audio and books of 2024). I highly recommend the audiobook and will be looking for more audiobooks by Barr! (and books, of course, by Cleveland)

Back to the book:

PRESENT: Set in the small southern town of Walterboro, South Carolina, there is a high-profile murder case. A white woman has been brutally murdered with an altar cross in a rural church on Cicada Road.

In a racially fueled town with tensions already, they immediately arrest Sam Jenkins, a professional young black man, when he was found assisting the victim.

White lawyer Zach Stander is attempting to pick up the pieces of his law career after he represented the wrong client. He needs a big case and a big win. As part of his payback to society, he has taken on pro-bono cases.

His love and business partner, Addie Stone, is an ex-cop and private investigator. She is his biggest cheerleader and supporter. (loved her) and enjoyed the ending.

When Zach receives the phone call from Eli to represent his accountant grandson, Sam (black), who has been arrested for murder, he takes on the case. The town is quick to want to send him to prison due to his color and the death of a white woman; however, Zach, Eli, Addie, and Colleton think he is innocent, and now they need to prove it. A jury trial coming up with some powerful players.

He and Addie are house-sitting in the area, so they will not have to drive back and forth. But little does he suspect the danger they are in with this high-profile racial case. With all the pressure of the case and his past, there are tensions between Zach and Addie. He needs a win.

Then he finds out Sam is hiding a secret related to the case and is blindsided. Colleton Burns, a retired and experienced lawyer, is also ready to help Zach, which leaves Addie out of it.

PAST: In the meantime, Addie does not have much to do with Zach being tied up with the case, so she takes on some pro-bono work at the Sheriff's office, helping with cold cases. She picks up a file of a cold case of two murdered young women in Edisto Beach from over thirty years ago.

Edisto Beach, SC (barrier island): Thirty-four years earlier.
A haunting case that was never solved. Edisto Beach is only an hour southeast of Walterboro, and the killer disappeared without a trace. Now Addie is immersed in the case, and the closer she gets, the more danger she is in.

Could there be a connection to the present case? A killer is watching. Now, they must prove the cases are connected and find the real killer before it is too late. The town's long-buried secrets are unraveling and closer to the surface than anyone may suspect.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!

WHEN CICADAS CRY checks all the boxes for me as a lover of legal thrillers set in the South! What a fantastic cast of main characters and supporting ones. I knew I would love it the minute I read the summary description, and it exceeded all expectations.

Fully immersive, smart, absorbing, and chilling, this debut author knows her way around the courtroom and the legal system. As a lawyer from the area, she developed the cast of characters fully and brought them to life on the page amidst the racial tensions of past and present timelines. Action-packed, a compelling storyline and thought-provoking themes. Movie-worthy and an ideal book for book clubs and further discussions.

WHEN CICADAS CRY is a spectacular debut, rich in history, time, place, and character. If you enjoyed David Baldacci's most recent legal crime thriller, A Calamity of Souls, you must read Caroline Cleveland's dazzling debut!

If this is a debut, I cannot wait to see what comes next! Please let there be a sequel. I love Addie and Zach together and would love (please) to see them working together on more cases in the future. They are too good to end.

Attorneys always make the best authors. I enjoyed the author's note and highly recommend this gem for fans of Southern legal thrillers. Cleveland has been added to my favorite author list. For fans of John Grisham, David Baldacci, Greg Iles, Stacy Willingham, and Karen Slaughter (all favorites).

In addition, if you followed the high-profile Murdaugh murder trial, it was held in the same small town as When Cicadas Cry. I also recommend reading, Tangled Vines: Power, Privilege, and the Murdaugh Family Murders by John Glatt.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for introducing this author and narrator and the ALC for an honest review. I also purchased the paperback copy. (I wish it came in hardcover format for my home library.)

I hoped to get the e-book ARC, but it is still pending in NetGalley to ensure I spelled the names properly since I listened to the audio. Guess I cannot be greedy.

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JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: May 7, 2024
My Rating: 5 Stars +
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This reminded me of a modern telling of To Kill A Mockingbird. In 2017 a black man is accused and charged of killing a white woman in a small town in South Carolina. Little does anyone know, this murder is connected to a couple of other murders from 1983. Slowly the pieces start coming together and the real killer is revealed.

I listened to the audio version and Adam Barr did an amazing job. There is quite a bit of dialogue from many different characters and he voices each one different, southern accents, female pitches, everything was perfect.

Thank you NetGalley, Caroline Cleveland, Adam Barr, and Dreamscape Media for this advanced copy!

It's hard to believe this is a debut novel. As the author states in her note, "Fiction, at its best, reflects life." and she did this beautifully. This is a great Southern legal thriller with a relevant plot (racial tension), twists, and likable characters. The audiobook narration was excellent! Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscapes Media for an ALC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A sensational debut novel from Caroline Cleveland.
This Southern legal thriller is full of secrets, lies and racial injustice that kept me engaged from beginning to end. The storyline is fantastic, detailing a high profile murder case which is intricately woven together with a double homicide that took place over 30 years ago. With gripping plot twists and very relevant themes, When Cicadas Cry is a novel that I highly recommend.

The audio narration from Adam Barr is superb. He eloquently brings to life the wonderful array of characters regardless of the gender, age, race or personality. The author has written some great dialogue - often witty and sarcastic - and the narrator makes this a really enjoyable listening experience.

Thank you to the audio publisher, Dreamscape Media, for an advance audio copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great legal drama and I really enjoyed the multiple crimes there were being investigated as it added more to the story overall. This was gripping and intense at points, especially since we heard from the murderer during the book.

South Carolina - A white woman is bludgeoned to death with an altar cross at a rural church. A black man, covered in her blood, is by her body. Racial tensions are already high in this area. Zach Stander, an attorney, takes on this case with the help of his girlfriend Addie Stone, who is a detective. Race, power, money, and a cold case all play a role in this story.

I was hooked from the beginning of this book and listened to it in a day! Don't miss the Author's Note at the end!

My thanks to Net Galley ad Dreamscapes Media for an advanced copy of this audio book.

🎧 audiobook review: When Cicadas Cry - Caroline Cleveland
📈 overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🫢 twist gasp level: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
…

If you’re a fan of legal thrillers, add this to your reading list immediately!

This debut legal thriller by Caroline Cleveland is everything I love in a southern legal drama and then some. It has mystery, heart, and even humor at times. I can’t believe I haven’t seen more people talking about it.

The majority of the book is written in third person with a few chapters sprinkled here and there written from the perspective of the murderer. There is a small cast, but Cleveland did a great job constructing the killer’s perspective to give the audience enough information to have a few suspects, but not enough to make it an obvious choice. I had one person in mind for most of the book, only to realize I was wrong.

It’s evident that Cleveland has a strong background in law by the way the cases were written and the players involved disclosed information. It was all very well done with few, if any, plot holes.

It’s rare for me to find a thriller that has many likable characters. I truly fell in love with almost all of them. Without spoiling anything, I can say my favorite was Addie because I always love reading about a strong, intelligent female lead. She really made the book, in my opinion.

This one would be good to read or to listen as an audiobook. I listened to the audiobook and struggled a bit with the narrator sounding robotic in the beginning. He did eventually even out or I just got used to him.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5 | Format: Audiobook

An excellent debut! Reads like a fun mystery told through the perspectives of key players in any crime story: the defense attorney, the private investigator, and the actual killer of course. While I found the twists and turns very predictable, it was an enjoyable read regardless and one that also does a great job at tackling tougher all-too-real subjects.

Thank you to Caroline Cleveland, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

Caroline Cleveland writes a terrific debut Southern legal thriller set in small town Waltboro, South Carolina in 2017 that I listened to on audio, approximately 8 hours and 40 minutes long, narrated by Adam Barr whom I was initially dubious about but grew to love quickly as he delivered the drama with all the tension and suspense and the different distinct characters with ease. Lawyer Zach Stander is picking up the pieces after his career to a huge knock with the wrong client, but his confidence is still low, his love and partner is Addie Stone, ex-police who is now his private investigator. His life is set to change big time when he takes a phone call from Eli, who wants him to represent his hardworking accountant grandson, Sam Jenkins, who been arrested for murder, he was covered in blood at the crime scene, a remote church.

Sam is black, and the case immediately becomes high profile case with escalating tensions dividing the town along racial lines, elements that bring with it harrowing dangers with so many assuming Sam's guilt, and some are looking for violent vengeance. Zach has his hands full in trying to do his best for Sam, a client with a secret just waiting to explode, so he is more than happy when the retired and experienced lawyer, Colleton Burns, offers his services and makes an impact almost immediately. This leaves Addie being pushed out, and she turns her focus and energies in working for the Sheriff's office on a decades long cold case of 2 murdered young women. However, it turns out this cold case is to have chilling connections with the present, but how?

As Cleveland, states at the end of the novel, when she writes of what inspired her work, explaining and talking of how contemporary events and themes went on to inform the narrative, lending it a relevance that she had not initially anticipated. I love a legal thriller, and this is a good one that I became totally immersed in, with its Southern location, where it is hard to escape the issue of race, it all comes vividly alive with the rich descriptions and the wide cast of distinct characters. One of the hardest things in this was having to accept the fate of Eli's marvellous dog, Buck. I can definitely recommend this for fans of Southern crime and mystery genres and lovers of legal thrillers, the audio is particularly wonderful. Many thanks to Dreamscape Media for an ALC.

I love a good "whodunnit" and this definitely delivered. And the fact that this is a DEBUT novel?! Amazing.

The feel like the tone of the book was more like an older style (think To Kill a Mockingbird), but it took place in modern day - if that makes sense? I had to remind myself several times that this was not taking place in the 50's and that this was 2017. I didn't mind it. I think the writing style fit the narrative.

That being said, the audiobook was FANTASTIC. Adam Barr has an incredibly nice voice to listen to and narrated the story perfectly. I love his accents.

This was a great, easy read and very enjoyable. I still can't believe this was a debut novel. It was SO good. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Cleveland's work!