Review: "Dreamland Burning," by Jennifer Latham

This novel alternates between present-day and 1921 Tulsa, Oklahoma. In present-day, teenage Rowan is living with her black mother and white father and has a construction crew working on the "servant's quarters" house when a skeleton is found. Rowan, being a CSI enthusiast, investigates a bit before the police arrive. She finds a wallet in the skeleton's pocket that has a receipt that dates back to 1921. The mystery of the skeleton is explored in the historical chapters of the novel where teenage William is living with his white father and Native American mother at a time of racial unrest. William is working in his father's Victrola shop when he illegally sells a top-notch record player to a black teenager. William isn't cool with all the KKK actions within his neighborhood, but he only jumps into action when his new friends are put in harm's way. This is a pretty interesting mystery that centers around a time in Oklahoma history that most people aren't aware of.

Mrs. Denney's Rating: ***

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