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One of the darkest moments in New Jersey history happened with the Newark riots, which occurred between July 12 and July 17 1967, two years after the infamous Watts riots in California. For many years Newark had been a tinderbox of racial tension where African-Americans felt under-represented by their community leaders and where there was a high level of unemployment and police corruption. It all went to hell when the Newark police arrested an African-American cab driver for passing a double-parked police car. Protestors congregated outside the police station and the violence began. It is not a moment of pride for New Jerseyians, but it is not something that should ever be forgotten. Brett Ellen Block makes sure of that in her latest novel. THE LIGHTNING RULE is the story of Martin Emmett, a detective in the Newark Police Department, one of the few cops in the force who is not corrupt, but really wants to make a difference. He has been ostracized by his co-workers for not being on the take and for not doing things the way that it is supposed to be done. He is then sent to work on the records room in the precinct's basement where nothing ever happens. It is shortly thereafter that the Newark riots begin and it will be the place where he will see the worst in people when all he wants to do is see the best. Emmett studied to become a priest, but he couldn't do it in conscience. Now he will be tested time and time again during the next five days. His commanding officer gives him a nothing case just to keep him out of his hair– a young African-American boy found dead on the subway tracks, someone the force considers low priority. What Emmett discovers from the investigation and his time in the records room is that a serial killer killed the victim. The novel is not about a serial killer, but of a good man trying to find sense and peace in a disordered world. It does not give him solace that he is one of the few cops who believes that. Block paints a bleak portrait of 1967 Newark. She does not paint a pretty picture when it comes to the bigotry and police corruption there at that troubling time. One would like to think that things got better several years later, but with the LA riots in the early 1990s, we know that that is not true. Emmett represents hope and shows that one man can make a difference, but is it enough? THE LIGHTNING RULE is a disturbing work, but one that shouldn't be dismissed. It is a powerful book.
Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, December 2006
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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