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Dec 26, 2018IndyPL_SteveB rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A fascinating thriller about race in America, with an alternate history twist. The book is by an award-winning former Indianapolis resident and takes place mostly in Indianapolis. The book is set in a version of modern America which did not have a Civil War. After 150 years, 4 states still have legal Negro slavery and it is the law all over the USA that runaway slaves are to be returned to their owners. The US Marshall’s office is in charge of tracking the runaways; but here is also a major secret movement to rescue slaves and get them to Canada. Since it is modern times, this movement is called the Underground Airlines. Victor is one of the US Marshall’s top operatives. He is a combination of detective, actor, salesman – whatever is necessary to track the runaways. He is also a Negro former slave – with a microchip tracking device in his head. He was told he had to take this job or be sent back to slavery himself. The conflicts in his mind and soul are deep indeed. Winters is a fine writer, using the small details of daily life and character to get you to accept this altered reality. He has used real historical facts from 1860 and thoughtful extrapolation to make this different direction of American history quite plausible. The book is very exciting but is even more thought-provoking as you see the results of legal slavery and become painfully aware that many of the same attitudes are only thinly hidden in our “real world.”