The next show on @service95bookclub is... "Scene: A white man is brutally murdered in Money, Mississippi, leaving behind the battered body of a long-dead yet familiar young black man. Soon after, another white man is found battered and maimed, next to the same black figure. As more men are killed, each with these eerily similar bodies, the local police are baffled—and chaos ensues. Wonderful detectives Ed Morgan and Jim Davis are dispatched from the big city to investigate. They quickly discover that each victim is connected to a historical lynching, and the recurring black body bears a striking resemblance to Emmett Till's. In 1955, in the same small Mississippi town, a 14-year-old boy was murdered by a A lynch mob brutally murdered him. Perhaps...it sounds like a grim story—and the subject matter is certainly gruesome. But as the story unfolds, author Percival Everett deftly utilizes all the familiar tropes, from TV cop shows to classic detective novels, using a satirical touch to illuminate deep-seated political issues in this perfect blend of horror and humor. He even throws in zombies. Furthermore, there's an underlying anger at the heart of the book: at racial violence, police brutality, and the injustices of American history. This is Percival's finest touch—his witty wit can simultaneously make you laugh and tear you apart. No one expresses this better than the book's outspoken (and Black) FBI agent, Herberta Hind. "History is a real jerk," she says. Once you read "The Tree," you'll understand why. - Dua x