Dixie Road
is a tale of murder, retribution and brutal mob rule during the Great Depression in Louisiana. Nadine Vreeland, running from her wealthy family's legacy, works at the Fisherman's Dream, a fishery where hundreds of employees are striking for higher wages. Calling herself Mrs. Jones, Vreeland becomes a strike organizer, attracting the attention of the lecherous boss Duchamp, who uncovers her true identity. Meanwhile, Nadine's daughter, Dixie, as self-assured and adventurous as her mother, poses for a nude portrait as a gift to Louis, a young black man and friend—a dangerous gesture for a young white girl's reputation and even more dangerous to Louis's life in the Depression-era deep South. When Jones, Dixie's father and a petty criminal, returns home fresh from a bank heist carrying a valise stuffed with cash, his murderous partner is not far behind, looking for more of the loot and leaving a trail of corpses, including the son of boss Duchamp. The Joneses are blamed for the murder, and soon they are on the run from the Vreeland family's private detectives, from the union-busting boss and his vigilantes and from the local police. Labiano draws lush, detailed full-color depictions of the era, and his beautifully rendered scenes of giant oaks, winding dirt roads and sleepy rivers belie the web of violent misunderstandings that underpin Dufaux's tightly written and well-paced story. (May)
