No Daughter of the South by Cynthia Webb

New York journalist Laurie Coldwater is compelled to face her white Southern roots when she returns to investigate the mysterious death of a black man - the father of her new love, Samantha.

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From Library Journal
Laurie Coldwater, an aspiring writer making do in wild Manhattan, investigates the suspicious death years ago of her black female lover's father in staid Port Mullet, Florida. There she confronts her own past as well: her promiscuous youth, the husband she married young and divorced, her conservative family, remnants of racism, and long-buried secrets. Laurie antagonizes her folks, the sheriff, the KKK, and even her lover's mother until she uncovers the violent truth. A somewhat dramatic plot, told with limpid simplicity and straightforward prose, make this an engaging first novel.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.