Unfamiliar with the author, this was a staff pick at the library. Having read books by Greg Isles who writes and lives in Natchez, MS, I was curious to see whether this Atlanta, GA story would bear up. While the author does his best to engage the reader, the characters lack depth and there are few if any plot twists. Timely, given today's racist issues, the throwback to the days of white vs black in the South is unsavory. I was tempted to drop it after a few chapters, but decided to see if the story would develop. Regretfully, it was rather dull in spite of splashes of violent crime and KKK member activity. On to greater things... ( )

Intressant och skrämmande handling. Berättelsen biter dock inte ifrån tillräckligt och det känns som det där lilla extra saknas. Ganska så förutsägbart slut. ( )

Digital audiobook performed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
3.5***

Book two in the Darktown series continues the story of a newly integrated Atlanta police force in the 1950s. Officer Danny Rakestraw (“Rake”) and “Negro Officers” Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith have their hands full. Rake’s brother-in-law tries to rally the Ku Klux Klan to “save” their all-white neighborhood after a handful of black families, including Smith’s sister, beginning moving in. Boggs and Smith, meanwhile are trying to shut down the supply of white lightning and drugs.

There’s a lot going on here from the basic police procedural involving the crimes the officers are trying to solve, to the racism on the force, to the ugly and dangerous tactics of the Klan, to some personal marital issues, to political corruption. It certainly captured my attention, but I felt a little lost regarding the relationships between the characters. Still, Mullen crafts a tight thriller, with complex characters, and a couple of stunning scenes.

I came to this book because it was recommended for my F2F book club by one of the members. I hadn’t read the first book in the series and I think I really missed something because I didn’t fully understand the interrelationships of the characters. When I asked the person why she didn’t recommend the first book, she said she thought this one was better written, and that “If you are interested enough in the characters you’ll go back and read the first book.” Clearly, she doesn’t understand the concept of spoilers. I expect that knowing what will happen to these people will completely spoil the author’s attempt to develop of their relationships in book one. S*I*G*H.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II does a good job of narrating the audiobook version. He sets a good pace and tries to give the many characters sufficiently unique voices to distinguish them from one another. ( )

This is the second book in Thomas Mullen's trilogy of detective novels about the first black policemen on the Atlanta police force. As such, it is an interesting look at a particular time and place, and this aspect of the book is as important as the crime story. Although the black police officers are seen as progress, they can only patrol the black neighborhood of Atlanta, and their powers are very limited: they can't wear their uniforms on the way to work, they can't arrest white people, etc. etc.

In this entry, the crimes include the violence that ensues when a black family buys a house in a previously white area. In addition, there is the mysterious murder of a KKK member by another KKK member, the investigation of which is complicated because at the time many of the white members of the Atlanta police force were also KKK members. And there is also a drug ring which is catering to black clients.

A good read. I will go on to the third in the series, which I have on my Kindle.

3 stars ( )

Like its predecessor Darktown, this book is a very good period piece, capturing raw racial relations in Atlanta in the 1950's. The few black officers in APD are trying to enforce standards in the black communities, with little to no support from their white brethren. Officers Boggs and Smith are trying to eliminate illegal alcohol and drugs, facing a myriad of powerful foes, such as than they’d expected. Meanwhile, black families are beginning to move into all white neighborhoods with increasing displeasure from the community. Denny Rakestraw, a non-bigoted white policeman, finds out that his brother-in-law, Dale, a member of the Klu Klux Klan, gets over is head trying to prevent the inevitable. Lucius Boggs' lovelife gets very complicated as his fiancée's boyfriend is paroled and wants to spend time with his and her son. Finally, we learn more about the mettle of the man tasked with supervising the APD's black office. I hope Mullen writes another in this series. ( )