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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
Good story. Really like Boggs. Hard to read at parts. The murder mystery interesting but really takes a backseat to the conflicts that Boggs and Smith face as 2 of Atlanta’s first black police officer. Much of the tension in the book comes not from the crime that opens the book, but how all the characters interact, especially Boggs and Smith with racist cops and civilians and skeptical members from their own race and community.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Really great crime story with some very intense scenes that had me holding my breath at times. I agree with the person who recommended it to me, this would make a great movie!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
it took me about 40 pages to get into the writing style, but once i did, i was hooked. this book is a super-engaging and mysterious narrative about the first black police officers in atlanta in 1948. one thing that did bother me while reading was the very frequent usage of the n-word; it makes sense with the setting of the book, but it was still off-putting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence
This book opens with a quote from Officer Willard Strickland, Atlanta Police Department, Retired in a 1977 speech recalling his 1948 induction as one of the city's first eight African American officers:
"I must tell you, it was not easy for me to raise my right hand and say 'I, Willard Strickland, a Negro, do solemnly swear to perform the duties of a Negro Policemen.'"
This is a beautifully written book by Thomas Mullen, although it is a work of fiction at points in this book you can easily identify those things that did in fact take place to the African American communities of Atlanta and other US States.
I love the design used for the cover of this book and the title Darktown infers the ethnic nature of this downtown area of Atlanta in 1948 and the segregation still in place during this time.
This story is based primarily around two sets of police partners. Boggs and Smith part of the eight newly instated African American officers. Boggs is highly intelligent and well read who was withheld from active service from no choice of his own during WWII, Smith the decorated officer who drove a tank during the war is more of a loose cannon and somewhat of a lothario with the ladies. They are not allowed to use or go to the precinct so there office is based in a dank, damp area within the local YMCA.
Rake and Dunlow are part of the white force. The novel starts off with Rake as the Rookie cop paired with Dunlow who is a self assured, dirty and racist cop. Rake soon finds out the complicit nature of his partners involvement in Darktown.
An event takes place early on in the novel within the Darktown area involving a white male driver knocking down a lamp post with his car. Because this is in an area patrolled by Boggs and Smith they try and talk to him about the incident but refuses to listen and drives off. Before this happens Smith has noticed a young African American lady in a yellow dress in the passenger seat trying to conceal marks of a beating. With the belligerent response from Mr Underhill, Boggs feel it is necessary to call the event in and ask for support from a white patrol.
This is when they first interact with Rake and Dunlow, it is already very clear the restrictions that have been given to Boggs and Smith in trying to carry out their role.
Events take a more sinister turn when the young girl turns up dead. Boggs and Smith are keen to pursue this turn of events with Mr Underhill and mention him in their report submitted to the main precinct. In an unusual turn of events this particular piece of information appears to have been "lost in translation" and from here on in it feels as if Dunlow is undercutting Boggs at every attempt to conclude this case, making him feel stupid and helpless.
It also becomes very clear that the white officers of Atlanta have taken umbrage of the introduction of these new 8 officers and that there is in fact a bet in place to see who can kill one of their African American counter-parts.
"It was seventy-five dollars a couple of weeks ago, wasn't it?..."
As the tale unfolds Rake is becoming more and more disillusioned with his partner Dunlow, he sees the way he manipulates the neighbourhood residents, false witnesses and even trying to get fellow officers framed for murder. To the extent that he imagines the affect the demise of his partner may bring. He never wanted to be assigned to a corrupt cop.
As the plot progresses more and more information is divulged and a political element to the story is brought to light.
This book was a really enjoyable read, the pace at times could be slow and thick like the Atlanta heat but it is worth getting through these area's to the atmospheric conclusion.
With this being the case I have rated this 4 stars.
**I would like to note for clarity that this book was provided through Netgalley and the publisher for a true and honest review.**
"I must tell you, it was not easy for me to raise my right hand and say 'I, Willard Strickland, a Negro, do solemnly swear to perform the duties of a Negro Policemen.'"
This is a beautifully written book by Thomas Mullen, although it is a work of fiction at points in this book you can easily identify those things that did in fact take place to the African American communities of Atlanta and other US States.
I love the design used for the cover of this book and the title Darktown infers the ethnic nature of this downtown area of Atlanta in 1948 and the segregation still in place during this time.
This story is based primarily around two sets of police partners. Boggs and Smith part of the eight newly instated African American officers. Boggs is highly intelligent and well read who was withheld from active service from no choice of his own during WWII, Smith the decorated officer who drove a tank during the war is more of a loose cannon and somewhat of a lothario with the ladies. They are not allowed to use or go to the precinct so there office is based in a dank, damp area within the local YMCA.
Rake and Dunlow are part of the white force. The novel starts off with Rake as the Rookie cop paired with Dunlow who is a self assured, dirty and racist cop. Rake soon finds out the complicit nature of his partners involvement in Darktown.
An event takes place early on in the novel within the Darktown area involving a white male driver knocking down a lamp post with his car. Because this is in an area patrolled by Boggs and Smith they try and talk to him about the incident but refuses to listen and drives off. Before this happens Smith has noticed a young African American lady in a yellow dress in the passenger seat trying to conceal marks of a beating. With the belligerent response from Mr Underhill, Boggs feel it is necessary to call the event in and ask for support from a white patrol.
This is when they first interact with Rake and Dunlow, it is already very clear the restrictions that have been given to Boggs and Smith in trying to carry out their role.
Events take a more sinister turn when the young girl turns up dead. Boggs and Smith are keen to pursue this turn of events with Mr Underhill and mention him in their report submitted to the main precinct. In an unusual turn of events this particular piece of information appears to have been "lost in translation" and from here on in it feels as if Dunlow is undercutting Boggs at every attempt to conclude this case, making him feel stupid and helpless.
It also becomes very clear that the white officers of Atlanta have taken umbrage of the introduction of these new 8 officers and that there is in fact a bet in place to see who can kill one of their African American counter-parts.
"It was seventy-five dollars a couple of weeks ago, wasn't it?..."
As the tale unfolds Rake is becoming more and more disillusioned with his partner Dunlow, he sees the way he manipulates the neighbourhood residents, false witnesses and even trying to get fellow officers framed for murder. To the extent that he imagines the affect the demise of his partner may bring. He never wanted to be assigned to a corrupt cop.
As the plot progresses more and more information is divulged and a political element to the story is brought to light.
This book was a really enjoyable read, the pace at times could be slow and thick like the Atlanta heat but it is worth getting through these area's to the atmospheric conclusion.
With this being the case I have rated this 4 stars.
**I would like to note for clarity that this book was provided through Netgalley and the publisher for a true and honest review.**
1948, and in Atlanta we watch as the local police go about their business. Along with concerns of the time, our real focus is on Lucius Briggs-a Reverend's son-and the other seven black men that form part of the police department.
Set against a backdrop of tension, fuelled by racial prejudice and the effects of the Depression, this is a compelling read.
Briggs and his partner stop a drunken ex-officer. He has a young coloured woman in his car. These officers have few rights and many even within their force want them to fail. The white officers called to support them let the man off, but it is soon obvious that he was involved in something untoward.
Throughout this I felt a simmering rage at the way people were treated purely because of skin colour. The story itself is well-plotted, and the way Mullen links the various characters is to be applauded. Alongside the anger and frustration I felt, there was also admiration for characters such as Briggs and Rake - who are not without their faults - and their determination to make a difference. The fact that this sometimes comes at a high personal price is depressing, but I can understand why this novel has been talked about as a TV production.
Thanks to the author, NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.
Set against a backdrop of tension, fuelled by racial prejudice and the effects of the Depression, this is a compelling read.
Briggs and his partner stop a drunken ex-officer. He has a young coloured woman in his car. These officers have few rights and many even within their force want them to fail. The white officers called to support them let the man off, but it is soon obvious that he was involved in something untoward.
Throughout this I felt a simmering rage at the way people were treated purely because of skin colour. The story itself is well-plotted, and the way Mullen links the various characters is to be applauded. Alongside the anger and frustration I felt, there was also admiration for characters such as Briggs and Rake - who are not without their faults - and their determination to make a difference. The fact that this sometimes comes at a high personal price is depressing, but I can understand why this novel has been talked about as a TV production.
Thanks to the author, NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Lots to process & think about, especially as the book is set in 1948, a mere 70 years ago when Atlanta created positions for the city's first eight black police officers. That's not even a full generation, really. While this is fiction, author Thomas Mullen did his historical research & gives a pretty unflinching look at what race relations & tensions were like then -- sadly, not hugely far off from today's racial tensions in the US.
For all my reviews, visit my blog Clues and Reviews
https://cluesandreviews.wordpress.com/
It’s 1948 and the Atlanta police department has been pressed to hire its first African American police officers. They wear the uniform and do their best to uphold the laws, but they have no authority. They cannot arrest anyone Caucasian, they are met with constant hostility and are not even allowed at police headquarters. Boggs and Smith, two newly minted African American officers, work “Darktown”, a predominately African American neighborhood. When they find a badly beaten back woman in the trash behind an old building, they realize she looks familiar. They last saw her driving with a white man, an ex-cop. As they fight to solve her murder, tensions build as Boggs and Smith risk everything, including their own lives, in the name of justice.
Darktown, by Thomas Mullen, is a novel that will stay with you long after you have completed reading it. Written as a twist on a police procedural, this historical thriller takes readers back to the Deep South as we meet two newly minted African American officers (Boggs and Smith) as they do their best to administer the law in Atlanta. They have no power; yet, they try their best to enforce what they can. When they come across a seemingly intoxicated Caucasian man, running into poles in their jurisdiction (a neighbourhood called Darktown) they go to investigate. He is uncooperative and they see him beating his passenger, a young African American woman. Later, when she turns up dead, Boggs and Smith go against the grain to try and find her killer.
When I first started this book, I was captivated by Mullen’s vivid imagery. He is able to transport the reader right back in time to the south. As I read the first page, I could feel the humidity and smell the summer air. That’s how powerful his writing was. That being said, it was also one of the most difficult things to accept about this novel; I was constantly uncomfortable while reading as I watched the character deal with oppression, blatant racism, corruption, intolerance and racial slurs. I know this was a necessary part of the novel, to set the time and place, but it made me cringe to read.
Mullen’s characterization in this novel was brilliant. I connected immediately with the lead characters and loathed the antagonists. I also loved the character of Rake, a progressive Caucasian officer, who is struggling between what is the “norm” and what is right. It was interesting to add this character to the plot.
Be warned, this book was extremely slow, which is completely different from the fast-paced thrillers I love, but it was so well written, I could not put it down. I feel like if it was any faster paced, it would have taken away from the subject matter.
Apparently, this book will be a T.V series starring Jamie Foxx. I think this will be incredible and can completely see how this would be adapted for the screen.
This novel is gritty and raw, a must read for anyone who enjoys a complex and compelling police procedural. It will be different from any other one you have ever read.
https://cluesandreviews.wordpress.com/
It’s 1948 and the Atlanta police department has been pressed to hire its first African American police officers. They wear the uniform and do their best to uphold the laws, but they have no authority. They cannot arrest anyone Caucasian, they are met with constant hostility and are not even allowed at police headquarters. Boggs and Smith, two newly minted African American officers, work “Darktown”, a predominately African American neighborhood. When they find a badly beaten back woman in the trash behind an old building, they realize she looks familiar. They last saw her driving with a white man, an ex-cop. As they fight to solve her murder, tensions build as Boggs and Smith risk everything, including their own lives, in the name of justice.
Darktown, by Thomas Mullen, is a novel that will stay with you long after you have completed reading it. Written as a twist on a police procedural, this historical thriller takes readers back to the Deep South as we meet two newly minted African American officers (Boggs and Smith) as they do their best to administer the law in Atlanta. They have no power; yet, they try their best to enforce what they can. When they come across a seemingly intoxicated Caucasian man, running into poles in their jurisdiction (a neighbourhood called Darktown) they go to investigate. He is uncooperative and they see him beating his passenger, a young African American woman. Later, when she turns up dead, Boggs and Smith go against the grain to try and find her killer.
When I first started this book, I was captivated by Mullen’s vivid imagery. He is able to transport the reader right back in time to the south. As I read the first page, I could feel the humidity and smell the summer air. That’s how powerful his writing was. That being said, it was also one of the most difficult things to accept about this novel; I was constantly uncomfortable while reading as I watched the character deal with oppression, blatant racism, corruption, intolerance and racial slurs. I know this was a necessary part of the novel, to set the time and place, but it made me cringe to read.
Mullen’s characterization in this novel was brilliant. I connected immediately with the lead characters and loathed the antagonists. I also loved the character of Rake, a progressive Caucasian officer, who is struggling between what is the “norm” and what is right. It was interesting to add this character to the plot.
Be warned, this book was extremely slow, which is completely different from the fast-paced thrillers I love, but it was so well written, I could not put it down. I feel like if it was any faster paced, it would have taken away from the subject matter.
Apparently, this book will be a T.V series starring Jamie Foxx. I think this will be incredible and can completely see how this would be adapted for the screen.
This novel is gritty and raw, a must read for anyone who enjoys a complex and compelling police procedural. It will be different from any other one you have ever read.
The Mayor of Atlanta has decided that things needed to change. He decides to make eight black people the first black people enstated as police officers of their city. Many people are excited about this decision, but many people are not. These eight people find that they are in for as much hassle and hostility as they are reward and change. Then a body turns up, and one of these eight police officers decides to risk it all to discover what really happened.
I can't tell you how much I got invested in this book. If sleep and work hadn't gotten in the way, I am confident I could of read it all in a day. it was intense and intriguing. I was left on the edge of my seat through the whole thing. There's a part of me that just wants to grab my copy and demand someone read it just so I have somebody to fully talk about it with.
The messages in this story are powerful and intense. I also felt like I was really living in that time frame that it was based in. They didn't just portray the time era beautifully. They also portrayed Georgia beautifully. Especially where the weather is concerned! I was very impressed.
I couldn't help but feel the major connection with the characters through this story. I rooted for the good guys all the way through. It was easy to completely despise the bad guys as well. It was very easy for me to forget that I wasn't a member of this community and that these were characters in a story.
I give this book a full five-star rating. I loved loved loved this book. I just know in my heart that it'll be as big of a classic as The Help and To Kill a Mockingbird. I do fully recommend this story. I do have to say that it's not very lightly written. This author gave the whole picture of what you'd be seeing. They didn't censor any of it.
I can't tell you how much I got invested in this book. If sleep and work hadn't gotten in the way, I am confident I could of read it all in a day. it was intense and intriguing. I was left on the edge of my seat through the whole thing. There's a part of me that just wants to grab my copy and demand someone read it just so I have somebody to fully talk about it with.
The messages in this story are powerful and intense. I also felt like I was really living in that time frame that it was based in. They didn't just portray the time era beautifully. They also portrayed Georgia beautifully. Especially where the weather is concerned! I was very impressed.
I couldn't help but feel the major connection with the characters through this story. I rooted for the good guys all the way through. It was easy to completely despise the bad guys as well. It was very easy for me to forget that I wasn't a member of this community and that these were characters in a story.
I give this book a full five-star rating. I loved loved loved this book. I just know in my heart that it'll be as big of a classic as The Help and To Kill a Mockingbird. I do fully recommend this story. I do have to say that it's not very lightly written. This author gave the whole picture of what you'd be seeing. They didn't censor any of it.
I "read" this one on audiobook and fell asleep for parts 5 through 7 (of 10 parts) and I still understood everything that happened. If I slept through parts 2-9, I still probably would have got the idea.