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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
The characters are not very well developed, but
the reader does get a good sense of what the
times were like in the post-WWII South.
The prose seems a bit mechanical rather than
thrilling, but the overall story is not bad.
It was worth reading.
the reader does get a good sense of what the
times were like in the post-WWII South.
The prose seems a bit mechanical rather than
thrilling, but the overall story is not bad.
It was worth reading.
The book follows some of the first black cops in Atlanta, and an occasional sympathetic yet still pretty racist white cop, as they work to solve the murder of a young black girl that most of the cops readily ignored. It feels remarkably true to the time, by which I mean shitty, because blacks in general are treated poorly, and black cops the same if not moreso.
It was an interesting world to visit, but not one I'd like to stay in.
It was an interesting world to visit, but not one I'd like to stay in.
I'm trying to figure out what to write. This one book that will stay with me a long time. It was very well written and the characters were well drawn. Although I was initially reluctant to read Darktown I am so glad I did.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This post war noir set in Atlanta Georgia follows the story of the first 8 black police officers and the corrupt system in which they find themselves. The prose is tight, compelling and impactful and the author pulls no punches in yelling this thrilling story. Great on #audio
Cannot recommend this book enough! Loved the historical fiction aspect as well as the mystery/thriller angle. One of the very, very few "first in a series" where I will be reading the second in the series. <3
This was a fantastic read. I kind of wish it had been non-fiction, so I look forward to digging into more true stories about Atlanta's first black officers.
This was well-constructed historical, noir fiction. Grim subject matter because set in the Jim Crow era where Black lives most decidedly did not matter. It was made more interesting because of the struggles of the main protagonists, two Black police officers, second-class citizens and now second-class law enforcement officers, not even allowed squad cars and restricted to the "colored" part of town, called "Darktown" by whites. I liked that the Black officers, Boggs and Smith were of different social classes -- Boggs, the Morehouse graduate, son of an esteemed minister; and Smith, the working class war hero whose father was himself a soldier who got lynched after returning from war.
Boggs is a thinker, Smith a hothead. Together they not only make an interesting duo, they also illustrate a socio-economic divide that still exists in the Black community today. And then there's Rakestraw, the white officer paired with a virulently racist and brutal partner, Dunlow, whom he despises. They, too seem to represent the old and New South whites, the latter being not so much actively racist as they are silent and complicit, made occasionally uncomfortable by overt racism but generally unwilling to risk any of their privilege to combat it.
The mystery at the center of the story was interesting, but very quickly became beside the point, as the author explored and explained the nature of the South, and the "race problem" through the characters. I recommend, but only if you're not expecting the breakneck pacing of the average mystery today, and are prepared to confront just how little things seem to have changed between Then and Now.
Boggs is a thinker, Smith a hothead. Together they not only make an interesting duo, they also illustrate a socio-economic divide that still exists in the Black community today. And then there's Rakestraw, the white officer paired with a virulently racist and brutal partner, Dunlow, whom he despises. They, too seem to represent the old and New South whites, the latter being not so much actively racist as they are silent and complicit, made occasionally uncomfortable by overt racism but generally unwilling to risk any of their privilege to combat it.
The mystery at the center of the story was interesting, but very quickly became beside the point, as the author explored and explained the nature of the South, and the "race problem" through the characters. I recommend, but only if you're not expecting the breakneck pacing of the average mystery today, and are prepared to confront just how little things seem to have changed between Then and Now.
Two of the first black officers in Atlanta in 1948 work to be the best cops they can be, despite having literally no power and being thwarted at every turn by white cops. Loved the atmosphere and dialogue. 4.5 stars.
This is fiction based truth. The truth is scarier, and more shameful, than the fiction.