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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
Second book by Thomas Mullen in this mystery series featuring early African American police in Atlanta. The two main characters —Boggs the black cop from the preachers family, and Rakestraw the white cop, both continue as likable heroes with depth and good story lines. Secondary characters are also good and the mystery is complex enough to keep you going. I sadly learned more about the Klan than I ever wanted to but this was an important part of the plot and culture of the times. I preferred the previous reader to this one, hence the 4 stars.
Lightning Men is the follow up to the brilliant Darktown.
Set a few years later Officer Danny Rakestraw and 'Negro Officers' Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith have to face the Klan, gangs and family life in 1950 Atlanta.
It is not an easy book to read as racism is one of the main themes. Officers unable to do their job, live where they like and not be who they want to be all because of their ethnicity. The sad thing is this book highlights how little progress we have made as a society.
Set a few years later Officer Danny Rakestraw and 'Negro Officers' Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith have to face the Klan, gangs and family life in 1950 Atlanta.
It is not an easy book to read as racism is one of the main themes. Officers unable to do their job, live where they like and not be who they want to be all because of their ethnicity. The sad thing is this book highlights how little progress we have made as a society.
An excellent, strong follow up novel about a subject that continues to be relevant and important. Oh, and there was a good mystery too.
Part 2 of the series. Goes more in depth into the character’s lives and into the KKK and other groups who did different things to hurt, kill, scare, any black person or even white person, who got in their way.
A great sequel, and the author manages to tie together everything nicely (the main plot from the first book).
I hope the author continues this series. It is excellent!
With the second book in the series Mullen has ensured that his new series about the experiences of Atlanta's first African American police officers is a modern day classic that tackles race and its pernicious impact on the American experience at the personal, political, and economic level in a manner that is informative, entertaining, and eye opening. Mullen's world and his characters feel as real and as relevant to contemporary America with the Black Lives Matter movement, concerns over police brutality and corruption, economic inequality and dangers of fascist rhetoric on an ill informed public even though the novel's are in the set in the early 1950s at the height of Jim Crow. Mullen's prose and willingness to tackle racism head on illustrates the harsh truth that racism has been and continues to be interwoven in the fabric of American life.
A great follow-up to a great book! I still like all these characters and I especially love reading about my city, Atlanta. He describes the city in a way that only someone who actually lives here can. And I'd love to follow these people, through this growing city, through more stories.
After reading Darktown, I was anticipating this book. I was anxious to see what Mullen had in store for these characters this time.
In Darktown, the story was ever moving and kept me on my toes. I was rarely bored or ready for the next shoe to drop. In Lightning Men, it was much slower moving. There was very little happening in this story like in Darktown. We are given the mystery soon. From there, it moves slow and there aren't a lot of pieces to the puzzle.
This book contains way too much information that is in no way pertinent to the story. Mullen spends way too much time talking about things that have nothing to do with the story at all. He seems more concerned with the surroundings of each scene versus the actual scene itself. He goes on and on about trees and things like that in this book.
I am a fan of Darktown, but I am not impressed with this story. It could have been so much more of a story had there been more story to the story.
In Darktown, the story was ever moving and kept me on my toes. I was rarely bored or ready for the next shoe to drop. In Lightning Men, it was much slower moving. There was very little happening in this story like in Darktown. We are given the mystery soon. From there, it moves slow and there aren't a lot of pieces to the puzzle.
This book contains way too much information that is in no way pertinent to the story. Mullen spends way too much time talking about things that have nothing to do with the story at all. He seems more concerned with the surroundings of each scene versus the actual scene itself. He goes on and on about trees and things like that in this book.
I am a fan of Darktown, but I am not impressed with this story. It could have been so much more of a story had there been more story to the story.
I enjoyed the first book, so to return to this world again is a treat.
Most of the the time white authors who write from a black perspective seem to make it very... bad. Then again, I'm white, so I know nothing. However... I think there is promise with this one? (Though I'd like more poc authors / reviewers to comment on how they feel about this book.)
The book ended in a sad turn of events. I'd like to see what book three holds.
Most of the the time white authors who write from a black perspective seem to make it very... bad. Then again, I'm white, so I know nothing. However... I think there is promise with this one? (Though I'd like more poc authors / reviewers to comment on how they feel about this book.)
The book ended in a sad turn of events. I'd like to see what book three holds.