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A review by pattydsf
The Long-Legged Fly by James Sallis
4.0
I wanted a new author to try as an audiobook. Sallis had two things going for him - We have the whole series on talking book and at least the first one is short. Sometimes I get lost in long talking books because it takes me awhile to listen to them.
Lew Griffin, the protagonist, is a black man reviewing his life from the 60's through the 90's. This is not necessarily a good time to be African-American and it is definitely not a good time to be Lew Griffin. He is angry, frustrated and an alcoholic. He is also supposed to be finding several missing persons.
I can't really do justice to James Sallis' writing. The way he uses words, the knowledge he puts in Griffin's head, the way he turns a phrase all add up to more than the sum of these parts. I thought I was reading a simple mystery, but by the end I knew I had met a unique character. I don't want to give away the ending, but this book really startled me. I think I just stared at the road for five minutes thinking about the conclusion.
G. Valmont Thomas is the perfect reader for the book. I had not heard him read before and may be that is why I could accept him as Lew Griffin. I certainly hope he reads the rest of the series.
I recommend this book to those who like to discover lost treasures, to those who like being inside characters' brains, to folks who know New Orleans and to may be interested in unexpected plot twists.
Lew Griffin, the protagonist, is a black man reviewing his life from the 60's through the 90's. This is not necessarily a good time to be African-American and it is definitely not a good time to be Lew Griffin. He is angry, frustrated and an alcoholic. He is also supposed to be finding several missing persons.
I can't really do justice to James Sallis' writing. The way he uses words, the knowledge he puts in Griffin's head, the way he turns a phrase all add up to more than the sum of these parts. I thought I was reading a simple mystery, but by the end I knew I had met a unique character. I don't want to give away the ending, but this book really startled me. I think I just stared at the road for five minutes thinking about the conclusion.
G. Valmont Thomas is the perfect reader for the book. I had not heard him read before and may be that is why I could accept him as Lew Griffin. I certainly hope he reads the rest of the series.
I recommend this book to those who like to discover lost treasures, to those who like being inside characters' brains, to folks who know New Orleans and to may be interested in unexpected plot twists.