In 1948, the Mayor ordered the Atlanta Police Department to hire some black police officers. He needed the black vote. The officers were hired and sent to work in the basement of a YMCA. They were given uniforms but no guns and no vehicles. They were assigned to the "colored" sections of Atlanta. They were not permitted to enter the actual police department building unless accompanied by a white officer.
The author builds from the above facts to create a fictional story that nonetheless tells truth.
Black Officers Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith witness a young black woman leaving a car in some distress. The car is driven by a white man. The car had just run into a light pole in a black neighborhood, so when white officers arrive on the scene they dismiss it without even filing a report.
A few days later Boggs and Smith discover the body of the woman. When they learn that little or no investigation is going to be done, they take it upon themselves to do a little investigating themselves. However, they find that a certain white officer is blocking any investigation. This man, Dunlow, is a bigot of the old school, who tries to indoctrinate his new partner, Rakestraw, into his evil ways. Little by little Boggs and Smith figure out what actions Dunlow takes to prevent any real police work being done in certain types of cases.
On a separate track, Rakestraw becomes curious about the dead black woman as well.
We are treated to seat-of-the-pants efforts to find answers, maneuvers to get information from the white police building, quiet interrogations. For after all, Boggs and Smith are not detectives and are therefore not sanctioned to do this work. They come up against the very white blue line and even face personal danger.
It's very much a thriller of a tale, but set with accuracy in its time and place, and affords quite a picture of the times.
The author builds from the above facts to create a fictional story that nonetheless tells truth.
Black Officers Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith witness a young black woman leaving a car in some distress. The car is driven by a white man. The car had just run into a light pole in a black neighborhood, so when white officers arrive on the scene they dismiss it without even filing a report.
A few days later Boggs and Smith discover the body of the woman. When they learn that little or no investigation is going to be done, they take it upon themselves to do a little investigating themselves. However, they find that a certain white officer is blocking any investigation. This man, Dunlow, is a bigot of the old school, who tries to indoctrinate his new partner, Rakestraw, into his evil ways. Little by little Boggs and Smith figure out what actions Dunlow takes to prevent any real police work being done in certain types of cases.
On a separate track, Rakestraw becomes curious about the dead black woman as well.
We are treated to seat-of-the-pants efforts to find answers, maneuvers to get information from the white police building, quiet interrogations. For after all, Boggs and Smith are not detectives and are therefore not sanctioned to do this work. They come up against the very white blue line and even face personal danger.
It's very much a thriller of a tale, but set with accuracy in its time and place, and affords quite a picture of the times.
"Some books educate, some books entertain, Thomas Mullen's Darktown is the rare book that does both." Huffington Post
The Atlanta Police Department is forced to hire its first black officers, including war veterans Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith. They are met with deep hostility by their white peers; they aren't allowed to arrest white suspects, drive squad cars, or set foot in the police headquarters. A woman who was last seen in a car driven by a white man turns up dead, Boggs and Smith suspect white cops are behind it. Their investigation sets them up against a brutal cop, Dunlow, who has long run the neighborhood as his own, and his partner, Rakestraw, a young progressive who may or may not be willing to make allies across color lines. This book is a crime saga that explores the timely issues of race, law enforcement, and the uneven scales of justice.
Darktown is an appropriate name for this novel as the story is a dark reminder of the prejudices that existed in the postwar, pre-civil rights South. I was going to give up on this book as it evoked feelings in me that were uncomfortable but I decided to stick with it and I'm glad I did. I found the author's writing to be exceptional and you can't help but be emotionally involved in the story. It was very atmospheric and you could feel that you were sampling a piece of the history. The characters are ones that you are not likely to forget as they will certainly leave an impression on your mind. I'm looking forward to reading the 2nd book in the series and I would highly recommend this book to those who like to read about historical events that leave an impression whether good or bad.
The Atlanta Police Department is forced to hire its first black officers, including war veterans Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith. They are met with deep hostility by their white peers; they aren't allowed to arrest white suspects, drive squad cars, or set foot in the police headquarters. A woman who was last seen in a car driven by a white man turns up dead, Boggs and Smith suspect white cops are behind it. Their investigation sets them up against a brutal cop, Dunlow, who has long run the neighborhood as his own, and his partner, Rakestraw, a young progressive who may or may not be willing to make allies across color lines. This book is a crime saga that explores the timely issues of race, law enforcement, and the uneven scales of justice.
Darktown is an appropriate name for this novel as the story is a dark reminder of the prejudices that existed in the postwar, pre-civil rights South. I was going to give up on this book as it evoked feelings in me that were uncomfortable but I decided to stick with it and I'm glad I did. I found the author's writing to be exceptional and you can't help but be emotionally involved in the story. It was very atmospheric and you could feel that you were sampling a piece of the history. The characters are ones that you are not likely to forget as they will certainly leave an impression on your mind. I'm looking forward to reading the 2nd book in the series and I would highly recommend this book to those who like to read about historical events that leave an impression whether good or bad.
