Darktown (Darktown, #1)

Jul 28, 2016 Paromjit rated it it was amazing

Shelves: giveaways, netgalley, crime-fiction, thriller, mystery

This is a superb and wonderful read. It is bleak, atmospheric and relentless in the horrors of racism faced by the black community in Atlanta and beyond. As a recent experiment, a unit of 8 black cops has been set up to patrol Darktown. They have no power of arrest and can do nothing in apprehending white perpetrators. Boggs and Smith are two of the black cops who see an ex-cop, Brian Underhill treating a black woman, Lily Ellsworth, brutally after he had crashed into a lamp post. White cops, Du This is a superb and wonderful read. It is bleak, atmospheric and relentless in the horrors of racism faced by the black community in Atlanta and beyond. As a recent experiment, a unit of 8 black cops has been set up to patrol Darktown. They have no power of arrest and can do nothing in apprehending white perpetrators. Boggs and Smith are two of the black cops who see an ex-cop, Brian Underhill treating a black woman, Lily Ellsworth, brutally after he had crashed into a lamp post. White cops, Dunslow and Rake, let him go. Dunslow, in particular, is a brutal and corrupt cop. Rake does not agree with what he does, but Dunslow is typical of APD cops in that his attitudes and behaviour are common and the black cops are treated with disdain and contempt. There are dirty, corrupt, and murdering cops with bone deep racism who intend to fight the nominal notion of black cops with every breath in their bodies by any means necessary. There is no such thing as a fair judicial system if you are black.

Lily is discovered murdered, and although Boggs and Smith have no powers to investigate, they fly beneath the radar to do so. Rake finds some inner courage to dig deeper into this case, but has do this covertly to escape the wrath of his fellow officers and the dangers it would bring him. There are tragic consequences for the Ellsworth family who live in the countryside where the situation for blacks is considerably worse. It is clear that there are important and powerful elements who will do anything to protect themselves as further murders take place. There is a secret unit used by white police officers to carry out their dirty work known as the Rust Squad that is involved with the case. The racism that the author portrays is harrowing and stomach churning, I found it so hard to read about. As the three cops find themselves working together in an unprecedented manner, they do get resolution to the case. However, the story is all shushed up and gets absolutely no public coverage. There is a tiny acknowledgement that the black police unit is here to stay, but nothing in the way of any power being given to them.

This is an utterly compelling novel. I am not surprised that a TV series based on this book is being made. It has a gripping narrative that keeps the reader completely engaged with the story. The depiction of the segregated society and a police force that feels free to kill, steal, brutalise and charge innocent blacks with impunity is hard hitting. The darkest part of the Southern Soul is laid bare and it is does not make pretty viewing. Absolutely loved this book and would urge others to read it. Highly recommended. Thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC. ...more

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Oct 01, 2016 James Thane rated it really liked it

Shelves: crime-fiction

Darktown is an excellent book that works at many levels. At heart, it's a crime novel, but beyond that, it has a great deal to say about the time and place in which the story plays out.

Set in Atlanta shortly after World War II, the book opens just after the city government has forced the police department to hire its first eight black officers. But their professional lives are closely circumscribed. Their precinct "headquarters" is in the Negro Y.M.C.A., and they are not allowed to come into the Darktown is an excellent book that works at many levels. At heart, it's a crime novel, but beyond that, it has a great deal to say about the time and place in which the story plays out.

Set in Atlanta shortly after World War II, the book opens just after the city government has forced the police department to hire its first eight black officers. But their professional lives are closely circumscribed. Their precinct "headquarters" is in the Negro Y.M.C.A., and they are not allowed to come into the "real" police station. They may only wear their uniforms when they are on patrol and may not even wear them to and from work. They are not allowed to investigate crimes, but must refer the crimes they discover to white detectives who will follow up if and when they feel like it.

As one might expect, particularly in 1948, there's a great deal of resentment directed against these officers from the white community in general and from white police officers in particular, and this plays out in incidents large and small on a daily basis. But even many members of the African-American community are not sure what to think of these eight men. Some are proud to see black men on the force, but others resent the fact that these eight officers are assigned to patrol black neighborhoods and that they are arresting other black people for the crimes they have committed. Some fear that these new black police officers are little better than the white officers who have been harassing them for years.

Two of the new officers are Lucius Boggs, a veteran of the war, and Tommy Smith. On patrol one night, they stop a white man who has driven into "Darktown" and crashed his car into a light pole. In the car with the man is an attractive young black woman who appears to have been beaten up. But when Boggs and Smith attempt to detain the man for white detectives, he simply laughs at them and drives off. Shortly thereafter, the young woman who had been with him turns up dead.

White detectives have little interest in pursuing the case, and so Boggs and Smith decide to do so themselves. But they are severely hamstrung in that they are not authorized to make such an investigation and if they are discovered doing so, they may be fired or worse. Their particular nemesis is a racist white detective named Dunlow, a veteran cop with a long record of brutality, particularly against blacks. Dunlow has a young new partner named Rakestraw, and it remains to be seen whether Rakestraw will follow in Dunlow's footsteps or whether he might be open to newer and more progressive ideas.

This is a beautifully written book with a strong sense of history. The Atlanta P.D. was forced to hire its first eight black officers in 1948, and their mission was circumscribed almost exactly as Mullen describes it here. The story is gripping and the characters, good, bad and in between, are very well developed. The setting is excellent and one can only marvel at the determination of Boggs and Smith to persist in their investigation and in their larger and more important mission of blazing a trail for the black policeman who would follow them. A strong 4.5 stars. ...more

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Jul 24, 2016 Diane S ☔ rated it really liked it

3.5 Atlanta, pre civil right era, forced to hire eight back police officers. Officers pretty much in name only, few rights, only allowed to patrol the black neighborhoods, not allowed in the white only police station, need to call on white police officers to make an arrest. Yet, Boggs and Smith are determined to do their jobs to the best of their ability. Grim reality, racial bias, racial tension, this book captures this era, 1949, extremely well. When a young black woman is found dead, the whit ...more

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Aug 01, 2016 Emma rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

An easy 5 stars and one of the best of 2016.

For me, this started as a slow burner. It took me a while to get a feel for the characters and the racist culture that underlines every single aspect of 1948 Atlanta is hard to get to grips with. Even more so because I was acutely aware of just how difficult I found it to cope with simply reading about it, never mind having to actually experience or live though anything like it. Some of the scenes between white and black characters are so fraught with ...more

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Nov 13, 2016 Ij rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, historical-fiction, crime, race, fiction, 2016, atlanta

Darktown A Novel

Genre – Historical Fiction

It is a historical fact that Atlanta’s first black police officers were hired in 1948. There were eight officers hired. Seven of the eight officers were veterans of WWII. This book presents a fictional account of how events might have transpired in a mystery of the death of black women.

The black officers were not allowed at the Atlanta Police Headquarters, they were assigned to the basement of the Negro YMCA. They were only allowed to patrol in predomina
Darktown A Novel

Genre – Historical Fiction

It is a historical fact that Atlanta’s first black police officers were hired in 1948. There were eight officers hired. Seven of the eight officers were veterans of WWII. This book presents a fictional account of how events might have transpired in a mystery of the death of black women.

The black officers were not allowed at the Atlanta Police Headquarters, they were assigned to the basement of the Negro YMCA. They were only allowed to patrol in predominantly black neighborhoods. The black officers were not considered real officers by their white “peers” and were often subject to jeers and name calling.

On patrol one night Officers Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith (black officers) heard a crash and went to investigate. The discovered a white man driving a Buick had run into a lamp pole. Officer Boggs asked for the driver’s license and registration (the driver smelled of alcohol). The passenger in the car was a young black woman, who based on Officer Smith’s observation had a puffy red lip on one side of her face. The driver refused to provide the requested documents. The Buick drove off and Boggs and Smith had to use a call box to request a patrol car locate the Buick, to make an arrest. Black officers were not assigned patrol cars.

White officers Lionel Dunlow and Denny Rakestraw were dispatched to the call. Officer Dunlow a long time cop did not consider the black officers to be real cops. Officers Dunlow and Rakestraw did find the car and Dunlow talked to the driver while Rakestraw called in his license and registration. No warrant or other negative information was on the driver’s record. Dunlow dismissed the driver leaving Rakestraw confused as to why Dunlow did not write a ticket for drunk driving or the accident.

A day or two later Boggs and Smith, while on patrol, discovered a body in a dump. Smith was sure the body was the same woman that was in the Buick days earlier. He recognized the bright yellow dress. They called for help at a call box. Their sergeant Officer McInnis (a white officer) responded to the scene. They told him that they were sure this was a woman seen with the driver of the car they had approached days ago.

There was not much interest in a dead black woman. However, during the course of the story Officers Boggs and Smith continue to investigate, while off duty. Unknown to them Office Rakestraw also has questions and investigates on his own. Many twists and turn continue during the course of their investigations.

Great story!!!

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Aug 12, 2016 Carol added it

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction

My sincere thanks to the author, Thomas Mullen, Edelweiss, and Atria/Simon & Schuster for providing this e-galley to read and review. Darktown isto be published September 13, 2016.
The Hook - This superior review by my friend Trish captured my attention. I knew I had to read Darktown
Trish’s Review

The Line - Per the request of the publisher, Atria Books, I will not quote a line until Darktown is published. Instead I will mention a few references to black veterans returning from World War II. ...more

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Nov 10, 2016 Liz rated it it was amazing

This is not an easy book to read. It is filling with dark events, dark thoughts. Get used to reading the N word countless times. You'd like to think that the white cops are caricatures but then you read the history behind the story, like it took until 1948 for the Supreme Court to abolish the “white primary” but how Governor Talmadge proclaimed they could still keep Negroes from voting “with pistols”.

The book is based on the real life story of the first eight “colored” police officers in Atlant ...more

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Aug 22, 2016 Maureen rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley

*Thank you to Netgalley & Little, Brown Book Group for my ARC in exchange for a fair & honest review*

Gosh! This is certainly a powerful piece of social history, and although the story is fictional, it is actually fact based involving the employment of Atlanta's first black police officers, and around which the story is intricately woven.

The year is 1948 and Atlanta ( under pressure from higher up ) has just appointed 8 black police officers. They wear the same uniform as their white cou *Thank you to Netgalley & Little, Brown Book Group for my ARC in exchange for a fair & honest review*

Gosh! This is certainly a powerful piece of social history, and although the story is fictional, it is actually fact based involving the employment of Atlanta's first black police officers, and around which the story is intricately woven.

The year is 1948 and Atlanta ( under pressure from higher up ) has just appointed 8 black police officers. They wear the same uniform as their white counterparts, but there the similarity definitely ends. They have no powers of arrest, they're not allowed to ride or drive patrol cars, and dammit, they're not even allowed into Police Headquarters, that's just for whites. They work out of a basement room within the local YMCA.

Officers Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith, two of the new recruits, are on foot patrol late one night when they come across a white man in a car who's hit a lamppost. He has a young black girl in the passenger seat, and when they try to confront him he drives off. A few blocks later, they come across this car again and the young girl is seen fleeing the car in distress. White officers are called to deal with him, as the black officers aren't allowed to arrest him, but they let him go. When this girl is later found dead among garbage in a back alley, Boggs & Smith decide to initiate their own investigation.

This investigation will bring them to the attention of white officers Dunlow & Rake. Dunlow is someone you don't want to cross, this is one nasty individual, and a complete and utter racist.

Boggs & Smith will face racism, segregation, violence, and hostility at every turn, in their quest to get to the bottom of corruption both within the APD, and also within local politics.

This story takes you into the very gutters of mankind. It will also take you into the brothels as well as the grand parlours of the wealthy,with unsavoury characters galore, as Boggs & Smith slowly uncover this city's many secrets.

This book seethes with tension and injustice, and of course that's down to the author's great skill in allowing us a real peek into those days of the first ever black police officers. ...more

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Oct 24, 2016 Julie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery-shelf, historical-fiction, e-book, thrillers, crime, overdrive

Darktown by Thomas Mullen is a 2016 Atria publication.
This book came highly recommended to me due to my love of crime fiction. I had no idea, until I had finished the book, that a television program was made based on this story that starred Jamie Foxx. I’ll have to check that out sometime.

But, as for the novel, this is an outstanding historical crime novel that depicts the atmosphere in Atlanta just after the second world war and before the civil rights movement. Atlanta has just hired eight b Darktown by Thomas Mullen is a 2016 Atria publication.
This book came highly recommended to me due to my love of crime fiction. I had no idea, until I had finished the book, that a television program was made based on this story that starred Jamie Foxx. I’ll have to check that out sometime.

But, as for the novel, this is an outstanding historical crime novel that depicts the atmosphere in Atlanta just after the second world war and before the civil rights movement. Atlanta has just hired eight black men as police officers to work the ‘Darktown’ area of Atlanta, a groundbreaking move, but a political one, which was made under pressure.
Boggs and Smith are two of those black men hired as beat cops for Darktown. They only have so much power, though. If anything serious happens, they have to call in the ‘real’ cops. They work out of the YMCA, not the police station. They are resented by the white officers, of course, especially Dunlow, a rogue, racist cop that once patrolled the area.

But, when a white man plows into a pole on their beat, Boggs and Smith see a young, black woman in the passenger side with a black eye. Later, the woman is found dead, discarded like garbage. Dunlow, is not interested in solving the crime, but his new partner Rakestraw, is not as apathetic. Still, Boggs and Smith will have to risk their jobs and maybe their lives to solve the murder, on their own.

Wow, this was such an authentic depiction of this era and the attitudes about race at that time. The crime story is a real stunner, with several mind blowing twists along the way. The suspense, at times, is nearly unbearable, and I admit I had to wipe the sweat off my palms a few times.

The characters were well drawn, some clearly bad, corrupt, and evil, while others struggled with the complexities of race and prejudice and with doing the right thing, no matter what. Smith and Boggs were also complex in their own way, and of course I loved their partnership and their commitment to truth, despite the obvious danger they faced, but they did encounter some support from an unlikely source.
The pacing is quick, the dialogue is sharp, but very, very raw, so be prepared. This story is very gritty, very real, and not always easy to digest. But, the book is extremely well written, is riveting and maybe one of the best crime stories I’ve read this year. It’s definitely deserving of the attention and high praise it’s received!!
I highly recommend this to those who enjoy gritty crime thrillers, or historical mysteries.
4.5 stars

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Aug 20, 2016 Gary rated it really liked it

Once I read that this book was to be turned into a TV series starring Jamie Foxx as the lead character it bought this character to life and made it so easy to imagine the scene.
Set in Atlanta in 1948 the police department is forced to hire its first black officers. This causes a large amount of friction not only with the community but also with the white police officers. The black officers are policemen but with a difference, they can't arrest white suspects, they can't drive squad cars and they ...more

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Jul 12, 2016 Trish rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, politics, historical-novel, crime, netgalley, america, race

The experience of two black police officers forms the kernel of Thomas Mullen's explosive new novel set in a 1948 Atlanta that was “two parts Confederate racist to two parts Negro to one part something-that-doesn’t-quite-have-a-name-for-it-yet.” Black policemen are as discriminated against in their own headquarters as are black civilians, so these beat cops must have strong moral grounding and resilient natures to put up with the task at hand. Their poorly equipped office is in the basement of t The experience of two black police officers forms the kernel of Thomas Mullen's explosive new novel set in a 1948 Atlanta that was “two parts Confederate racist to two parts Negro to one part something-that-doesn’t-quite-have-a-name-for-it-yet.” Black policemen are as discriminated against in their own headquarters as are black civilians, so these beat cops must have strong moral grounding and resilient natures to put up with the task at hand. Their poorly equipped office is in the basement of the YMCA, run by a man who’d had his door kicked down twelve times for imagined crimes. That man was happy to find a place in his building for the new Darktown police force.

The Wiki for Darktown reports that the Negro neighborhood of Atlanta

stretched from Peachtree Street and Collins Street (now Courtland Street), past Butler Ave. (now Jesse Hill Jr. Ave.) to Jackson Street. It referred to the blocks above Auburn Avenue in what is now Downtown Atlanta and the Sweet Auburn neighborhood. Darktown was characterized in the 1930s as a "hell-hole of squalor, degradation, sickness, crime and misery”.

Because white police officers did not often want to respond to citizens living in Darktown, the neighborhood was unconstrained and plagued by bad behaviors. In 1948 the Atlanta Police Department trained and hired eight black men, some WWII veterans, to patrol Darktown and keep the peace.

One enters a fiction about race relations written by a white man with a certain amount of trepidation. At the start of the novel we are treated to descriptions of truly despicable behaviors, epithets, taunts, and conditions to which Atlanta's first black officers were exposed, and while we suspect it is all too true, we are not comfortable. No one likes to be reminded how bad it must have been. Not long into the narrative, however, we almost imperceptibly begin to relax into the telling of a crime story that involves shadowy power well beyond the reach of a Negro beat cop a few months into the job. A young, pretty black woman is found dead in a garbage heap and the last known person to have been with her was a white ex-cop, fired for corruption some time ago along with some mates on the force.

This is not a novel just about race. This is a novel about policing. One of the things that Mullen reveals to us in this book is the true nature of “the job”: the thorny ethical conundrums and moral relativism that haunts those mean streets. We suspect that police officers have to deal with these difficulties every day of their working lives, and we begin to question whether any man or woman is up to the task. After all, some difficult choices are often made quickly, on the spur of a moment when the police themselves may be facing physical danger.

What is moral relativism? It is the notion that there is no universal concept of right or wrong, good or bad, and that truth and goodness must be examined from the place at which the individual stands. It’s why justice is so hard to nail down, and why judges and juries are so important. But this concept can be stretched to unsupportable lengths, and we are presented with examples of that in this book. It makes for thoughtful reading.

Mullen challenges us with this novel, and if I said "we relax into the reading," I certainly didn't mean for the last half of the story, which ramps up the tension to terror.

The film rights for this novel were optioned in a competitive bidding war long before its publication date. The film contract was eventually won by Sony TV with Jaime Foxx as executive producer, Rachel O’Connor producing. It does have a cinematic feel: dark, hot, buggy nights loaded with sweat, blood, and moral conundrum.

Mullen could easily make this first in a series, he was so competent in involving readers with his characters and their edgy situation in the context of crime within and without the Atlanta police force. It feels all kinds of relevant today, as the white population is waking up to race in America and how "discriminatory behavior" manifests. The Epigraph at the beginning of the novel is a quote from one of the first black officers to be inducted into the Atlanta Police Department, Officer Willard Strickland:

”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 Policeman.’”

Many thanks to Thomas Mullen for bringing us this absorbing and difficult story, and to Netgalley and Atria Books for sharing the e-galley with me in advance of publication on September 13, 2016.

An interview with Thomas Mullen has been published on my blog. In it the author answers questions about this new series and the nature of policing. It is a read you won't want to miss. ...more

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Oct 08, 2016 Tom Mathews rated it it was amazing

Shelves: history-historical, mystery-crime-thriller, southern-lit, read-in-2016

When I first read a description of Darktown, a novel based on the experiences of the first black officers on the Atlanta Police Department, I assumed that it would be similar to Chester Himes’ Coffin Ed Johnson and Gravedigger Jones series, the only other books I’ve read about black police officers in the mid-twentieth century. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Darktown has neither the randy humor of A Rage in Harlem nor the charming volatility of Mouse in Walter Mosley’s Devil in a Blue Dress. W When I first read a description of Darktown, a novel based on the experiences of the first black officers on the Atlanta Police Department, I assumed that it would be similar to Chester Himes’ Coffin Ed Johnson and Gravedigger Jones series, the only other books I’ve read about black police officers in the mid-twentieth century. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Darktown has neither the randy humor of A Rage in Harlem nor the charming volatility of Mouse in Walter Mosley’s Devil in a Blue Dress. What it does have is the dark realism of Ellroy's L.A. Confidential, the plot twists of Polanski’s Chinatown, and the stark portrayal of racism seen in Twelve Years a Slave.

The story focuses on Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith, WWII veterans and two of the eight men sworn in as the first African American police officers sworn in Atlanta. Author Thomas Mullen did an excellent job of describing the humiliation conditions that these dedicated men had to work under. They could not arrest white people or work in white neighborhoods. They could not have squad cars. The only shift they could be assigned was from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.. They were not allowed to enter the police station but were assigned dingy office space in the basement of the colored YMCA. Even the oath that they were administered served to remind them that they were second class citizens. “I, _____, a Negro, do solemnly swear to perform the duties of a Negro policeman…”

What amazes me is that, on top of these humiliations, these men had to endure the lack of support from the majority of the white officers they served with. I can’t imagine what it would feel like to be a police officer who went out every night to fight crime, knowing that if they got into trouble, they would likely not get any backup. The fact that they still persisted, knowing that there was a very real possibility that the bullet that could end their lives might come from another officer’s gun is inconceivable to me. I have tremendous respect for these men.

I also could not avoid making connections between the events described in Darktown and the shooting of black men by police officers that have been reported too frequently in the news of late. I believe that the vast majority of police officers today are dedicated professionals but the behavior of the small minority that have their actions recorded on video makes me wonder if we as a people still have a way to go to put the Jim Crow era behind us. Wasn’t it William Faulkner who said, “The past is never dead. It's not even past.”
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May 10, 2016 Susan rated it it was amazing

It is Atlanta, 1948, and Officers Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith are walking their beat in ‘Darktown.’ They are two of only eight black police officers in Atlanta. However, their powers are, to put it mildly, limited. They have guns, but are wary of drawing them. They cannot use the police station, or even look at reports filed there, but have their own squadroom in the basement of a local building. They are paid less than white colleagues, are not allowed overtime, are unable to patrol ‘white’ ar It is Atlanta, 1948, and Officers Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith are walking their beat in ‘Darktown.’ They are two of only eight black police officers in Atlanta. However, their powers are, to put it mildly, limited. They have guns, but are wary of drawing them. They cannot use the police station, or even look at reports filed there, but have their own squadroom in the basement of a local building. They are paid less than white colleagues, are not allowed overtime, are unable to patrol ‘white’ areas or arrest white suspects. Atlanta in 1948, in other words, is a segregated, divided, unequal city where the first black police officers are both an affront and figures of fun to white police officers and viewed with suspicion by their own community. One evening, Boggs and Smith witness a man hit a lamppost and drive off. When confronted, he taunts the officers and his passenger, a young black girl, later jumps out of the car and runs away.

This is the story of what happens when that young girl turns up dead and of the determination of Boggs and Smith to investigate the crime (another part of policing which is denied them). For the man in the car turns out to be an ex-cop and it does not take long to discover that the police are more than willing to overlook the involvement of one of their own. Also heavily involved in the story are Officer Denny Rakestraw and his partner, the racist, overbearing Dunlow. Rakestraw is a man who feels apart from both his fellow officers and – especially – his partner. Before long, he will be torn between his duty as an officer and his duty to the truth. Atlanta in 1948 is a time when he will be forced to take sides…

The crime element of this novel is interesting enough, but the author really makes this time, and place, come alive. For Boggs and Smith, as well as the inhabitants of Darktown, it is a time of daily, petty humiliations. As far as the Atlanta police force is concerned, it is a time of corruption and intolerance. Politics, murder and violence combine in the segregated streets of Atlanta, when a man is attacked for straying into the wrong area, when a city is utterly divided by race and when justice is denied the citizens of Darktown. A wonderful, gritty crime novel, with excellent characters and a great plot. This is sure to be a huge hit and, considering the news stories from America, seems sadly all too relevant. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
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Jan 08, 2017 Scott Hitchcock rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, library-ebook

Historical fiction piece set in Atlanta post WWII dealing with the integration of black cops into a world dominated by whites. The struggles of those new officers in dealing with the established cops, the expectations of the black community and the seemingly endless resentment from all sides. But not everybody is against them.

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Sep 14, 2016 Char rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, crime, net-galley, dark-fiction, black-history, american-history, wickedly-disturbing, atria, racism

4.5 stars!

Despite wearing the same uniforms as the white police force, the first black police officers in Atlanta, GA shared none of the other benefits afforded to white officers at the time. Forced to work out of the basement of the YMCA, provided with no patrol cars, not allowed to investigate anything and not even allowed to step foot in the white police station, one has to wonder why Atlanta made them police officers at all.

Darktown delved into that mystery and many more. Boggs and Smith, 4.5 stars!

Despite wearing the same uniforms as the white police force, the first black police officers in Atlanta, GA shared none of the other benefits afforded to white officers at the time. Forced to work out of the basement of the YMCA, provided with no patrol cars, not allowed to investigate anything and not even allowed to step foot in the white police station, one has to wonder why Atlanta made them police officers at all.

Darktown delved into that mystery and many more. Boggs and Smith, both black officers, one freshly back from WWII and the other the son of a preacher, commanded absolutely no respect from anyone. Not from other officers and not even from the black community, which they were tasked with protecting. It seems that the entire world resented them for one reason or another.

One night, a vehicle took down a light pole right in front of them. Upon discovering the white driver was drunk, and had a bruised young, black woman in the car, Boggs and Smith called the white police. (Since they were not allowed to arrest the man themselves, they had no other choice.) But while waiting for the white cops to arrive, the man just drove off, and there was nothing the black officers could do about it. A few days later, the young black woman turns up dead and the black officers just can't let that go.

Leaving off the plot so as not to spoil anything, I'll focus now on how this book made me feel. I'm aware of the shameful behavior that went on in my country, but this book went into specifics, and they were very difficult to read. The treatment of blacks in that area, during that time period, (1948), was deplorable. There's no other word for it. Every single aspect of their life was controlled by whites. They couldn't look a white person in the eye. They couldn't defend themselves, verbally or physically, when wrongfully accused of something. They had to ride in the back of the bus-often while the white people in the front openly disparaged them. Some of the incidents recounted here turned my stomach.

Thomas Mullen took an unflinching look at the relationship between blacks and whites. As difficult as it was to read, I imagine it must have been even more difficult to write. To avoid making the same mistakes in the future, we have to be familiar with the mistakes we've made in the past, and this book shoves those mistakes right under our noses. Do you have the strength and stamina to look them right in the face? If you do, I highly recommend Darktown.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the free advance copy of this book.* ...more

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Jan 19, 2017 Andy Weston rated it it was amazing

Set in Georgia, the Deep South, in the years of racial segregation just after the Second War this is the story of Atlanta's first black police offices. The eight of them co-habit in a dark and dingy space below the YMCA and are treated dreadfully by the majority of the white public and other white police officers. But their very positions make this such an important time in US history. The setting for Mullen's novel therefore is quite compelling and without surprise it contended for several majo ...more

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Dec 29, 2016 Erin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Darktown is remarkable, brilliant, infuriating and suspenseful. Darktown a fictionalized account of Atlanta's first black police officers in the late 1940's. As you can expect they were treated like garbage. They couldn't arrest white people, carry guns, drive police cars, wear their uniforms when off duty, and they were headquartered out of the YMCA. This book was difficult to read at times, it made me incredibly angry and made question how much race relations have changed in 70 years. I recomm ...more

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Dec 02, 2015 Judy Collins rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: southern-fiction, racial, netgalley-arc, crime-thriller, atlanta, cop-procedural, civil-rights, 2016-releases, thomas-mullen, books-read-in-2016, top-books-of-2016

A special thank you to Atria and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Top 50 Books of 2016

5 Stars +++ Most Anticipated Book of 2016! Worth all the hype and more. CONGRATS, to Mullen: Landing Amy Pascal & Jamie Foxx Team For 1940s TV Crime Drama About Race ‘DARKTOWN.’

Thomas Mullen has brilliantly crafted a cast of unforgettable characters in DARKTOWN with a mysterious murder, a southern black woman in 1948, amid strains of the civil rights movement.

Top Cop Procedural ...more

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Jun 17, 2017 Rhonda Ruff rated it really liked it

This book was very hard to read at times. It was also something i was glad i did read! So sad that people treat others this way! And even sadder it still goes on today.

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Dec 15, 2015 Michelle (Michelle's Book Ends) Shealy rated it it was amazing

"Someone falsified Boggs report, deleting Brian Underhill, protecting an ex-cop who by all right should be the principal subject of an investigation. Why? Like at Jameson's funeral, he felt the wrathful eye of his neighbors on him, judging him a failure, unworthy. There was nothing Boggs could do about the Jameson case. But the Jane Doe case was different. Boggs vowed that, when Mr. Ellsworth showed up at the station, he would be there to meet him..."

Black officers Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith w "Someone falsified Boggs report, deleting Brian Underhill, protecting an ex-cop who by all right should be the principal subject of an investigation. Why? Like at Jameson's funeral, he felt the wrathful eye of his neighbors on him, judging him a failure, unworthy. There was nothing Boggs could do about the Jameson case. But the Jane Doe case was different. Boggs vowed that, when Mr. Ellsworth showed up at the station, he would be there to meet him..."

Black officers Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith work for the Atlanta Police Dept. It's set in a time before civil rights in the deep south. The officers report to an all black YMCA as their headquarters. This gives you a feel for what these men are about to face.

When they witness a black woman being assaulted by a white man, nobody seems to really care, except Boggs and Smith. Their conscience bothers them more when they find her dead. Since this is a white man that formerly worked for the A.P.D., they must tread carefully or risk their lives and their jobs.

On the other side of this store are white officers Denny Rakestraw and Lionel Dunlow. Dunlow isn't above beating a black man for no good reason, accept that he has the power to do so. While Rakestraw doesn't participate, he does nothing to stop it either.

It's a good story line and probably a pretty good representation of a time when people acted like this. I really don't care to hear/see/read the "N" word and it was frequent in this book. While probably relevant to the characters involved, it certainly didn't make me like these guys. These kinds of stories always make me sad. To think people lived in fear and were abused/murdered/mistreated for nothing more than the color of their skin. This book really drives these facts home.

Boggs and Smith do their best to wade through to find out who this woman was and to see justice served. Of course there are many roadblocks for them to get to that point. While the story goes at a steady pace there are some jaw dropping unexpected twists towards the end that not only pulled the whole thing together in a interesting way but also surprised me. I ended up becoming a little more fond of the story as I went, even though I was put off by racism at first. Not only a good story but a lesson in the history of this country. You can't walk away from this story without feeling empathy for the suffering of others.

Boggs and Smith do what they can to get the facts in spite of the roadblocks put up by other police officers. Only one, Rakestraw is actually willing to cross a line to them. There are a couple of allies they won't see coming. Can they solve the slaying of this woman? Is working in "Darktown" really what anyone wants? Even the people they try to help are resistant to what they see as interference and perhaps even betrayal by Boggs and Smith. The path to justice will be littered with bodies, beatings and murderers.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books a Division of Simon and Schuster.
"Darktown" is currently available for pre=order on Amazon.
http://michellebookends.blogspot.com/...
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Jun 08, 2017 Bark's Book Nonsense marked it as own-tbr · review of another edition

I won a Goodreads Giveaway! Winners do exist, after all. I had about given up all hope.

innit lovely?!

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Sep 18, 2016 Marianne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

“There was a lot that Rake was learning about his new occupation. He had survived against steep odds for years in Europe as an advance scout, had been alone for long stretches and had wisely figured the difference between threats and opportunities, collaborators and spies. Back home in Atlanta, however, he was finding the moral territory more difficult to chart than he’d expected”

Darktown is the fourth novel by American author, Thomas Mullen. In 1948, with a Negro population probably in excess o “There was a lot that Rake was learning about his new occupation. He had survived against steep odds for years in Europe as an advance scout, had been alone for long stretches and had wisely figured the difference between threats and opportunities, collaborators and spies. Back home in Atlanta, however, he was finding the moral territory more difficult to chart than he’d expected”

Darktown is the fourth novel by American author, Thomas Mullen. In 1948, with a Negro population probably in excess of 115,000, Atlanta, Georgia had eight Negro police officers. Their powers of arrest were markedly fewer than those of white police officers, they were not issued with patrol cars, and they were quartered in the basement of a YMCA building. These startling facts underpin Thomas Mullen’s story of the murder of a young black woman and the black officers determined to find her killer.

Negro Officer Lucius Boggs is with his partner, Negro Officer Thomas Smith when they witness a Buick driven by a white man in knock over a light pole. They note a black female passenger, and give chase on foot when the driver leaves the scene. They observe him hitting her before she escapes from the car. Days later, they find her body in a pile of refuse. Boggs is no detective: his duties consist of walking his beat; but he is determined that her death will not go unpunished.

There is no love lost between the white officers and the Negro officers: it doesn’t help that the black cops have to call in white cops to make white arrests. When Boggs and Smith call for assistance in the traffic case, Dunlow and Rakestraw’s cruiser is slow to appear. Dunlow, old school and patently racist, ignores Boggs and Smith, and lets the driver off lightly; his rookie partner is more inclined to value their input.

Mullen follows known facts about the first Atlanta eight fairly closely in his tale, and the mention of actual historical figures gives the story authenticity. Each narrative, be it from the perspective of a fearful black sharecropper, an ageing white racist cop, a six-year-old negro boy, a white rookie, a black madam or a rookie negro police officer, has a genuine feel. He conveys the Atlanta of the immediate pre-civil rights era with consummate ease.

The characters are realistic: none of these black policemen is entirely blameless; even the most racist white officers have some virtues. The plot is wholly believable: there are a few twists, but there is no Hollywood ending here, and it is evident in the closing pages that Atlanta still has a long way to go. But Hollywood is apparently interested in turning Mullen’s book into a TV series, and it will certainly translate well. Gritty and informative, this is a brilliant historical page-turner.
With thanks to TheReadingRoom and Hachette Australia for this copy to read and review.
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Sep 28, 2016 The Shayne-Train rated it really liked it

This book was great, and painful. Great in the way great books can be great, when they're well-written with lots of character development and a sense of time and scenery that really puts you there.

But it's painful, too. The goddamned HATE in this book. There's good-natured, don't-know-no-better hate. There's vicious-hateful-to-the-fucking-core hate. And everywhere in between. Hate and degradation and hate and injustice and hate. And prejudice. And hate.

This is the story of the first (and only) ...more

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Oct 06, 2016 Lauren rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical, mystery

So Atlanta continued to grow, the trains continued to disgorge new residents and the tenements grew more crowded and the moonshine continued to be driven down from the mountains and the streets spilled over with even yet more passion and schemes and brawls, because there on the Georgia piedmont something had been set loose that might never again be contained.

Darktown is a great, immersive, complex work of historical fiction wrapped around a slightly unstable but still enjoyable mystery. It has So Atlanta continued to grow, the trains continued to disgorge new residents and the tenements grew more crowded and the moonshine continued to be driven down from the mountains and the streets spilled over with even yet more passion and schemes and brawls, because there on the Georgia piedmont something had been set loose that might never again be contained.

Darktown is a great, immersive, complex work of historical fiction wrapped around a slightly unstable but still enjoyable mystery. It has a large cast, with nearly everyone eventually getting a small segment of the novel from their point of view, but the two central figures are Officer Lucius Boggs, one of the first eight black police officers in Atlanta, and Officer Dennis Rakestraw, a shading-towards-liberal white cop perturbed by his partner's violence. They're partnered up with Tommy Smith, more openly passionate than Boggs, and Dunlow, a veteran and viciously racist patrolman proud of his familiarity with and control of "Darktown." The four of them intersect one night when Boggs and Smith call in for white patrol officers to arrest a man who has run into a streetlight--black cops had virtually no authority over white criminals. ("'Stop or I'll call the real cops'?" Smith shook his head. "Funny how that don't work.") Rake is willing, but Dunlow isn't, and nothing is done. Meanwhile, the young black woman with the bruised lip in the passenger seat of the car has disappeared.

She resurfaces, having been shot in the chest, and neither Boggs nor Rake can let it go. Boggs wants to protect his community, and his time on the job has disillusioned him as to the likelihood of that: solving Lily Ellsworth's murder would be a concrete and valuable accomplishment, especially when it's done in the face of an utterly indifferent white authority. Rake, on the other hand, mostly wants to differentiate himself from his partner's callousness--without attracting too much attention or conceding "too much" equality. Their separate investigations twist throughout the book and their eventual information-sharing is productive but tentative, with Rake openly surprised by how much Boggs and Smith were able to find out on their own. (He thanks Boggs for helping him with "his" investigation.)

The complexity of the characterization and the richness of the historical setting are the two great strengths of Darktown. While the supporting characters never quite make the leap into three dimensions ((view spoiler)), Boggs and Rakestraw are really well-handled. Boggs is a minister's son struggling with the knowledge that even perfection will probably not be enough to ensure that he's treated with respect by his ostensible colleagues and in the meantime facing occasional derision from people in his community who either think that he's sold out or think that he's not willing to go far enough. Even his own partner is perturbed by Boggs's careful lack of expression. But all the calculation that has gone into his every move serves him well as he tries to find the truth behind Lily Ellsworth's murder, and the further he goes, the more he's willing to risk. Rake, too, knows about being careful, but he's being careful because he wants to walk the line between commitments: better than his partner's open racism, violence, and corruption, but still ambivalent about a black family moving into his neighborhood and distasteful of patrolling black areas. He expects credit for standing up to his partner at all. He looks into the Ellsworth murder out of the desire to prove he's a good person and because he suspect his partner's involvement.

The attention to the detail of Boggs's community and Rake's lukewarm liberalism is part of how well Mullen renders 1950s Atlanta as a whole, ever attentive to the details of the maddening rules the black police officers have to follow--they can't wear their uniforms to or from work, directly submit their own reports, or reliably pull arrest records--and the grinding effect they have on Boggs and Smith. But the city--and eventually some of the countryside--come alive even apart from that, with Rake using Southern hospitality as an in to places where he's not really wanted and a YMCA owner giving his basement over to the police to prevent further break-ins. It's an illusion, I'm sure, and of course I'm not an expert, but at times it feels like there's nothing Mullen has forgotten to account for.

The plotting and mystery don't quite live up to everything else--the plot resolutions come a little too quickly and haphazardly, with some fairly pointless stalling: there's no need to imply a character has been shot only to have them alive a few scenes later and then find out a few scenes after that the truth behind the coy implication, and overall Mullen uses that "then she told us everything" approach where the characters learn truths that the reader isn't permitted to overhear too much. There's one pretty amazing coincidence. Certain conspiratorial actions don't quite cohere as part of a reasonable plan.

But most of these flaws only surface at the end, and the time we spend with Boggs and Rakestraw following their separate investigations is time well-spent, even if it doesn't resolve with too much impact. The point is for the case to resolve and the emotions to stay messy. (view spoiler) I immediately Googled "Darktown Thomas Mullen sequel" and was disappointed not to see one already in the works. Fingers crossed, though.
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Nov 21, 2016 Scott Sigler rated it it was amazing

DARKTOWN is a powerful novel.

Set in 1948, this is a tale of racism and perseverance that is close enough to modern day to disturb you when you learn, through the eyes of the characters, what American life was like. "Close enough to modern day" meaning your grandparents were probably in their 30s or 40s at that time, decision-makers in an American society coming to grips with the need for equality.

As you read this review, or as you read the book, think about that — you grandfather could have be DARKTOWN is a powerful novel.

Set in 1948, this is a tale of racism and perseverance that is close enough to modern day to disturb you when you learn, through the eyes of the characters, what American life was like. "Close enough to modern day" meaning your grandparents were probably in their 30s or 40s at that time, decision-makers in an American society coming to grips with the need for equality.

As you read this review, or as you read the book, think about that — you grandfather could have been in this book. Not some dusty old archaic 1800s character you can't relate to, but your own flesh and blood just two generations separated.

That's why this book felt so alien to me. It is the American culture, historically documented ad nauseous, yet it feels like a completely different world. As a nation we have come so far, and in what seems like a relatively short time.

DARKTOWN is set in the time the first black police officers joined the Atlanta PD. Yes, the first ever, not even seventy years ago. The story focuses on four cops — two white, two black — and the murder of a black girl at the hands of a white man.

What makes the story so alien is that, at the time, black policemen weren't allowed to arrest white people. They weren't allowed to drive a police car. They weren't even allowed to set foot in police headquarters, the home of law enforcement in Atlanta. The eight black cops were meant to patrol "Darktown," the primarily African American part of the city. When our protagonists do interact with white cops, the scenes are cringeworthy because they are true to life.

Mullen doesn't make this a simple black-vs.-white novel. Not only do the black cops have to deal with disrespect at a level that's hard to imagine, they have to deal with elements of their own community that discover black cops arrest criminals just like white cops do. A community that is excited to have some of their own on the force quickly turn against these young men — the distrust of the police is stronger than any group allegiance based on the color of one's skin. It puts the main characters in an awful situation. They feel alone and unsupported, tilting against windmills that will forever stand tall against their efforts.

The murder mystery is well done, and the characterization is excellent. The setting, though is the star of this novel. Mullen excels at letting reality speak for itself instead of preaching about what's right and wrong, what should and should not be.

DARKTOWN is disturbing, riveting, and I highly recommend it. ...more

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Aug 10, 2016 Fiona rated it it was amazing

A gritty and disturbing account of racism and segregation in 1940's Atlanta. For me, the crimes are incidental in a way to the casual hatred and contempt that white Americans felt towards the black community, including the resentment felt by white police officers for the newly recruited black officers, the first in the city. It's hard to imagine what these brave recruits must have had to put up with and why they took the risks they did, knowing that they and their families would be under continu ...more

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Oct 01, 2016 Raven rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

For many years I’ve been recommending Thomas Mullen’s The Many Deaths of The Firefly Brothers as a great American novel set during the Depression era, with its compelling period detail and a couple of superb protagonists in the guise of notorious bank robbers Jason and Whit Fireson. On the strength of this, I was keen as mustard to read Mullen’s Darktown, set in the racially charged era of 1940’s Atlanta…

I will quite honestly say that I was held in Darktown’s thrall from start to finish, and fel For many years I’ve been recommending Thomas Mullen’s The Many Deaths of The Firefly Brothers as a great American novel set during the Depression era, with its compelling period detail and a couple of superb protagonists in the guise of notorious bank robbers Jason and Whit Fireson. On the strength of this, I was keen as mustard to read Mullen’s Darktown, set in the racially charged era of 1940’s Atlanta…

I will quite honestly say that I was held in Darktown’s thrall from start to finish, and felt genuinely engaged with the essence of the period, Mullen’s bold and engaging characterisation, and the compelling plotline which gravitated between claustrophobic tension and heartfelt emotion throughout. Being so firmly rooted within the conflict and racial tension of this period, the language and terms used completely reflect the era, and with our modern day sensibilities there is a slight uneasiness at the language used. However, being so much of its time, and as a testament to the weight of dignity he throws behind his maligned black characters, and the white protagonists, some sympathetic, some hostile, the rhythm, vernacular and cadence of the language used plays an essential role in the book. The depth of Mullen’s historical research shines through from the references to the inherently unjust limitations placed upon black citizens not only in their segregation from whites, but also the lack of legal redress available to them. This is mirrored in the very strict restrictions placed upon his black police officers, Boggs and Smith, as to how they conduct their police business, and the added layer of scrutiny and danger that they have to operate within. Likewise, the impunity that white police officers such as Dunlow operate under is sharply at odds with the black officer’s experience, and gives the crooked Dunlow a very long leash from which to pursue his corrupt ways. Mullen traverses a significant amount of individual black and white experience across different realms of society throughout the book, from a lowly farmer to the higher echelons of political power, and with the distinctive backdrop of the racially and socially divided Atlanta as his backdrop, the depth and realism of his chosen period is perfectly integrated throughout.

The characterisation throughout the book is never less than perfect, with all of the main protagonists, as well as lesser characters having sharply drawn edges, and more importantly, being absolutely believable in their depiction, Consequently, such is the level of emotional engagement with them as a reader, you are completely drawn into their individual stories of bravery, certitude, honour or corruption throughout. Mullen depicts beautifully their moments of doubt, the battle to retain their moral centre when pushed to the limit by injustice and racism, or the depths of depravity that wearing a police badge or holding a position of power can reveal in those that society has deigned to be above all others. The moral integrity of both black officer, Boggs, and white officer Rakestraw, operating from both sides of the racial divide is explored throughout. It was extremely gratifying to see that although this is a book firmly rooted in the differences between black and white experience both figuratively and racially that Mullen avoids plummeting his characters into overly moralistic tropes. Instead he leaves area of grey where we witness as readers bad people doing bad things, and good people being driven to bad actions navigating their way through the tinderbox flashpoints that racial division stirs up, and can then draw our own conclusions on the veracity of their actions.

This is an intelligent, thoughtful and emotionally compelling read, peopled by a sublime cast of characters and a balanced and realistic portrayal of weighty issues, firmly located in the fascinating and tumultuous period of post war America. Cut through with moments of raw emotion, thought-provoking social observation, and never less than totally engrossing, Darktown is something really quite special indeed, and at times with its exploration of racial divide in America, made this reader ponder how far American society has really progressed when looking at these issues with a contemporary eye. Highly recommended.
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Aug 15, 2016 Trev Twinem rated it it was amazing

Not only is this a cracking crime novel but underneath in the smouldering heat of Georgia the racial tension and prejudice of post war Atlanta is laid bare. The story revolves around the killing and aftermath of Lily Ellsworth but the real heart of this novel is the attitude of the Georgia populace and in particular the police; the Atlanta Police Department. The black members of the APD are viewed as second class citizens, have been forced to work out of the YMCA (or the Y as it is affectionatel Not only is this a cracking crime novel but underneath in the smouldering heat of Georgia the racial tension and prejudice of post war Atlanta is laid bare. The story revolves around the killing and aftermath of Lily Ellsworth but the real heart of this novel is the attitude of the Georgia populace and in particular the police; the Atlanta Police Department. The black members of the APD are viewed as second class citizens, have been forced to work out of the YMCA (or the Y as it is affectionately known) cannot wear their uniforms except on duty and are viewed with utter contempt by their white working colleagues. In particular Lionel Dunlow is a brute of a man, an overweight alcoholic, who holds a pathological hatred for his black contemporaries. What is so powerful about this extraordinary novel is the question that constantly stays in my mind as I devoured every word and every chapter....Surely a civilized modern 21st society could never act in this manner? Yet we need look no further than the recent and ongoing US Presidential election to understand what a crazy mixed up and sad world we still live in.
I have rarely ever been so moved by a book that dealt so brilliantly with a country helping to win a war and yet emerging into what? a cesspool of hatred and prejudice..."We defeated the fascists in Europe, yet here they rule." The characterization was some of the best I have ever encountered in particular Lucius Boggs and his partner Tommy Smith determined to uncover the killer of Lily Ellsworth and thereby starting a chain of events that leads to death and corruption at the highest level. The writing throughout is sublime and so descriptive that the reader can almost taste the squalor and hatred...."Families lived packed into one-room apartments, multiple families sharing a bathroom in some buildings, others in ramshackle dwellings tucked into the alleys lining the more decrepit blocks."...."The grime of living is so much more interesting than the shine of eternity."
I would like to thank the good people of netgalley for sending me a gratis copy of Darktown for an honest review and that is what I have written. I cannot recommend highly enough; this is one of the most explosive, intelligent, thought provoking novels I have ever had the pleasure to read and I implore you to do the same.
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Jul 28, 2016 Bethan Watson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites, thriller-mystery, arc

Review to be published on the 1st of September - you will not be disappointed!

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Oct 31, 2016 Barbara rated it really liked it

Shelves: adult-fiction, crime-mystery

I want to thank GR friends Carol and James for their incredible reviews on this moving novel. This is a deftly crafted crime noir novel with heavy racial tension. Although the time frame of DARKTOWN is post WWII in the late 1940’s, the racial tension begs similarities to 2016.

Darktown is one of the parts of Atlanta where “colored” people resided in the 1940’s. After WWII, progressive Congressmen ordered the Atlanta Police Department to hire black officers to patrol the black areas of Atlanta. Ma ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Darktown - Big spoiler question (don't read until done)	1	16	Mar 10, 2017 07:44AM
Mystery/Thriller ...: * Group Read - Darktown General No Spoilers	20	43	Jan 22, 2017 08:32PM
Aussie Readers: Win adult fiction crime new release Darktown (closes Oct 18)	10	16	Oct 15, 2016 07:49PM

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