As Lew Griffin leaves a New Orleans music club with an older white woman he’s just met, someone fires a shot and Lew goes down. When he comes fully to, Griffin discovers that most of a year has gone by since that night. What happened? Who was the woman? Which of them was the target? Who was the sniper? There are too many pieces missing, too few facts, and a powerful need to know why a year has been stolen from his life.
Weaving Griffin’s search for identity—one of the recurring themes in this magnificent series—with a sensuous portrait of the people and places that define New Orleans, Sallis continues not only to unravel Griffin’s past but to map his future—and our own. Bluebottle continues the mysterious journey begun in The Long-Legged Fly and demonstrates the growing mastery of one of America’s finest crime fiction stylists.
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"This story begins with Lew getting shot and then recovering for a year. Overall the plot was too disjointed and lacking purpose. Try reading any other Lew Griffin novel for a much better reading experience."
— Chris (4 out of 5 stars)
“Unlike any other any other you’re likely to crack open.”
— Los Angeles Times“Sallis is a masterful stylist in the contemporary crime-writing scene who clearly knows that in real life, the truth doesn’t always appear neatly gift-wrapped in a pretty package.”
— Lansing State Journal“Skillfulling weaving Mr. Griffin’s past into the tapestry of the novel, Mr. Sallis has put together a mystery that is more than a mystery: It is the definition of a man’s life.”
— Dallas Morning News“Haunting…Readers are transported on a tide of evocative language into an impressionistic story…Sallis’ voice is unique among mystery writers, and this novel, like previous ones in the series, is unforgettable.”
— Publishers Weekly“More fine work from a talented writer.”
— Library Journal“Fans will want to read this one.”
— Booklist" A gritty, poetic, modern noir, and a great evocation of New Orleans (before the flood). I love Sallis' books. "
— Corey, 10/19/2013" A bit difficult to read but overall enjoyable. Plus, beggars (babysitters sifting through shelves of families) can't be choosers! "
— Lisa, 2/11/2011" It's hard to decide between this and Ghost of a Flea for my favorite Griffin novel. I thought this one was a somewhat better story while "Ghost" was the more emotionally powerful. "
— Charles, 1/16/2010" A gritty, poetic, modern noir, and a great evocation of New Orleans (before the flood). I love Sallis' books. "
— Corey, 3/3/2009" It's hard to decide between this and Ghost of a Flea for my favorite Griffin novel. I thought this one was a somewhat better story while "Ghost" was the more emotionally powerful. "
— Charles, 7/18/2008James Sallis has published more than a dozen novels; multiple collections of short stories, poems, and essays; the definitive biography of Chester Himes; several books of musicology; and a translation of Raymond Queneau’s novel Saint Glinglin. His works have been shortlisted for the Anthony, Nebula, Edgar, Shamus, and Gold Dagger awards. The film version of his novel Drive won the Best Director Award at the Cannes International Film Festival, and his Lew Griffin books are in development for film. He plays guitar, French horn, mandolin, fiddle, sitar, and Dobro, both solo and with the band Three-Legged Dog.
G. Valmont Thomas, a longtime member of the acting company at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, has also been a faculty member at the Johnny Carson School of Film and Television at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. His voice may also be heard in a number of video games and in advertisements for radio and television.