It is May 1963, in Birmingham, Alabama. As Martin Luther King, Jr.'s civil rights demonstrations begin to fill the streets, prejudices awaken and tempers flare. Amid the violence and confusion, a deaf black girl is found raped and murdered. Veteran homicide detective Ben Wellman pursues the murderer through the throngs of protesters, the pool halls of the black district of Bearmatch, the white mansions of Mountain Brook, and finally, even in his own department. As he did in Sacrificial Ground, Cook has created a novel of uncommon force and resonance.
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"Great novel set in 1963 Birmingham Alabama. If you love history, and the Civl Rights Era, a great read."
— Jim (5 out of 5 stars)
“[An] expert, relentless detective novel…Cook doesn’t use the civil rights movement merely as a conveniently atmospheric backdrop; he weaves it through the plot in sharp, unexpected ways.”
— Publishers Weekly“Vivid…Part straightforward mystery, part coming-of-age tale about a liberal detective who risks both career and life to come out of the closet…Passionate in its reaction to the bigotry of the era.”
— Booklist“This powerful crime novel evokes all of the emotionalism that prevailed at the time…Reaffirms [Cook’s] ability to create realistic characterization and vivid narrative, then wrap it all up in a tightly plotted, cleverly clued mystery.”
— Library Journal“Powerful and moving.”
— Kirkus Reviews" Love Thomas Cook...missed this one years ago! "
— Christine, 9/19/2012Thomas H. Cook was born in Fort Payne, Alabama, in 1947. He has been nominated for the Edgar Award seven times in five different categories. He received the best novel Edgar for The Chatham School Affair, the Martin Beck Award, the Herodotus Prize for best historical short story, and the Barry Award for best novel for Red Leaves, and has been nominated for numerous other awards.
George Guidall, winner of more than eighty AudioFile Earphones Awards, has won three of the prestigious Audie Award for Excellence in Audiobook Narration. In 2014 the Audio Publishers Association presented him with the Special Achievement Award for lifetime achievement/ During his thirty-year recording career he has recorded over 1,700 audiobooks, won multiple awards, been a mentor to many narrators, and shown by example the potential of fine storytelling. His forty-year acting career includes starring roles on Broadway, an Obie Award for best performance off Broadway, and frequent television appearances.