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Wicked City Audiobook
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(3.04) - 201 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Quinn Colson series comes a “noir crime classic” (Mystery Ink) about one of the most notorious towns in American history.
When crime-fighting attorney Albert Patterson is gunned down in a Phenix City, Alabama, alley in the spring of 1954, the entire town seems to pause for just a moment—and when it starts up again, there is something different about it. A small group of men meet and decide they have had enough, but what that means and where it will take them is something they could not have foreseen. Over the course of the next several months, lives will change, people die, and unexpected heroes emerge—like “a Randolph Scott western,” one of them remarks, “played out not with horses and Winchesters, but with Chevys and .38s and switchblades.”
Peopled by an extraordinary cast of characters, both real and fictional, Wicked City is a novel of uncommon intensity, rich with atmosphere, filled with sensuality and surprise.
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"Suspenseful and fast moving plot with lots of deaths. This novel is based on true incidents in Phenix City, Alabama in the early fifties. It was a time of vast corruption endorsed and aided by all levels of law enforcement. There is a small sub plot involving a teenage love story to include just a little romance. More deaths from gunfire than I like but those who live by force are apt to die by force and justly so."
— Sharon (4 out of 5 stars)
Wicked City Listener Reviews
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" Great true-crime drama about an era of my home state's past I knew nothing about. "
— Suzanne, 2/10/2014 -
" This was a fictionalized account of events in Phoenix City, Alabama in the mid-1950s. It makes me glad that I wasn't there. "
— Laura, 1/30/2014 -
" Good story. Would have been good as straight fiction. Interesting how a small town was so overrun. "
— Lisa, 1/27/2014 -
" Different style book for me, but as it was recommended by my husband, I decided to give it a try. It was set in a corrupt town in the 1950's. Basically, its about the good guys vs the bad guys and who will prevail to run the town. I enjoyed it - certainly a good diversion from chic-lit, but nothing too serious either. "
— Carrie, 1/22/2014 -
" Not the sort of book I would choose but got it from my signed books book club. Gritty story with good plot but more if a man's story. "
— Carol, 1/18/2014 -
" I really enjoyed this book. Based on a true story but it read like a great mystery. I loved the setting and time frame. "
— C.S., 1/18/2014 -
" Ugh I couldn't get into it. Read about 3 chapters and it still wasn't getting my attention. Really, who cares about Alabama in the 50s?? Haha "
— Amilia, 12/22/2013 -
" If you have a passion for learning about political corruption, you need to read this book. "
— Alice, 12/19/2013 -
" This novel is based on a real-life situation in an Phenix City, an Alabama border town. The writing and narration are a lot like Elmore Leonard, but the story line is inventive and the prose is very clear. I got this book from my brother and loved it, reading it while I was visiting in Alabama. "
— Gordon, 12/11/2013 -
" Not my favorite "Ace Atkins" "
— Paul, 11/17/2013 -
" Great book based on actual events. I could barely set this book down. "
— Reade, 11/13/2013 -
" I look forward to more of his historical crime thrillers based on actual events. This was disturbing. "
— Bill, 9/8/2013 -
" It rambled a bit at first but was a good novel overall "
— Linda, 6/14/2013 -
" This is a very unique crime story told from the perspective of the locals of a small-town den of inequity. I don't really recommend it unless you live in Las Vegas or Atlantic City ... or some other town where casinos and gambling run rampant! "
— Villager, 12/22/2012 -
" Interesting novel based on Phenix City, Alabama. "
— Al, 11/14/2012 -
" Excellent dissection of the Fatty Arbuckle murder trial. Excellent research into 1920s San Francisco, bootlegging, prevalence of TB, motivation of all the people involved in the incident. Will make a good movie. "
— Charlaralotte, 10/1/2012 -
" This book was read because I am working in another city that was a wicked city. Not a great read, not a well written book, but a very interesting book for someone from the same time period and from the same part of the country. "
— David, 9/18/2012 -
" Sounds so real "
— Selma, 4/18/2012 -
" This is my first Ace Atkins book. I am really taken with the visual aspect of his prose, and with this one, the historical setting in Phenix City. I'm taking this one slowly and enjoying it. "
— Jeanie, 10/18/2011 -
" Had to force myself to finish it. Just wasn't for me. "
— Amber, 7/29/2011 -
" It was ok, just couldn't stay interested enough to keep reading. "
— Lawrence, 5/2/2011 -
" This was a fictionalized account of events in Phoenix City, Alabama in the mid-1950s. It makes me glad that I wasn't there. "
— Laura, 3/8/2011 -
" If you have a passion for learning about political corruption, you need to read this book. "
— Ajaxwriter, 10/10/2010 -
" Ugh I couldn't get into it. Read about 3 chapters and it still wasn't getting my attention. Really, who cares about Alabama in the 50s?? Haha "
— Amilia, 4/24/2010 -
" Excellent dissection of the Fatty Arbuckle murder trial. Excellent research into 1920s San Francisco, bootlegging, prevalence of TB, motivation of all the people involved in the incident. Will make a good movie. "
— Charlaralotte, 9/13/2009 -
" This novel is based on a real-life situation in an Phenix City, an Alabama border town. The writing and narration are a lot like Elmore Leonard, but the story line is inventive and the prose is very clear. I got this book from my brother and loved it, reading it while I was visiting in Alabama. "
— Gordon, 7/15/2009 -
" Great book based on actual events. I could barely set this book down. "
— Reade, 6/19/2009 -
" This book was read because I am working in another city that was a wicked city. Not a great read, not a well written book, but a very interesting book for someone from the same time period and from the same part of the country. <br/> <br/> <br/> "
— David, 11/15/2008 -
" Had to force myself to finish it. Just wasn't for me. "
— Amber, 7/8/2008 -
" This is my first Ace Atkins book. I am really taken with the visual aspect of his prose, and with this one, the historical setting in Phenix City. I'm taking this one slowly and enjoying it. "
— Jeanie, 6/29/2008 -
" Good story. Would have been good as straight fiction. Interesting how a small town was so overrun. "
— Lisa, 6/26/2008
About Ace Atkins
Ace Atkins is the New York Times bestselling author of the Quinn Colson novels, the first two of which—The Ranger and The Lost Ones—were nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. In addition, he is the author of several New York Times bestselling novels in the continuation of Robert B. Parker’s Spenser series. Before turning to fiction, he was a correspondent for the St. Petersburg Times, a crime reporter for the Tampa Tribune, and, in college, played defensive end for the undefeated Auburn University football team, for which he was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
About MacLeod Andrews
MacLeod Andrews is a multiple Audie, Earphones, and SOVAS award-winning and Grammy-nominated narrator with hundreds of credits to his name. Perhaps best known for a cinematic approach with full characterizations and intimate deliveries in series such as The Reckoners, Sandman Slim, and Warriors, he’s also been noted for his straight reads ranging from memoirs to modern classics. When not doing books you can hear him in video games, cartoons, commercials, podcasts, and reading you the news on Apple News +. Or check out one of his films.