The Dying Crapshooter's Blues

No surprises in this dark police vs. criminals thriller if the reader pays attention. The story is in the song. Character development remains stunted as bad police and bad criminals remain that way or are killed.......more

Set in 1920's Atlanta, this mystery focuses on the murder of an African-American small-time crook by a white cop, on the same night as a robbery hits one of the wealthiest families in Atlanta. The author does a good job of invoking the period, particularly crafting the seamy side of town, with its g......more

Fuller does a great job of showing readers a place and a time (Atlanta during prohibition), though he may include a few anachronisms that create confusion. Meanwhile, the hero's altruism, which has very destructive consequences to others (but not himself) is on the surface hard to understand but som......more

Two and a half. I wanted more exploration into black Atlanta, something very central to the book. More development of Joes love interest. Unsatisfied with the characterization of the Captain's wife--that felt too easy, or at least too easily handled. I loved Joe, Willie, and especially the titled, f......more

I loved reading this book. The book is set in Atlanta in the 1920's and I suppose that was one attraction to me since I grew up in Atlanta. The downtown streets where it takes place seemed very real and familiar to me. The characters are so well-drawn so that you care about them even though they are......more