Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for Lightning Men by Thomas Mullen - Available

Lightning Men

A Novel

by Thomas Mullen
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
From the acclaimed author of "the most compelling new series in crime fiction" (Michael Koryta, New York Times bestselling author) comes "a sharply observed novel" (New York Times) that explores race, law enforcement, and justice in mid-century Atlanta.
Officer Denny Rakestraw and "Negro Officers" Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith have their hands full in an overcrowded and rapidly changing Atlanta. It's 1950 and racial tensions are simmering as black families, including Smith's sister, begin moving into formerly all-white neighborhoods. When Rake's brother-in-law launches a scheme to rally the Ku Klux Klan to "save" their neighborhood, his efforts spiral out of control, forcing Rake to choose between loyalty to family or the law.

Across town, Boggs and Smith try to shut down the supply of white lightning and drugs into their territory, finding themselves up against more powerful foes than they'd expected. Battling corrupt cops and ex-cons, Nazi brown shirts and rogue Klansmen, the officers are drawn closer to the fires that threaten to consume the city once again.

With echoes of Walter Mosley and Dennis Lehane, Mullen "expands the boundaries of crime fiction, weaving in eye-opening details from our checkered history" (Chicago Tribune).

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    September 15, 2017

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781508232995
      • File size: 371238 KB
      • Duration: 12:53:24

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from July 24, 2017
      Set in 1950, Mullen’s outstanding sequel to 2016’s Darktown showcases the difficulties of effectively policing the mean streets of Atlanta when some cops belong to the Ku Klux Klan. Denny Rakestraw, who’s not a Klan member, is distrusted by his fellow officers for his suspected role in the disappearance of his former partner. Denny’s problems increase when his Klansman brother-in-law, Dale Simpkins, gets involved in a plot to stop the influx of African-Americans into his neighborhood. The personal and the professional also intersect for Lucius Boggs, one of the city’s first black officers. They are not only not allowed to arrest whites but are “barely even supposed to interact with white people,” which proves troublesome when Lucius and another black cop, Tommy Smith, start to investigate a moonshine smuggling ring that turns out to include some white men. Meanwhile, the release from prison of the father of Lucius’s fiancée’s child creates personal complications for Lucius. Mullen again brilliantly combines a suspenseful plot with a searing look at a racist South. Agent: Susan Golomb, Writers House.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's deliberate narration matches the slow-burning fuse that runs through this historical procedural. The setting is 1950s Atlanta, where a third of the police force is believed to be Klan members and vigilante "justice" is dispensed with impunity. Into the middle of this is thrown a team of "Negro" officers, an experiment in policing--though they cannot arrest whites, patrol white neighborhoods, or drive patrol cars. Abdul-Mateen's portrayal of these police officers, although methodical and controlled, hints at suppressed rage. His narration builds the tension all the way to the surprising ending. Listeners may be so absorbed by the plot and performance that they may be unaware they're hearing a well-researched history lesson. R.W.S. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading
Check out what's being checked out right now!