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Thomas Mullen
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Darktown: A Novel (The Darktown Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Thomas Mullen (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 2,909 ratings
“[A] highly combustible procedural…that’ll knock the wind out of you.” —The New York Times Book Review

“High-quality…crime fiction with a nimble sense of history…quick on its feet and vividly drawn.” —Dallas Morning News

“Fine Southern storytelling meets hard-boiled crime in a tale that connects an overlooked chapter of history to our own continuing struggles with race today.” —Charles Frazier, bestselling author of Cold Mountain

“Some books educate, some books entertain, Thomas Mullen’s Darktown is the rare book that does both.” —Huffington Post

Award-winning author Thomas Mullen is a “wonderful architect of intersecting plotlines and unexpected answers” (The Washington Post) in this timely and provocative mystery and brilliant exploration of race, law enforcement, and justice in 1940s Atlanta.

Responding to orders from on high, the Atlanta Police Department is forced to hire its first black officers, including war veterans Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith. The newly minted policemen are met with deep hostility by their white peers; they aren’t allowed to arrest white suspects, drive squad cars, or set foot in the police headquarters.

When a woman who was last seen in a car driven by a white man turns up dead, Boggs and Smith suspect white cops are behind it. Their investigation sets them up against a brutal cop, Dunlow, who has long run the neighborhood as his own, and his partner, Rakestraw, a young progressive who may or may not be willing to make allies across color lines. Among shady moonshiners, duplicitous madams, crooked lawmen, and the constant restrictions of Jim Crow, Boggs and Smith will risk their new jobs, and their lives, while navigating a dangerous world—a world on the cusp of great change.

A vivid, smart, intricately plotted crime saga that explores the timely issues of race, law enforcement, and the uneven scales of justice.
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  1. Book 1 of 3
    The Darktown
  2. Print length
    388 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Simon & Schuster
  5. Publication date
    September 13, 2016
  6. File size
    6.8 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Thomas Mullen is the author of The Lightning Men, Darktown, and The Last Town on Earth, which was named Best Debut Novel of 2006 by USA TODAY. He was also awarded the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for excellence in historical fiction for The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers and The Revisionists. His works have been named to Year’s Best lists by The Chicago Tribune and USA TODAY, among others. His stories and essays have been published in Grantland, Paste, and the Huffington Post, and his Atlanta Magazine true crime story about a novelist/con man won the City and Regional Magazine Award for Best Feature. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and sons.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Darktown

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0176M1AXK
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster; Reprint edition (September 13, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 13, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6.8 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 388 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 150113387X
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 2,909 ratings

About the author

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Thomas Mullen

Thomas Mullen

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Thomas Mullen is the author of Darktown, an NPR Best Book of the Year, which has been shortlisted for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Southern Book Prize, the Indies Choice Book Award, has been nominated for two Crime Writers Association Dagger Awards, and is being developed for television by Sony Pictures with executive producer Jamie Foxx; The Last Town on Earth, which was named Best Debut Novel of 2006 by USA Today and was awarded the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for excellence in historical fiction; The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers; and The Revisionists. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and sons.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
2,909 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this novel to be a real twister of a plot that delivers as both a page-turning mystery and an eye-opening look at historical race relations in Atlanta. The book is well-written, historically revealing, and informative, with good character development. While customers describe it as enlightening, they note it can be emotionally difficult to read.

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71 customers mention "Plot"63 positive8 negative

Customers enjoy the plot of the book, describing it as a great detective story that delivers as both a page-turning mystery.

"...It’s an okay mystery, but it’s even better sociology...." Read more

"I don't even know where to start with this book. It is equally parts a mystery and a history lesson. I was a little overwhelmed with this book...." Read more

"...I enjoyed reading a story with the black policemen the main characters...." Read more

"...While the mystery is fairly standard, the historical look at Atlanta is a little more interesting...." Read more

54 customers mention "Readability"54 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well worth reading, with one describing it as a page-turner.

"...Aside from that, this book was a good read." Read more

"...The book is excellent and I can’t recommend it enough but it’s so painful...." Read more

"...Well...you get the point. It’s THAT good. The funny thing is; I don’t consider myself a reader. Unlike my wife who has read over 100 books...." Read more

"...The twists and turns in the mystery plot are complex. Good graphic detail is always provided, including development of the characters and where..." Read more

48 customers mention "Historical accuracy"48 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the historical accuracy of the book, describing it as a historically revealing novel that provides an incredibly insightful look at Atlanta's history, particularly focusing on race relations.

"...this book is a penetrating, at times excruciating, examination of race relations in that era and the vigilante-like efforts of the white police..." Read more

"...It is equally parts a mystery and a history lesson. I was a little overwhelmed with this book...." Read more

"...insight into the dynamics of the neighborhood and the police was was very thought provoking...." Read more

"...What follows is both a mystery and an historical commentary on a particularly difficult time. The mystery holds few surprises...." Read more

27 customers mention "Writing quality"27 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, finding it well crafted, with one customer noting the witty narration.

"...The novel is well-written with lots of detail that’s clearly based on in-depth research...." Read more

"...sentence and two disastrous opening paragraphs to become a taut, literate, well-plotted novel, populated with excellent characters, with good dialog..." Read more

"This very well written book is difficult to read objectively. The story takes place in 1948 when I was four years of age...." Read more

"...of the beginnings of the Black police force, and transported by often brilliant writing, dialog and an effective who-done-it, read this book!" Read more

23 customers mention "Information rich"20 positive3 negative

Customers find the book informative, with one review highlighting its well-researched content and another noting how it provides insights into the people and their time period.

"...It’s an okay mystery, but it’s even better sociology...." Read more

"...The characters are fleshed out with nuance and self-doubt, aware that someday - maybe - things will get better for Black people but doubtful all the..." Read more

"...It was educational and entertaining. I was so upset when the booked ended. I will never not recommending this book to others...." Read more

"...Excellent characterizations. Good people, both black and white, with realistic faults, and some really bad people with no redeeming qualities...." Read more

22 customers mention "Character development"22 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one customer noting the depth of understanding for the villains.

"...The characters are fleshed out with nuance and self-doubt, aware that someday - maybe - things will get better for Black people but doubtful all the..." Read more

"...The audiobook was narrated by Andre Holland who did an outstanding job with the characters...." Read more

"...to become a taut, literate, well-plotted novel, populated with excellent characters, with good dialog, and plenty of ambiguity...." Read more

"...the 'heroes', while also allowing for some sympathy or understanding for the villains, but not much, because these villains are truly that...." Read more

15 customers mention "Eye-opening"15 positive0 negative

Customers find the book eye-opening and enlightening, with one customer noting it provides a vast amount of perspectives.

"...the still dormant, old-ways Southern city, Atlanta, GA, this book is a penetrating, at times excruciating, examination of race relations in that era..." Read more

"Darktown is an interesting look back on a troubling time in America...." Read more

"...was both witty and solemn, hateful and loving, providing a vast amount of perspectives and insights...." Read more

"...nor the story are memorable as great literature, but it'll keep your attention...." Read more

22 customers mention "Emotional content"15 positive7 negative

Customers have mixed reactions to the emotional content of the book, with some finding it emotionally difficult to read.

"...-ways Southern city, Atlanta, GA, this book is a penetrating, at times excruciating, examination of race relations in that era and the vigilante-..." Read more

"...Holland made you feel like you were in 1948 Atlanta and effectively conveyed the frustration, anger and weariness of the characters...." Read more

"The story was dark and felt hopeless. The book ended abruptly it left the reader feeling too hopeless...." Read more

"...opening sentence and two disastrous opening paragraphs to become a taut, literate, well-plotted novel, populated with excellent characters, with..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • J. Grattan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Grim times
    Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Set in the late 1940s in the still dormant, old-ways Southern city, Atlanta, GA, this book is a penetrating, at times excruciating, examination of race relations in that era and the vigilante-like efforts of the white police force to suppress blacks, all the while often engaging in all manner of criminal activities. Atlanta, from some minimal do-gooder instinct, has just hired eight black policemen, all WWII vets, to patrol black neighborhoods. Of course, the prejudice remains: they cannot enter the main police station, cannot drive a patrol car, cannot make an arrest, cannot investigate a crime, cannot wear the uniform outside exact hours of the shift, etc. And the entire police force is overtly hostile towards them. That is the environment in which new officers Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith must operate.

    When they observe a middle-aged white man hit a utility pole, in so-called “darktown,” furthermore with a black girl as a passenger who seems to have been assaulted, all they can do is call in a white team. As happens all too often, they can do nothing when the man is allowed to go free and the female flees from the car. Days later when the girl is found shot dead and hidden in a garbage heap, Boggs and Smith make it their mission find justice for her. The hurdles and dangers that they face as they dig up information while attempting to fly under the radar would deter most anyone. The run afoul of an underground, ex-cop dirty works group. When their quest takes them outside of Atlanta, matters become even more harrowing.

    It’s an okay mystery, but it’s even better sociology. There are any number of episodes, some incidental, that the author touches upon that make startling clear the immense difficulty of being black in a racist society. The author is not on soap-box – he doesn’t have to be.
    16 people found this helpful
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  • Amber Goleb
    4.0 out of 5 stars Profound
    Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I don't even know where to start with this book. It is equally parts a mystery and a history lesson. I was a little overwhelmed with this book. Knowing that the incidents in this story are very factual based on the time period, it was very hard to swallow at times.

    I am not going to go into big detail about the plot and subplots in this story. Just know that everything in this book is connected with a result of the big picture at the end.

    I loved getting to know the characters in this book. The relationships between white cops and the black cops is a big part of this story. The trust and mistrust between them is more than realistic than I could have imagined.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The only drawback of this book is the tidbits of unnecessary information that drew the story out but had no insight to add to the story. Aside from that, this book was a good read.
    23 people found this helpful
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  • jhbandcats
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, harrowing
    Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    This was my second time reading Darktown, and it’s just as good as the first time. I’d forgotten how horrific the story was - I *knew* it was horrific but it’s different when the words and images are right there. In fact, I found it so upsetting that I almost quit reading it because it was too much for me. The book is excellent and I can’t recommend it enough but it’s so painful.

    Darktown is a fictionalization of the first Black cops in Atlanta and the racism and hatred they experienced. The humiliations are endless; they’re powerless but are lauded by the Black community as being the first of a new era. The Blacks in Atlanta keep expecting more and more from the rookie cops, not realizing the indignity they endure on a regular basis.

    The novel is well-written with lots of detail that’s clearly based on in-depth research. The characters are fleshed out with nuance and self-doubt, aware that someday - maybe - things will get better for Black people but doubtful all the same.

    This is the first of a series - the next two are equally good.
    Helpful
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  • Barbara Gargano
    4.0 out of 5 stars This is a story about Atlanta’s first 8 black policemen and a local murder.
    Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Darktown is about solving a young woman’s murder. The intrigue and interest for me was that the murder takes place in a black area of Atlanta being patrolled by Atlanta’s first 8 black policemen. The story presents a picture of the difficulties faced by these new police officers from discrimination and resentment from many of Atlanta’s white officers, the strict rules they must follow, confronting in Darktown a fear and mistrust of police from the residents, and being absolutely forbidden to look into the girl’s murder. The police detectives have “solved” the case for convenience in order to make it go away. However, 2 of the new officers, not satisfied by that injustice, defy their orders and secretly investigate the death. I enjoyed reading a story with the black policemen the main characters. Even though not a true story, insight into the dynamics of the neighborhood and the police was was very thought provoking. It is the first in a series of books about these new officers in Darktown.
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Anne bonny book reviews
    5.0 out of 5 stars Are Boggs & smith, the new easy rawlins & mouse?
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 26, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Darktown is set in a unique era & centred around the first black police officers in Atlanta in 1948. The plot has a huge promise of an enjoyable, yet educational read and it doesn't disappoint.
    All the characters have exceptional depth and realistic and believable and I felt a huge urge of hope for the 2 central police officers smith & Boggs. Coming fro different walks of life themselves, the relationship is often unpredictable but they compliment each others personality's very well.
    Throughout the case they have their backs against the wall, facing prejudice at every turn, but they finally emerge to form 2 links within the police that allows them to investigate further.
    The story feels slower than modern crime writing but I think that is due to the writer embellishing the era, setting, racism and characters so it actually works incredibly well in this novel.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope that it continues as a series. The author has an exceptional talent, much similar to the 'legend of this genre' Walter Mosley!
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  • Snapdragon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Police procedural with a difference
    Reviewed in Australia on November 27, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    The scene is Atlanta, 1948, and the city has hired eight black police officers for the first time. Their powers are very limited, however, and there are a good many folks who’d like to see them fail. Officers Boggs and Smith see a white man in a car hit his passenger, a young coloured woman. She runs off, and is later found dead of a bullet wound, buried under rubbish on an abandoned lot. What follows is an extraordinary tale of racism so extreme and corruption so rife that at times it’s hard to bear reading it, yet such was life in that era. It’s easy to despise the corrupt white cops and their casual cruelty, and we feel for new (white) cop Rakestraw, a returned war hero, as he navigates his new reality, paired as he is with the bully Dunlow. It’s a tough world of moonshine, brothels, gambling, poor share-croppers and bribes. Thomas Mullen does a terrific job of bringing this era to life and endows his lead characters with complex and convincing psychologies. His next book, The Lightening Men follows the same characters two years later. An eye-opener.
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  • Fred Feuerstein
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bin voll und ganz zufrieden. 😁
    Reviewed in Germany on May 31, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Sehr schönes Buch 📙, leider kann nicht so gut Englisch lesen. Sodas ich es zurück schicken musste. Der Service und Kontakt ist sehr gut.
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  • Felipe Jose Lindoso
    5.0 out of 5 stars Chocante
    Reviewed in Brazil on October 19, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    A primeira vez que li em um romance uma justificativa plausível para ação "vigilante" - merecida. E executada por policiais. Mas, sobretudo, dá para perceber as dificuldades enfrentadas pela população negra nos estados do sul dos EUA, e depois da II Guerra.
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  • LecteurX
    5.0 out of 5 stars ATLANTA 1948 - Au coeur de la ségrégation raciale - Un très grand roman !
    Reviewed in France on April 14, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Le cadavre d'une jeune noire est découvert par deux des huit policiers noirs qui viennent d'être nommés par le maire d'Atlanta. Les premiers policiers noirs en Géorgie ! Problème, ils l'ont vue se faire maltraiter par un Blanc. Ils l'ont signalé au central qui a envoyé deux policiers blancs constater les faits. Ceux-ci n'ont pas donné suite. Le rapport des policiers noirs est caviardé. Et nous voilà lancés dans une enquête passionnante qui nous fait découvrir la vie dans un état du Sud en 1948. Je ne savais rien de la ségrégation raciale aux États-Unis, si ce n'est les clichés véhiculés par nos professeurs de morale qui, comme les curés d'antan, n'ont qu'un but : nous menacer des flammes de l'enfer pour des péchés que nous n'avons pas commis, je veux dire que n'en déplaise à Touche pas à mon pote, il n'y a pas de discrimination raciale en France. Quoi qu'il en soit, le roman est superbement écrit, donne des clés d'entrée pour comprendre cette Amérique ségrégationniste qui n'en a pas fini avec ses démons.

    Le style est superbe. Je l'ai lu sur kindle qui est venu à mon secours pour les expressions idiomatiques américaines que je ne connais pas, mon anglais étant celui de Buckingham Palace. Pour 0,99 euro, la découverte d'un grand auteur américain !
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