The Scribe

Starred review from July 27, 2015
Set in Atlanta in 1881, this superior whodunit from Edgar-finalist Guinn (The Resurrectionist) stars Thomas Canby, a former detective on the Atlanta Police Force, who lost his job after a false accusation of taking bribes. When someone murders barber Alonzo Lewis, “the richest Negro in Atlanta,” severing his head and carving the letter M on his forehead, Canby’s old boss recalls the disgraced detective. The powers that be have suppressed the news, as the city is relying on the success of the International Cotton Exposition to revitalize municipal finances. Another wealthy African-American is killed soon afterward, but this time the letter A is left as the killer’s mark. Canby, who is white, partners with the city’s first African-American police officer, Cyrus Underwood. Since Underwood was the first to find both dead men, he himself is an obvious suspect, but the plot takes numerous turns before the final, painful resolution. The richness of the characters and period detail make the prospect of a sequel welcome. Agent: Emma Sweeney, Emma Sweeney Agency.

September 15, 2015

Race, money, power, and scandal make for a potent brew in 1881 Atlanta. Disgraced detective Thomas Canby is brought back to investigate the ritualized murders of two Negro businessmen. Both were prosperous enough to have invested in the upcoming Exposition, which is intended to showcase the city as the forerunner of the New South. Both had letters carved into their foreheads, as did the ambitious prostitute who is killed the night Canby returns to Atlanta. The business community wants this solved pronto, but is this a fight within the black community, or something more sinister? Why was the Jewish upstart from Brooklyn framed to take the fall? Canby is teamed with Atlanta's first African American patrolman, who also becomes a suspect in the process. The action moves between the burgeoning city and the villages on the outskirts, ending in a thrilling railroad chase scene and an assassination attempt on a prominent American. VERDICT Guinn's (The Resurrectionist) latest, a mix of exciting and gruesome, will appeal to readers who like crime combined with history. Some, however, may find the ending frantic and inconclusive. [September LibraryReads pick, p. 111.--Ed.]--W. Keith McCoy, Somerset Cty. Lib. Syst., Bridgewater, NJ

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.