FFB
Review returns this first Friday with a series that I am enjoying very much. The Bottom: A Willie Black Mystery by
Howard Owen is the fourth book in a great series that started with Oregon
Hill. This is a series
that should be read in order. For more reading suggestions, make sure you head
over to Todd Mason’s Sweet
Freedom blog.
As The Bottom: A
Willie Black Mystery by Howard Owen begins, it is the middle of
September 2013 and more than a year since Les Hacker was murdered. Peggy,
Willie Black’s mom, is still devastated and deep in grief and so she is barely
functioning. At least Peggy knows what happened and that the killer was caught
and is receiving some sort of justice in a prison hospital.
For the family and friends of
others justice in the form of catching the killer of their loved ones can be a
very elusive thing. Such is the case for the families and friends of four young
female victims and counting as a serial killer or killers are working the
streets of Richmond. Every six months another young and homeless teen is
brutalized, killed, and dumped to be found by the authorities. Each body founds
has the same strange tattoo which has caused some in the media to refer to the “Tweety
Bird Killer.”
The fact that there is a small thin
connection to the latest victim and his own daughter, Andi, makes Willie Black
more than a little concerned. The connection is innocent and Andi did nothing
wrong, but it does mean the police are going to be interested in her and therefore
in Willie. They are not the only ones interested in the actions of Willlie.
A former state senator, Wat Chenault,
is leading a development project that promises jobs, an increased tax base, and
all the other usual amenities that make those in power grant tax incentives and
other goodies. The fact that much of what is promised can just as easily go
away the way the contract is written for the developer is a troubling issue,
but one that is being ignored by the proponents. The fact that the development
project will make traffic on the surrounding freeway system way worse as well
as the fact that the project would be constructed on the graves of slaves is
being ignored in the rush for the all mighty dollar.
Then there is the history of the
lead proponent. Walt Chenault has a bad history and some of that has come back
to light thanks to Willie Black’s reporting on the new development. Litigation
is being threatened against the paper as well as Willie Black. He knows the
stories were accurate. He also knows that with corporate vultures circling the carcass
of his slow decaying paper yet again, those in charge are the paper are not
going to do much to support and defend him or his work.
This latest installment, The Bottom is another very good read in
the Willie
Black Mystery Series. Rich in scene setting details, numerous twists
and turns, and the occasional sarcastic commentary power along the latest mystery.
As the series progresses overall, characters are not stagnant and continue to
evolve as does Willie Black’s attempts to be relatively sober and have a
relationship. The read works on all levels. The Bottom: A Willie Black
Mystery by Howard Owen, like the previous reads in this excellent
series, is highly recommended.
The Series to this point and my
Reviews:
Oregon
Hill (June 14, 2019)
The
Philadelphia Quarry (July 19, 2019)
The Bottom: A Willie Black Mystery
Howard Owen
The Permanent Press
August 2015
ISBN# 978-1-57962-392-0
Hardback (also available in audio, digital, and paper formats)
210 Pages
My reading copy came from the North Oak Cliff Branch of the Dallas
Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2019
Posts
4 comments:
Another one I gots to read. You've got me hooked on this guy!
I really like the series.
Between your positive reviews and Matt's, I am going to have to find a copy of the first book in this series.
I was first!
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