Melissa Hudak wrote:
>
> Mari asked about Robert Skinner's books. Very good
reads, and
> exceptionally true to their era. The lead character
is Wesley Farrell,
> the son of a Creole family, who is passing as white.
A great deal of the
> books' emotion comes from the fact that Farrell is
reluctant to reveal his
> true racial mix because he knows he will end up
losing everything he has
> worked so hard to gain if he does so.
>
> I read the first book in the series, Skin Deep Blood
Red about a year ago,
> so I'm a bit vague on plot details. However, if I'm
remembering
> correctly, Farrell is asked to investigate a murder
that threatens his
> family. Wanting to stay as far as possible from the
cold and distant
> woman who raised him, Farrell agrees to investigate
if only to get her out
> of his life. Great book, very gritty
quality.
>
> The second book I read this weekend. Again, a very
good book. A Negro
> policeman (that is the term used in the book, so
please don't flame me for
> being politically incorrect) is being released from
prison after serving
> time for a manslaughter conviction. Although he was
framed, he has little
> or no interest in gaining revenge. He just wants to
reunited with his
> girlfriend, who has been waiting for him. When he
returns to New Orleans,
> however, he discovers that his girlfriend has been
murdered and that
> somebody else wants him dead. His girlfriend was also
a former girlfriend
> of Wesley Farrell, so Farrell helps him track down
the killer.
>
> The thing that struck me most vividly about both
books is the fact that
> they don't prettify their era at all--especially in
terms of how the white
> and black characters interact. The most annoying
thing to me in
> historical mysteries is when an author feels
compelled to change an era so
> that modern day audiences will feel less
uncomfortable. Skinner gives as
> realistic depiction of 1930's America as in anything
by Chandler or
> Hammett. It may be disturbing to modern readers, but
I think honesty is
> better than an airbrushing of history.
>
> Hammett and Chandler, by the way, along with Cornell
Woolrich, are used as
> comparisions to Skinner's work on the book jacket. I
wouldn't say Skinner
> is quite that good, but he may get there after one or
two more books.
>
> Melissa Hudak
>
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