James Sallis has penned well over a dozen novels in his career, six in his Lew Griffin PI series of which these two are a part of, a couple in the Drive series and three in his Turner series and a few stand alone novels as well as plenty of short story collections and poetry.
One of the very few lights from Lew Griffin's dark and violent path has flickered out. His one-time lover, La Verne Adams is dead - and her daughter, Alouette, has vanished into a seamy, dead-end world of users and abusers ... leaving behind a crack-addicted infant and a mystery.
Abandoning his former career for the safe respectability of teaching, Lew Griffin now spends his time in an old house in the garden district - determined to keep his distance from the lowlife temptations of the New Orleans night. But an inescapable obligation is drawing the tormented black ex-p.i. to danger like a moth to a flame. And there will be no turning back when his history comes calling and the dying begins again.
Eye of the Cricket (1997)
Lew Griffin is a survivor, a black man in New Orleans, a detective, a teacher, a writer. Having spent years finding others, he has lost his son...and himself in the process. Now a derelict has appeared in a New Orleans hospital claiming to be Lewis Griffin and displaying a copy of one of Lew's novels. It is the beginning of a quest that will take Griffin into his own past while he tries to deal in the present with a search for three missing young men.
This is potent stuff, Col. I hope you'll like Eye of the Cricket< when you get to it. I think his Lew Griffin is a well-drawn character, and this series has a good New Orleans setting, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteThanks Margot. The setting certainly adds to the appeal.
DeleteCan Lew Griffin's life get any darker? Col, I'm with Margot about his characterisation. The "Eye of the Cricket" cover begs to be picked up and read.
ReplyDeletePrashant, the cover is quite disturbing and does grab the attention.
DeleteCol – I would like to read his book on Chester Himes.
ReplyDeleteElgin, I think I might need to read more by both Sallis and Himes before I tackle that one.
ReplyDeleteAnother author that I have a few books by but have not read yet.
ReplyDeleteTracy, I have more than a few authors that fit the same bill and more than a few books by most of them!
DeleteHe's a very nice guy, too. I used to read his sf/surrealism back in the days when he was associated with the New Worlds crew. More recently, I've read a couple of his noir novel(la)s, Drive and its sequel. I really ought to read more of his stuff, because I enjoyed those two.
ReplyDeleteThat's good to hear. I have the Drive novels and really ought to watch the film which my son has a copy of. I also have a collection of some short stories which I'll probably never read - Time's Hammers, but you never know.
Delete