Thin Walls

by Kris Nelscott

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312287836
• ISBN13: 9780312287832
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 387 Pages
• Weight: 1.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.7" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Just An Outstanding Book In An Outstanding Series

It's December 1968, eight months after the Democratic Convention and the riots that accompanied it, the setting of SMOKE-FILLED ROOMS. Smokey Dalton and his adopted son Jimmy are still hiding out after fleeing Memphis (and the FBI). Smokey is now working unofficially as a private detective, the same sort of job he had in Memphis and is only now beginning to feel comfortable in the new city.Smokey is hired by a woman to investigate the murder of her husband after she was dissatisfied with the job the police did. She felt that because he was a black man the police made poor assumptions and gave the case a low priority without bothering to look too hard. In fact they attributed the death as a gang murder, even though the man was a respected dentist. The case is the catalyst to an investigation that leads him to uncover crimes on an unimagined magnitude. But because the crimes have been perpetrated on blacks, the solution is not as simple as just identifying the murderer.Smokey has to juggle his time working on the case with getting Jimmy to and from school. A local gang, the Blackstone Rangers are attempting to recruit Jimmy, which would most likely lead to an inevitable life of crime. Smokey is determined to come up with a solution to put them off for good.A further responsibility is heaped on Smokey's shoulders when Laura Hathaway asks him to act as her security for some hostile business negotiations in which she is involved. It is this sub-plot that highlights a second form of prejudice, that of sexual discrimination.The story flows smoothly from crisis to crisis as Smokey handles each situation with his usual common sense and decency. Although he is challenged more regularly with the need to quell the impotent rage and frustration that he is filled with as he deals with bigotry and racism on a daily basis.There is so much more to the Smokey Dalton books than just a mystery to be solved, although the mystery in this case is very interesting, cleverly constructed and relevant. Each of the books are also surrounded by turmoil often with a simmering feeling of unrest, echoed by the increasingly vocal Civil Rights movement and the backlash that it caused.The mood of the book as seen through Smokey himself ranges from resignation to barely controlled fury. The portrayal of the racism that was prevalent at the time created some poignant moments and some tension-charged moments as the humiliation felt by Smokey emanated from the pages.Two examples of this kind of racism stayed with me long after I finished the book. The first took place in a supermarket in a white neighbourhood that Smokey was passing through. He had decided to pick up some groceries and was pleasantly surprised to find the prices were much cheaper and the fruit and vegetables were much fresher than those found in his own neighbourhood. When he came to the checkout, the cashier simply refused to serve him, closing her checkout. The manager then confronted Smokey in front of everyone in

Third In a Compelling Series

A respectable dentist is found dead in a Chicago park, his body posed in a manner that connects to crimes that were introduced in Smoke Filled Rooms, a series of murders of African-Americans. Young Jimmy Bailey is facing a new danger as he becomes susceptible to the romance of black power and prey to youthful street gangs who talk the talk, but don't walk the walk. Not to worry, the Black Panthers are nearby. Smokey Dalton confronts the gang issue in the only way he knows how, head on, while dealing with the ever escalating complications of the case on which he is working. How complicated is it? The trail to the killer of Dr. Foster leads into blue collar Chicago and the inner cogs of the Daley machine. White Chicago is in flight and Dr. Foster wanted to buy a house.

Powerful view of racism in America--and a compelling story

When Alice Foster asks Smokey Dalton to find who killed her husband, Smokey knows that the police will be little help. In Chicago in 1968, racial lines are drawn tight, and no one in power is especially concerned over a few black deaths. But Smokey recognizes the pattern--it's one that has happened before. Somewhere, a serial killer is systematically murdering blacks. And Smokey intends to find out who--and put a stop to it. Through THIN WALLS, Smokey deals with racism, black gangs who offer 'protection' at a horrible price, and cops who either don't care, or who believe that they can lose everything they believe in if they buck the way things are done. A subplot with Smokey's white love interest adds a level of personal depth to the character--and provides continuity from earlier novels in the series. Author Kris Nelscott delivers a riveting historical mystery. Nelscott makes America's racism come alive, yet offers a hint of promise that it can be overcome. The conflict between African-American cop Johnson and white cop Sinkovich adds both depth and authenticity to the novel. Smokey himself, with his concern for his 'son' Jimmy, drives the plot forward. THIN WALLS grabbed me early and kept me turning the pages. Nelscott's writing is authentic and compelling, with just enough name-dropping of real characters to spice the story. Highly Recommended.

fabulous tale that brings to life the turbulent sixties

By Christmas 1968, private eye Smokey Dalton and his ten year old son Jimmy continue to hide in Chicago knowing that various law enforcement agencies at all levels of government and some nasty private citizens want to find them. Jimmy eye-witnessed the killing of MLK and it is not the guy confessing from a prison cell. Unable to tell who is friend from foe because a police uniform means nothing, Smokey and Jimmy have changed identities in order to remain incognito.To support the two of them, Smokey cannot obtain a formal but traceable sleuth license even under his alias of Bill Grimshaw. Instead he does whatever comes his way to include some under the table inquiries. While dealing with Jimmy and the gangs, and his lover/employer relationship with a wealthy white woman, "Bill" agrees to investigate the death of a Black dentist. Rather quickly, "Bill" finds himself in the middle of the very thing he needs to avoid: the FBI and other police officials investigating a potential serial killer.The third Dalton historical mystery, THIN WALLS, is a fabulous tale that brings to life the turbulent sixties through the frustrations of various groups. This technique could have proven fatally stereotyped, but instead Kris Nelscott makes each group distinct in their rage at their inability to truly matter. The mystery is first class and Smokey's efforts to keep Jimmy clean feel genuine and makes him humanly like most caring parents. The series is as big a winner as the Detroit Tiger's World Series (Jets Superbowl was still a few weeks a way) victory.Harriet Klausner