One-Shot Harry
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
Race and civil rights in 1963 Los Angeles provide a powerful backdrop in Gary Phillips’s riveting mystery about an African American crime scene photographer seeking justice for a friend—perfect for fans of Walter Mosley, James Ellroy, and George Pelecanos.
LOS ANGELES, 1963: Korean War veteran Harry Ingram earns a living as a news photographer and occasional process server: chasing police radio calls and dodging baseball bats. With racial tensions running high on the eve of Martin Luther King’s Freedom Rally, Ingram risks becoming a victim at every crime scene he photographs.
When Ingram hears about a deadly automobile accident on his police scanner, he recognizes the vehicle described as belonging to his good friend and old army buddy, a white jazz trumpeter. The LAPD declares the car crash an accident, but when Ingram develops his photos, he sees signs of foul play. Ingram feels compelled to play detective, even if it means putting his own life on the line. Armed with his wits, his camera, and occasionally his Colt .45, “One-Shot” Harry plunges headfirst into the seamy underbelly of LA society, tangling with racists, leftists, gangsters, zealots, and lovers as he attempts to solve the mystery.
Master storyteller and crime fiction legend Gary Phillips has filled the pages of One-Shot Harry with fascinating historical cameos, wise-cracks, tenderness, and an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride of a plot with consequences far beyond one dead body.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in 1963 Los Angeles, this terrific novel from Phillips (the Ivan Monk series) centers on freelance photographer and occasional process server Harry Ingram. Ingram, a Korean War vet, sells his photos to local newspapers and magazines, many serving the Black community. Ingram also listens to a police scanner, poised to capture moments of conflict and racial injustice. One day he catches a call to the scene of a fatal car accident. Ingram recognizes the car described as belonging to an old army buddy, Ben Kinslow. A well-known figure in town, Kinslow was a jazz trumpeter and had just recently reconnected with Ingram. Something about the scene doesn't feel right to Ingram. Was his friend's death really an accident, or was he being targeted? Ingram turns gumshoe and embarks on an investigation that leads to old guard lefties, rogue cops, Nation of Islam activists, and politicians on the make. The forthcoming visit of Martin Luther King Jr. adds to the drama. With close attention to period detail and precise prose, Phillips brings the era vividly to life. Crime fiction fans won't want to miss this one.
