Memphis Ribs - Softcover

Duff, Gerald

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0966452011 ISBN 13: 9780966452013

Publisher: Salvo Pr, 1999

Synopsis

Memphis in May. The International Barbecue Contest, the Cotton Carnival, and now two murders. And it is all on the shoulders of failed cotton farmer and current Memphis homicide detective, J.W. Ragsdale, to solve both crimes before the tourist start leaving in droves. J.W. and his partner, Tyrone Walker, sift through an unusual cast of characters, ranging from black gangs dealing crack, to an heir apparent son of Southern aristocracy, and to the newly crowned Maid of Cotton. To make matters worse, someone is intent on turning out mass market bad barbecue, the unpardonable sin in Memphis. Through all this, a power struggle for gang leadership has left bodies strewn about the bluff City. Wondering if agrarian fever might not be so bad, J.W. Takes the investigation to his home country, the Mississippi Delta. What he finds could change his life forever...or end it.

About this title

Reviews

Pale-eyed, sandy-haired, "just on the edge of... redneck," Memphis homicide detective J.W. Ragsdale eats and banters his way through a rollicking if unoriginal tale of drugs, death and the redemptive powers of barbecue pork. On the eve of Memphis's big f?te, the Cotton Carnival, a group of apparently unconnected people are murdered. Wealthy white socialite Aires Saxon, father of this year's Cotton Maid, is found dead at home, his bodyguard dozing upstairs. A drunken, white conventioner is stabbed at a cash machine, and three small-time, black street dealers are shot to death on Baby Street. When he realizes that sleuthing at the Saxons' Mississippi plantation will also allow him to satisfy his yen for catfishing at state expense, Ragsdale is off and running. The story that unfolds won't be unfamiliar to veteran mystery fans, but Duff retells it with gusto and humor. And when it comes to describing the flavor of barbecue as well as the sights and sounds of a festival, Duff gives Calvin Trillin a run for his money. Duff's also got the local dialect and dialogue down cold. With writing so good, however, readers may leave wishing he'd take on something more substantial next time out.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Well-heeled shysters, in-fighting gang members, and overworked police share a very particular locale known as Memphis. Sergeant J.W. Ragsdale and partner Tyrone struggle to contain the rampaging Bone Family gang, which has begun trading drugs with a certain well-known "legitimate" businessman whose father has just been murdered. Murder, vandalism, some wild barbecue, and a few sexual escapades keep the novel jumping. Tense action, realistic dialog, intermittent humor, and somewhat novel surrounds make this a good buy for larger collections.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Salvo Pr
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0966452011
• ISBN 13: 9780966452013
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 209