What do You think about Leavin' Trunk Blues (2001)?
This book is a big improvement over the previous one in the series, CROSSROAD BLUES. While I enjoyed the first one, I found this one to be much more engaging, and the characters more realistic and well-rounded.This time, Nick Travers heads to Chicago to investigate the 1959 murder of a blues producer. A famous female blues singer has been in jail since she was convicted for his death, but now she claims to be wrongly imprisoned. Nick, as a student of the blues and a sucker for a hard-luck story, decides to try and set things right.Things get complicated as Nick reconnects with a past lover, and it turns out that there's more to the story of what happened the night of the murder.Unfortunately, Atkins continues his trend of having unnecessarily quirky "hit men" populate the novel (although in this case they're women), which is the only reason I knocked a star off of my rating.Moody, intriguing, and engaging, I found this one to be a quick, entertaining read. The next book in the series is DARK END OF THE STREET.
—Derek
Heaven for Delta and Chicago blues fans. The action takes place in the present but the mystery to be solved takes place in 1959. As a result, you get a dissertation on The Great Migration to Chicago and the evolution of the blues. The author is clearly biased in favor of the first generation bluesmen like Muddy Waters and not so keen on the newer generations i.e. Buddy Guy. Atkins did a wonderful job of recreating the atmosphere of South Side then and through the last days of the infamous Robert Taylor Homes. I'm not sure how this book would play with non-blues fans and those who don't really know Chicago. As for me, I disappeared into the book and lived in its settings for the duration.
—judy
