White Shadow is quite something.It’s a novel that fictionalises events from the 1950s in Cuba and Florida, where old mobster Charlie Wall has his throat opened, which in turns opens a can of enormous worms.There’s an introduction that is a little daunting, given the number of names that fly out in quick succession, but don’t let that put you off if that’s what you pick up with the sample. When the fiction begins it’s clear that there’s a treat in store.The story is told through 4 central characters and each of them has a cracking tale to tell. There’s a hard-nosed and straight detective, a wet-behind-the-ears journalist of the old-school, there’s a woman who is a Cuban revolutionary and there’s a rather scary gangster.These people offer an intensely nostalgic flavour for the period, one I really enjoyed:‘Joe Antinori had been gunned down not that long ago and now there was Charlie Wall, and you knew that Dunn was wondering if the war wasn’t starting to heat back up. The words to the music had changed – the Andrews Sisters were now Tennessee Ernie Floyd – but turf wars would never leave a city that refused to be civilised.’ As the story unfolds, Atkins throws figures we may all know: George Raft (‘”Easy come, easy go,” George Raft said. “I made 10 million in my life. Spent it all on gambling, booze and women. The rest I can spend foolishly.”’), Batista, Castro, Lucky Luciano and Bugsy Siegel. These inclusions pepper the mix of mobsters and police really well and bring in an extra dimension that helps to remind one of the factual foundations to this from time to time.There are a lot of strands to the story as the cops chase killers and the killers get busy being nervous about what Charlie Wall may or may not have said to reporters just before he died. Atkins does a sterling job of weaving and binding these all together, all the while keeping the flavours of the hot and buzzing city to the fore.Ace Atkins takes great care in the setting up of every scene with vivid description of people and place and this is one of the marks of the quality of the work.He also maintains a pleasing hard-boiled edge to it all.‘When a woman hurts you in that kind of way, it’s not something you can really scrape to the side of your plate for later digestion, but instead becomes an ill, spicy thing that feeds into your head until you get that tenth whisky sour in your and perhaps roam the streets until you sober up enough to drive home.’There’s also plenty of the romance, squalor, sordid behaviour, contradiction , danger and violence that you might want to find in an old noir movie; the book does have a strong visual feel to it and would make a great film.Of all the strands, my favourite is the Detective Ed Dodge. He’s a cop who seems to have more about his real life adventures than many fictional characters could lay claim to.This one’s a brilliant, slow read that needs to be appreciated and won’t let itself be rushed. If I have a reservation, it’s related to the length and density of the book, but the real events most likely require such detail and breadth. That said, it’s a book with a great deal of quality that shines a very bright light into a very dingy pool.Smashing stuff.
Few people outside of those who have lived in Tampa seem to know of its vibrant, diverse culture and violent, often troubled past. A unique mix of Latin (Spanish, Cuban), Italian, Cracker, African American (with a sprinkling of other backgrounds thrown in) produced a special place regionally and historically. Racist, conservative whites shared the streets with radical, leftist cigar workers. A thriving port, nearby farms and groves (strawberries, guava, citrus, cattle), and industrial city (initially cigars) attracted as well thousands of tourists and travelers. And during the early twentieth century Tampa’s loose control of gambling, liquor, and prostitution garnered interest from organized crime, ranging from Mafia types, homegrown toughs, and international interests. Corruption was rampant from the highest levels of government on down. With such an interesting and varied milieu, it is strange that so few novels have set their action in the city and county (Hillsborough). From 1970 until 1989 I lived in this wonderful town (actually just outside of it), and was captured by its history and people. Not to mention Cuban sandwiches that I passionately love. In college I studied history, and my master’s covered the Depression era on the west coast of Florida (primarily focusing on Tampa, however). I love Ybor City. It is this background that almost guaranteed that I would read Ace Atkins’ White Shadow (2007), a historical thriller that closely follows the investigation into the murder of bolita (gambling) kingpin and local legend Charlie Wall in 1955. Almost every page brought to mind a sight, sound, or taste to my memory, and even included individuals I had met or knew about. Atkins obviously did a lot of research to get the background right, and even when he takes liberties with the actual story (for literary purposes) he reveals a complicated time and place as accurately as any I have read. The story is told through the eyes of a young newspaperman, as well as in third person following the detective who is determined to catch the culprit(s). Into the mix is thrown a young radical Cuban girl, who after seeking revenge for the murder of her father, gets mixed up in gangster activities and lands among the colorful community carved out by retired carnival workers (many of them sideshow performers) in the southern boundary of the county. Some of the action also takes place in Havana. Real-life larger than life characters from Santo Trafficante, Fidel Castro, to lesser-known cops, bartenders, reporters and prostitutes fill the pages. Although locals will enjoy this book, I also think snowbirds and other northerners will like it as well. I think it is time to go back home for a visit.
What do You think about White Shadow (2007)?
This is one of those books where the author let facts get in the way of a good story.It's based on the true crime story of the murder of Charlie Wall in 1955. Wall was a local legend in Tampa and a retired gangster who was found in his home after suffering a brutal beating and getting his throat cut. This historical fiction takes us through the investigation and how it involved local gangsters, the Sicilian Mafia, newspapermen, crooked cops, movie stars, Cubans and Cuban exiles like an idealistic lawyer named Fidel Castro.Ace Atkins used a couple of composite characters involved with the Wall murder to describe a bygone era, and it’s very well researched. Unfortunately, the Wall murder was never officially solved and Atkins sticks close enough to real story that it comes across more as a chaotic look at a bunch of eccentric characters rather than a coherent storyline. I’m not sure why journalist Atkins didn’t just write a non-fiction account rather than going the historical fiction route if he didn’t want to break away from the real story.As a bonus on this, I listened to the audio version which included Atkins talking about how he got interested in and researched this story as well as a few recollections from some of the people who were actually involved.
—Kemper
Based on all of the Atkins books I've read in this series (and this is the last), I liked this the least perhaps, and it has nothing to do with the writing, which is wonderful, but rather the subject matter. I have very little interest in Tampa as Cuban hotbed in the early 1950's, nor the Mafia still lingering on it's fringes. Black and white honeycomb tile floors pop up in every one of these books, and there is usually a detailed description of the cars--which were marvels back then. There were circus freaks in this book, which made me think of "American Horror Story" currently set in Jupiter, Florida.
—False Millennium
Ace Atkins uses the real-life murder of Tampa, Florida crime boss Charlie Wall as the basis for an atmospheric novel set in the Tampa of the mid-1950s. An idealistic young reporter and a hardened police detective attempt to solve the crime, each in his own way.Atkins is most successful in recreating the Tampa of fifty years ago with a mix of interesting characters set against a very convincing backdrop, and the book is well worth reading just for the portrait he creates. Even Fidel Castro makes an appearance. (Castro apparently visited Tampa in the late fifties, attempting to drum up support for his revolution.)Atkins is a bit less successful in creating a riveting story. The book is based on actual events, and the author may try just a bit too hard to be faithful to the facts. The book would have been a better read had he taken a bit more artistic license. Crime fiction fans who are accustomed to the sort of resolution that one usually finds at the ends of these books may be a bit disappointed with the conclusion of the book. Still, it's a good read that will inevitably provoke some comparisons with the L.A. noir of James Ellroy.
—James Thane
