Catfish Cafe

I've read all of Emerson's books, and this one just wasn't quite as great as the rest of them. It's hard to find fault with this writer since his protagonist is such a likeable character, living and working in my favorite city, but this was just kind of a downer for me. Eagerly awaiting Earl's next effort. Where in the damp Northwest will Thomas have his next (mis)adventure? I'd like to write Mr. Emerson personally, but don't know how. Please keep us up to date on coming books.

PI Thomas Black, an ex-Seattle cop, is asked by his old partner, Luther, for help finding Luther's daughter. The daughter had been driving a car later found turned over in a ditch with a dead body in the back seat. Did she kill him? Is someone trying to kill her? Is she already dead? This was an exciting and very well-written mystery. The tunnel scene at the end had me so riveted I missed my bus stop. Now that's something! Highly recommended!

This was the first of the Thomas Black mysteries that I have read and I am hooked. Emerson keeps the action going in each chapter and the ending was unpredictable. The charcaters were well established and so was the atomsphere around the city.

I have to agree with the reader from Seattle. Did some readers not like this book due to its in-depth portrayal of an urban African-American family? Or did the book seem too serious to them after the manic "Million-Dollar Tattoo" (which is a classic!)? I think Emerson did a helluva job making the intricate relationships believable without drawing racial caricatures, as well as depicting the difficulties facing a white P.I. struggling to sort through the subcultural undercurrents while solving a missing person/murder case. Thomas Black books are addictive, and I'm already needing another fix.

I can't believe these other reviews of Catfish Cafe. It was one of the best novels I've read in years and I read a lot. It is funny, sad, and poignant. The milieu Emerson delves into in the African-American community in Seattle is fascinating and, from what I know of it, accurate. The relationship between Luther and his children was well-drawn and intriguing. I really believe the previous critic who said this was boring was bored because he or she didn't want to read about poor African-Americans. Yet, Emerson has really disected this family. I found them fascinating. It worked as a mystery, but it worked better as a novel. I've read only one other Thomas Black novel but you can bet I'm going to read more. This guy is good.