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Black Sheep, White Lamb
After a robbery goes wrong, a teenager finds he has a knack for murder in Grand Master of crime fiction Dorothy Salisbury Davis' riveting psychological thriller that illuminates the dark corners of a killer's mind.
The hamlet of Hillside has one factory, three churches, and more bored teenagers than it knows what to do with. Georgie Rocco is more lost than any of his classmates, and decides one night to take control. When an attempted robbery at the factory turns into murder, Georgie discovers an empowering new talent for exploiting other people's vulnerabilities, including those of his lovely sister, Jo. The longer he is able to deflect suspicion, the stronger Georgie's confidence grows, and he soon becomes comfortable in his new identity as a hardened criminal. And no one - not his sister, their priest, or the detective investigating the factory manager's murder - is safe from a teenager careening down a path to the electric chair.
The hamlet of Hillside has one factory, three churches, and more bored teenagers than it knows what to do with. Georgie Rocco is more lost than any of his classmates, and decides one night to take control. When an attempted robbery at the factory turns into murder, Georgie discovers an empowering new talent for exploiting other people's vulnerabilities, including those of his lovely sister, Jo. The longer he is able to deflect suspicion, the stronger Georgie's confidence grows, and he soon becomes comfortable in his new identity as a hardened criminal. And no one - not his sister, their priest, or the detective investigating the factory manager's murder - is safe from a teenager careening down a path to the electric chair.
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1963
About the author
Dorothy Salisbury Davis
57 books16 followersDorothy Salisbury Davis is a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America, and a recipient of lifetime achievement awards from Bouchercon and Malice Domestic. The author of seventeen crime novels, including the Mrs. Norris Mysteries and the Julie Hayes Mysteries; three historical novels; and numerous short stories; she has served as president of the Mystery Writers of America and is a founder of Sisters in Crime.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 19, 2024
Honestly, it's not my favorite. It's not a bad book by any stretch, but it's just not something I'd pick again.
I took particular umbrage with the unrelenting plot. I can see that for some readers, this sort of fast-paced and blurred style of storytelling can be interesting, but this story left quite a few things to be desired. I felt as though all of the mystery/problem-solving was saved for the last three pages, even though action was happening in every chapter. Maybe I'm a lazy reader, but I feel like one-third of this books plot could have been omitted and still have achieved the same outcome.
I will say that by the end of the book, a small handful of the many (many, many) characters were developed wonderfully. I loved to hate Georgie, and I loved to hope for Johanna and Martin and even Detective Bassett. This character development was not for all, which is understandable, but I would have loved to understand Father Walsh and Mrs. Rocco more. They seemed like devices more than characters, which is a loss for me. Sidenote: I loved the awareness of Detective Bassett when he says that some of the characters are useless. Made me feel seen.
At this point in time, 2024, it reads like a period piece. The Era of Mafioso's seems so distant in our current phase of capitalism that I was able to think of it as a sort of noir. The images in my head were black and white, with all of the characters having that Italian/transatlantic accent. As such, I found myself looking up lots of references to slang of the time, and also lots of World War 1&2 info. The references are subtle, almost entirely escapable, but I found that that knowledge gave me firmer ground to stand on in this otherwise shaky mystery.
Fun read for Italians, mafia history nerds, men who smoke cigars, and women who dress like it's the 50s.
2.8 stars
I took particular umbrage with the unrelenting plot. I can see that for some readers, this sort of fast-paced and blurred style of storytelling can be interesting, but this story left quite a few things to be desired. I felt as though all of the mystery/problem-solving was saved for the last three pages, even though action was happening in every chapter. Maybe I'm a lazy reader, but I feel like one-third of this books plot could have been omitted and still have achieved the same outcome.
I will say that by the end of the book, a small handful of the many (many, many) characters were developed wonderfully. I loved to hate Georgie, and I loved to hope for Johanna and Martin and even Detective Bassett. This character development was not for all, which is understandable, but I would have loved to understand Father Walsh and Mrs. Rocco more. They seemed like devices more than characters, which is a loss for me. Sidenote: I loved the awareness of Detective Bassett when he says that some of the characters are useless. Made me feel seen.
At this point in time, 2024, it reads like a period piece. The Era of Mafioso's seems so distant in our current phase of capitalism that I was able to think of it as a sort of noir. The images in my head were black and white, with all of the characters having that Italian/transatlantic accent. As such, I found myself looking up lots of references to slang of the time, and also lots of World War 1&2 info. The references are subtle, almost entirely escapable, but I found that that knowledge gave me firmer ground to stand on in this otherwise shaky mystery.
Fun read for Italians, mafia history nerds, men who smoke cigars, and women who dress like it's the 50s.
2.8 stars
January 7, 2018
This is a murder mystery involving bullies and teenage angst. The character development is good, in fact I got more into it towards the end.
Maybe a 3.5 star.
Maybe a 3.5 star.
July 4, 2024
An overly serious attempt to use the crime novel to dissect a decaying mid-century mill town. And contrary to what other reviewers have said, just because a book uses the word "Mafia" does not mean it is a Mafia novel, or indeed that the Mafia makes an appearance in any shape or form.
July 25, 2010
A blurb on the jacket of this novel calls it "a luminous example of the crime novel." It is that, for while it focuses on crime and its detection (and is in this edition part of the Dell Great Mystery Library), it very adroitly explores the social milieu of a small New York industrial community that, like the novel's protagonist, has an inferiority complex and is its own kind of "black sheep." The counterplot to the murder investigation is the determination of a young couple to make their life in the town, despite its reputation.
In the midst of much interesting character development I was disappointed that the murderer (whose identity is known from the beginning) is presented as a hopeless case who never reaches a point of questioning himself, and thus a possibility for redemption.
In the midst of much interesting character development I was disappointed that the murderer (whose identity is known from the beginning) is presented as a hopeless case who never reaches a point of questioning himself, and thus a possibility for redemption.
September 5, 2016
2.5 stars. Not much to say about this. More of a can they figure it out than a whodunit. I came out of this with questions unanswered and I can't say that I bonded with the characters at all.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews