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Speed Trap
Enraged about corruption in a small town near the coast, the governor of 1959 Georgia has had enough. Cops in Astoria are pulling over scores of Florida-bound tourists and writing tickets, demanding unreasonable on-the-spot cash payments. Travelers are also being drawn into impossible-to-win dice games in roadside stores by hucksters who scam away their vacation savings and beat them senseless if they can’t pay. Astoria is also infamous for cat houses offering pleasures of the flesh. Governor Buford Dunlap puts up billboards to warn out-of-state drivers, and sends state troopers to guard them from locals who would otherwise tear them down. One trooper, Cal Bocock, is pulled away from guard duty late one night and taken to a mysterious murder scene by a young man terrified of Astoria’s evil cops, who apparently break more laws than they enforce. Bocock, just 26, is a second-generation cop and a Korean War hero. He is single, sandy-haired, attractive and quietly ambitious: investigating a murder is clearly much better duty than guarding a billboard. Bocock’s initiative prompts the governor to promote him to special investigator assigned to end the lifelong rule of Astoria’s strongman ruler, Earl “Boss” Griffin. Bocock is ordered to live among the locals, and his new home in a trailer park is ground zero for Astoria’s collection of well-drawn, fascinating characters. Bocock’s life becomes good cop versus a cadre of bad cops, and he is tested each and every day not only to ferret out the wrongdoers, but to stay alive.
- GenresMystery
379 pages, Paperback
First published December 3, 2014
About the author
Joey Ledford
2 books10 followersJoey Ledford is a former award-winning columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. SPEED TRAP is his debut novel and ELKMONT: The Smoky Mountain Massacre is the second in his crime fiction series. Ledford began writing as a teenager, covering high school sports for his hometown newspaper. His career in journalism spanned nearly 30 years. He is now a government public affairs officer who writes for pleasure. In what is left of his spare time, he plays golf very badly, hikes, enjoys craft beer and spends far too many hours trying to figure out how to promote and sell books.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 5, 2025
Boring!
I wasn't impressed. A pretty uninteresting story. Good thing it was for free. It was definitely not what I expected.
I wasn't impressed. A pretty uninteresting story. Good thing it was for free. It was definitely not what I expected.
February 3, 2015
Good read
At first I thought of this as a basically a nature attempt at a novel. However, I quickly found myself drawn into a world that has rarely been described, except perhaps in To Kill A Mockingbird. This is a basic, sound, "it is what it is" novel and I look forward to more from this author.
At first I thought of this as a basically a nature attempt at a novel. However, I quickly found myself drawn into a world that has rarely been described, except perhaps in To Kill A Mockingbird. This is a basic, sound, "it is what it is" novel and I look forward to more from this author.
January 13, 2015
Joey, you did good!
Although, I the language is sometimes raw, it is accurate. Readers, don't quit reading too soon. This is the way things were - probably still are. If you are interested in that please continue to read. You won't be sorry.
Although, I the language is sometimes raw, it is accurate. Readers, don't quit reading too soon. This is the way things were - probably still are. If you are interested in that please continue to read. You won't be sorry.
January 21, 2015
Well thought out.
Well written with an interesting plot. Characters are defined nicely. Many twist along the way adding layers and depth to the plot. Sad and even funny at times. Really good book.
Well written with an interesting plot. Characters are defined nicely. Many twist along the way adding layers and depth to the plot. Sad and even funny at times. Really good book.
July 14, 2017
Speed Trap is a rollicking romp through the seedy side of small-town Georgia life in the late 1950s. This story, set in fictional Astoria, Georgia, mirrors real-life shenanigans that occurred in Ludowici, Georgia, which was known as one of the worst speed traps in the nation at one time. But this "Speed Trap" is a lot more fun than the real thing. This is a great story that moves quickly, has well-defined characters and keeps you guessing with both surprising plot twists and unexpected outcomes. The main character, Cal Bocock, enjoys a somewhat meteoric rise through the police ranks. He's a great addition to the ranks of detectives and comes across as principled, determined and tolerant. He actually struck me as much more real than a lot of fictional detectives are portrayed. Speed Trap is the first installment to feature Detective Bocock and I'm already looking forward to his next adventure!
June 13, 2017
Excellent story!
Good story and well written. Surprised with the children but added so much. Now I have to wait for the next one.
Good story and well written. Surprised with the children but added so much. Now I have to wait for the next one.
February 6, 2016
If you’re looking for a lively yarn written by an author with a keen sense of action and pace and a Southerner’s deep appreciation of history, place and the blood tie of kin, pick up Joey Ledford’s “Speed Trap.” The title is as straightforward as the author’s tale of an old-style Dixie political boss who rules a crooked, backwater Georgia town where the speed trap is just the tip of a deliciously evil iceberg.
There’s no ironic pose in this story – no deep meaning or hidden message. Set in 1959, “Speed Trap” is full of colorful characters, including the rumpled and whiskey-sodden Boss Griffin, the bombastic Gov. Buford Dunlap and a hooker with a heart of gold named Fancy Fontaine, an obvious homage to the storyline of the Bobbie Gentry/Reba McEntire hit.
No, the good guys wear white hats in this story. Not really, but hero Cal Bocock is a true-blue Georgia state trooper who Dunlap elevates into the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and sends to Astoria to smoke Boss Griffin out of his lair and bring he and his minions to justice.
Astoria is a town that never met a vice it didn’t like, from clip joints with crooked dice games to racially separate whorehouses that remind the reader the story is set in the segregationist South. The bad guys don’t wear black hats, but they include a trio of town cops who sometimes rape and murder victims caught in their late night highway web.
Ledford, a former journalist, keeps the action going at a brisk clip with snappy dialogue, sudden violence and plots twists and a sharp focus on driving the story to a refreshingly happy ending. It’s ‘fast copy,’ written in a winning and conversational style – perfect for the beach or lake. Or, anyplace else, for that matter. The reader won’t mind getting caught in this “Speed Trap.” Not one bit.
There’s no ironic pose in this story – no deep meaning or hidden message. Set in 1959, “Speed Trap” is full of colorful characters, including the rumpled and whiskey-sodden Boss Griffin, the bombastic Gov. Buford Dunlap and a hooker with a heart of gold named Fancy Fontaine, an obvious homage to the storyline of the Bobbie Gentry/Reba McEntire hit.
No, the good guys wear white hats in this story. Not really, but hero Cal Bocock is a true-blue Georgia state trooper who Dunlap elevates into the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and sends to Astoria to smoke Boss Griffin out of his lair and bring he and his minions to justice.
Astoria is a town that never met a vice it didn’t like, from clip joints with crooked dice games to racially separate whorehouses that remind the reader the story is set in the segregationist South. The bad guys don’t wear black hats, but they include a trio of town cops who sometimes rape and murder victims caught in their late night highway web.
Ledford, a former journalist, keeps the action going at a brisk clip with snappy dialogue, sudden violence and plots twists and a sharp focus on driving the story to a refreshingly happy ending. It’s ‘fast copy,’ written in a winning and conversational style – perfect for the beach or lake. Or, anyplace else, for that matter. The reader won’t mind getting caught in this “Speed Trap.” Not one bit.
May 25, 2015
“Speed trap” is not your average detective story; it combines thriller, suspense, romance and much more, which makes the story so compelling. Once you’re being transported to Astoria, Georgia set in 1959, you immediately immerse into the corrupt lives of several cops, who profit from tricking Northern American tourists who happen to travel through their state by setting speed traps, illegal gambling, racketeering and much more. The man behind the scenes is “Boss” Griffin, who seems to believe that he’s above the law and every crime he or his men commit will never surface.
And they never have, until a newly appointed by the Governor himself Federal Agent Cal Bocock moves into town to finally bring the corrupt law enforcement and their boss to justice.
Even though it’s not a short novel, it’s a very fast read and the reader always finds himself right in the middle of the action. The dialogues are so vivid and masterfully written that you can almost hear the southern accent of the characters. The characters themselves are very real and you can’t help but root for the good ones, like Agent Cal’s new found love Fancy Fontaine or the corrupt cops’ kids, the so-called “Three Musketeers”, who helped Bocock in investigating the case even though it meant putting their fathers behind bars.
A highly entertaining read which definitely should be made into a movie. Five stars!
And they never have, until a newly appointed by the Governor himself Federal Agent Cal Bocock moves into town to finally bring the corrupt law enforcement and their boss to justice.
Even though it’s not a short novel, it’s a very fast read and the reader always finds himself right in the middle of the action. The dialogues are so vivid and masterfully written that you can almost hear the southern accent of the characters. The characters themselves are very real and you can’t help but root for the good ones, like Agent Cal’s new found love Fancy Fontaine or the corrupt cops’ kids, the so-called “Three Musketeers”, who helped Bocock in investigating the case even though it meant putting their fathers behind bars.
A highly entertaining read which definitely should be made into a movie. Five stars!
July 21, 2015
I enjoyed Speed Trap, in spite of what I realized were a bunch of clichés at the heart of the story. It has the corrupt villain who pulls all the strings in a small southern town and, of course, everyone calls him “Boss.” (Think “Boss” Hogg from the Dukes of Hazard TV show for one example.) We've got the hooker with the heart of gold. (She's named Fancy. Isn't that from a Reba McEntire song? In fact Ledford's Fancy has a lot in common with McEntire's Fancy.) Even the concept of a small burb on a busy highway that fills the revenue side of the town's budget largely through the issuance of speeding tickets is a cliché, albeit much more rooted in truth than the others.
That's the thing about clichés in stories. They become that because they've worked in the past to the point of becoming overused. Some of the best, like the happily-ever-after ending in romance novels, become solidified as rules. Needless to say, when the governor sends our protagonist hero, Cal Bocock, in to collect the evidence to shut down the wrongdoers, I knew he'd get the job done. Yet I still wanted to go along for the ride.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
That's the thing about clichés in stories. They become that because they've worked in the past to the point of becoming overused. Some of the best, like the happily-ever-after ending in romance novels, become solidified as rules. Needless to say, when the governor sends our protagonist hero, Cal Bocock, in to collect the evidence to shut down the wrongdoers, I knew he'd get the job done. Yet I still wanted to go along for the ride.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
April 22, 2015
Georgia on My Mind …
SPEED TRAP is set in 1959 in Astoria, a small South Georgia town adjacent to Highway 55 that tourists and vacationers from the North traveling to Florida must pass through. Sensing an 'opportunity,' the townsfolk and administration, including the police led by a local ‘Boss,’ plot to con the travelers. As we discover, illegal speed traps and crooked games of chance are just the tip of the iceberg.
In the initial chapters, we are introduced to the key characters in Astoria and some of their shenanigans, and the pace really builds up after midway through the novel. The protagonist, Calvin 'Cal' Bocock, a Georgia State trooper finds himself in the midst of drama involving Hyde County’s political fixer, Earl "Boss" Griffin who locks horns with Georgia’s Governor.
Joe Ledford's fast paced narrative transports us to rural Southern Georgia, and the author’s skillful storytelling brings distinct characters like Cal, Popsi and The Boss to life.
You may want to turn on Ray Charles’s 1950s classic, ‘Georgia on My Mind’ before turning the pages of this refreshing Indie gem; looking forward to more of Cal Bocock’s adventures.
SPEED TRAP is set in 1959 in Astoria, a small South Georgia town adjacent to Highway 55 that tourists and vacationers from the North traveling to Florida must pass through. Sensing an 'opportunity,' the townsfolk and administration, including the police led by a local ‘Boss,’ plot to con the travelers. As we discover, illegal speed traps and crooked games of chance are just the tip of the iceberg.
In the initial chapters, we are introduced to the key characters in Astoria and some of their shenanigans, and the pace really builds up after midway through the novel. The protagonist, Calvin 'Cal' Bocock, a Georgia State trooper finds himself in the midst of drama involving Hyde County’s political fixer, Earl "Boss" Griffin who locks horns with Georgia’s Governor.
Joe Ledford's fast paced narrative transports us to rural Southern Georgia, and the author’s skillful storytelling brings distinct characters like Cal, Popsi and The Boss to life.
You may want to turn on Ray Charles’s 1950s classic, ‘Georgia on My Mind’ before turning the pages of this refreshing Indie gem; looking forward to more of Cal Bocock’s adventures.
March 25, 2015
Though it did take me a bit to get into. Speed Trap, had a certain feel to it. It was like you were transported to 1959, in Astoria Georgia. All I gotta say is I wouldn't want to live there. The cast of characters were great. You hated the bad guys and the good guys were likeable.
Not only learning about Astoria but you were thrown into a world where people created ways to get to what they wanted, no matter the cost. I honestly have never heard of a speed trap before and I wonder if I have any in my town?
There was a lot of mystery going on in this story. It was really well done how it was all played out. I felt for Cal but he was such a brave soul....Lissa
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Not only learning about Astoria but you were thrown into a world where people created ways to get to what they wanted, no matter the cost. I honestly have never heard of a speed trap before and I wonder if I have any in my town?
There was a lot of mystery going on in this story. It was really well done how it was all played out. I felt for Cal but he was such a brave soul....Lissa
http://www.boundlessbookreviews.com
https://www.facebook.com/BBReviews
February 19, 2015
Nothing about this book thrilled or excited me; nothing about it bored or annoyed me. Nothing about it made me want to stop reading; nothing about made me impatient to read on.
The dangers the main characters faced were so predictable, I knew what would happen next just by where I was in the book. Only once did Ledford deliver an ‘Oh, my gosh!’ moment.
I won’t reject more books in the series if they come my way, but I won’t be hunting them down either.
The dangers the main characters faced were so predictable, I knew what would happen next just by where I was in the book. Only once did Ledford deliver an ‘Oh, my gosh!’ moment.
I won’t reject more books in the series if they come my way, but I won’t be hunting them down either.
June 13, 2017
My only regret is that I didn't read this book sooner, but I'm now looking forward to reading more of Joey Ledford's work. I love twisted stories set in small southern towns, and this fits the bill. It has all the classic corrupt characters acting in ugly and even violent ways to victimize tourists and even each other. If you know Georgia, you know that while this story is fiction, it doesn't wander far from real events. Again, looking forward to reading Joey's next book.
January 20, 2015
Not my style
The crude language added nothing to the story, that is, if I'd gotten far enough in to the plot to find out whether the storyline was any good. Such a turn-off!
The crude language added nothing to the story, that is, if I'd gotten far enough in to the plot to find out whether the storyline was any good. Such a turn-off!
February 27, 2015
Loved the book! Intriguing characters, excellent prose, well-paced plotline. I look forward to reading about Cal Bocock's next adventure.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews