The Dying Crapshooter's Blues

by David Fulmer

On a cold December night in 1920s Atlanta, a drunken white cop shoots a black gambler in one of the worst parts of town, and a cache of jewels goes missing from a mansion in one of the best. Joe Rose—rambler, gambler, and professional thief—has just hit the city. He soon finds himself caught in a three-sided puzzle that involves a black-hearted police officer called “the Captain,” the pimp and crapshooter Little Jesse Williams, and a wicked beauty named Pearl Spencer. Behind it all is Atlanta, the city once nothing but dust and ashes, now the richest, busiest metropolis in the South, mixing sin with success and vibrating with mayhem and music.  In his acclaimed Storyville series, David Fulmer brought the jazz-soaked streets of New Orleans to life. Now he brings us another absorbing mystery in a new setting raucous with music and rich with history.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Historical Fiction, American, Crime

305 pages, Hardcover

First published January 15, 2007

About the author

David Fulmer has been a writer and producer for over twenty-five years.

Series:
* Valentin St. Cyr Mystery
* Eddie Cero Mystery

Reviews

[LJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE DYING CRAPSHOOTER’S BLUES (Mystery-Atlanta, GA-1920s) – VG+
Fulmer, David – Standalone
Harcourt, Inc., 2007, US Hardcover – ISBN: 9780151011759
First Sentence: From down the alley, a voice cut through the falling night like a honed blade.
*** Joe Rose is white or Indian, he doesn’t know. He does know he had been a cop, and a Pinkerton man but turned to being a rambler, gambler and professional thief. Joe is back in Atlanta, both attracted to yet trying to stay away from Pearl Spencer, a black working girl, and her brother, Sweet. Within forty-eight hours, he is the prime suspect in the jewel robbery of a wealthy white mansion, and comes across the scene where Jesse, a black gambler. Amongst a setting of racial prejudice, police corruption, and a funeral song being written for Jesse by a blind musician, Joe is trying to protect both his friends and himself.
*** Fumler is a wonderful, atmospheric writer. As in his New Orleans series, Fulmer focuses on the disadvantaged, gamblers, drunks, whores and thieves. He humanizes the people and brings the period alive with the underlying strum of the blues in my head. I found the different characters interesting and thought it rather fun that the traditional good guys, the police, here were mainly the bad guys. Following the trail to see how Joe would bring things to resolution, and stay out of jail, was suspenseful and engrossing. I highly recommend this book.

[Brucie · Rating 3 out of 5]

No surprises in this dark police vs. criminals thriller if the reader pays attention. The story is in the song. Character development remains stunted as bad police and bad criminals remain that way or are killed.

[Graculus · Rating 3 out of 5]

In some ways, this is a bit of a novelty, being a crime story that is a standalone novel rather than part of series. That in itself, not to mention the setting (1920's Atlanta) was enough to get this book on my to-be-read list...

The eponymous crapshooter is a man called Little Jesse Williams, who has the misfortune to spend most of the book either dying or dead, having been shot by a white police officer for no apparent reason. Not that Jesse wasn't a criminal, but he was strictly small time and nobody could seem to figure out why anyone would want to kill him.

Add to the mix the subsequent murder of Jesse's killer and a jewel robbery that looks likely to cause serious embarrassment for the new chief of police, then a reluctant investigator: Joe Rose, gambler and former police officer, who stumbles across Jesse soon after he's been shot and whose girl is implicated in the robbery. Against his better judgement Joe promises to find Jesse's killer, not realising quite what he's getting himself into.

'The Dying Crapshooter's Blues' is an enjoyable enough read for anyone who likes historical crime novels, with enough attention to detail in the world-building and a relatively likeable protagonist (Joe, not Jesse!). Even so, I wonder if it feels a little like Joe doesn't quite have enough about him as a character to warrant more stories and that this is why this is a standalone, not because the storyline warranted it.

There are other books in Mr Fulmer's repertoire, however, including a series that starts with 'Chasing the Devil's Tail' (though set slightly earlier in the century and in New Orleans), and I expect I'll try and see if I can pick those up...

[Ice · Rating 4 out of 5]

On a cold December night in 1920s Atlanta, a drunken white cop shoots a black gambler in one of the worst parts of town, and a cache of jewels goes missing from a mansion in one of the best. Joe Rose—rambler, gambler, and professional thief—has just hit the city. He soon finds himself caught in a three-sided puzzle that involves a black-hearted police officer called "the Captain," the pimp and crapshooter Little Jesse Williams, and a wicked beauty named Pearl Spencer.

Behind it all is Atlanta, the city once nothing but dust and ashes, now the richest, busiest metropolis in the South, mixing sin with success and vibrating with mayhem and music. In his acclaimed Storyville series, David Fulmer brought the jazz-soaked streets of New Orleans to life. Now he brings us another absorbing mystery in a new setting raucous with music and rich with history.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in 1920's Atlanta, this mystery focuses on the murder of an African-American small-time crook by a white cop, on the same night as a robbery hits one of the wealthiest families in Atlanta. The author does a good job of invoking the period, particularly crafting the seamy side of town, with its gamblers, speakeasies, etc., although I thought the story could have been better set in New Orleans. The plot is fast-paced, and the mystery is both absorbing and tied together well at the end. The only improvement that I could think of would be to have more in depth character development. The story seemed to have too many minor characters who didn't contribute that much to the story, and weren't very well developed.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this book. The book is set in Atlanta in the 1920's and I suppose that was one attraction to me since I grew up in Atlanta. The downtown streets where it takes place seemed very real and familiar to me. The characters are so well-drawn so that you care about them even though they are scoundrels. I couldn't put it down and when I reached the end, I wanted to keep reading.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two and a half. I wanted more exploration into black Atlanta, something very central to the book. More development of Joes love interest. Unsatisfied with the characterization of the Captain's wife--that felt too easy, or at least too easily handled. I loved Joe, Willie, and especially the titled, flawed dying crapshooter.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fuller does a great job of showing readers a place and a time (Atlanta during prohibition), though he may include a few anachronisms that create confusion. Meanwhile, the hero's altruism, which has very destructive consequences to others (but not himself) is on the surface hard to understand but somehow feels psychologically right.

[Vica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The author paints a beautiful picture of 1920s Atlanta. The song is a real blues song written by Willie McTell who is a character in the book. Quick read and very good.

[vaughne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting period piece set in 1920s Atlanta...nice writing, the mystery not all that mysterious. Good book.

[Mongooser]

very good excellent syntax, would read him again

[Paul Secor · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Fulmer did better by New Orleans than he did by Atlanta. Perhaps New Orleans offered more inspiration for characters and situations.

[Ronn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, not as much as his New Orleans books, but liked it just the same.