The Gone Dead Train

Death comes in threes for Sgt. Det. Billy Able on his return to the Memphis PD from leave in Atlanta, in Turner’s soulful sequel to 2010’s A Little Death in Dixie. First, sax man Little Man Lacy expires while fleeing toward the Mississippi River from a menace he calls “the Evils.” Second, guitarist/songwriter Red Davis is found dead on a bench outside the Memphis train station. Later, a legendary baseball player whom Able admires perishes under suspicious circumstances. Rookie patrol officer Frankie Malone, who suspects Santeria at play in Davis’s death, asks Able to investigate, because inept detective Don “Dud” Dunsford, who’s about to retire, is in charge of the case. Able’s leave status and Dunsford’s eagerness to make him a suspect in one of the deaths hamper his efforts. Turner effectively mines the blues, civil rights struggles, and Santeria rites as Able and Malone form a budding partnership. [em]Agent: Robert Gottlieb, Trident Media Group. (July) [/em]