Memphis Ribs

By: Gerald Duff

Narrated by: Michael Taylor

It's Memphis in May. There's the International Barbecue Contest, the Cotton Carnival...and now two murders. And it is all on the shoulders of failed cotton farmer and current Memphis homicide detective J.W. Ragsdale to solve both crimes before the tourists start leaving in droves.

J.W. and his partner, Tyrone Walker, sift through an unusual cast of characters, ranging from black gangs dealing crack to an heir apparent son of Southern aristocracy - and even the newly crowned Maid of Cotton. To make matters worse, someone is intent on turning out mass-market bad barbecue, the unpardonable sin in Memphis.

Through all this, a power struggle for gang leadership has left bodies strewn about the Bluff City. Wondering if agrarian fever might not be so bad, J.W. takes the investigation to his home country, the Mississippi Delta. What he finds could change his life forever...or end it.

©1999 Gerald Duff (P)2003 Books in Motion

the worst

This book is boring and doesn't move very quickly. I don't usually write bad reviews, but this the content is offensive.

Minstrel Show Masquerades As a Mystery Novel

Both the writing and the narration of this book are full to the brim with the basest of African American stereotypes. I am almost surprised that there were no characters named Rastus, Sambo, or Amos. Then, just for good measure, they threw in a generous sprinkle of misogyny.

The story line is weak. Further, character development is severely lacking, and the few characters who are deeper than a dime's thickness are utterly unlikeable.

This is a sad, amateurish attempt at a mystery novel. Do not waste your money.