Catfish Cafe - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com Review
Former firefighter Earl W. Emerson writes two very interesting mystery series: one about small-town Washington State fire chief Mac Fontana and another about Seattle private investigator Thomas Black. All of Emerson's stories are haunted by ghosts from his characters' pasts, and none more so than this latest, where Emerson sends Black on a long, tangled, and not always obvious search through the roots of the African American family of his former police partner, Luther Little. Little's daughter has disappeared, leaving behind a car full of bullet holes, a dead young white man, and nine birth certificates that raise lots of troubling questions about fraud and parental responsibility. As Black grapples with ancient crimes and current human failure, his sharp and sexy lawyer wife, Kathy Birchfield, is--as always--on hand to keep him focussed. Other Thomas Black books in paperback: Deception Pass, The Million-Dollar Tattoo, Nervous Laughter. --Dick Adler

Product Description
Everyone who knew Balinda could have told Seattle private eye Thomas Black that the ex-choir girl thumbed a ride with the devil a long time ago. Still, no one expected the pretty young woman to vanish off the face of the earth--leaving in her wake an empty purse, a wrecked car, and a dead Eagle Scout in the backseat. What's more, Balinda never even gave notice at her last job--at a backwater diner where a freezer might keep more than crawdads on ice.

When Balinda's driver is identified, Thomas Black suspects big trouble. For it turns out that the victim was a fifth-grade Tacoma schoolteacher with an impeccable reputation. But tracking the past of that white-bread teacher is increasingly hazardous. Especially when it leads Thomas back to that modest little eat-in/take-out . . . called Catfish Cafe.

Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Exciting! June 14, 2000
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

PI Thomas Black, an ex-Seattle cop, is asked by his old partner, Luther, for help finding Luther's daughter. The daughter had been driving a car later found turned over in a ditch with a dead body in the back seat. Did she kill him? Is someone trying to kill her? Is she already dead? This was an exciting and very well-written mystery. The tunnel scene at the end had me so riveted I missed my bus stop. Now that's something! Highly recommended!

5 out of 5 stars

Good One January 29, 2000
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

This was the first of the Thomas Black mysteries that I have read and I am hooked. Emerson keeps the action going in each chapter and the ending was unpredictable. The charcaters were well established and so was the atomsphere around the city.

3 out of 5 stars

Well written, but predictable November 26, 1999
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Having read the previous reviews, it's kind of laughable that this novel gets reviews of either 5 stars or 1 star. Neither is a particularly accurate judgment, no matter what the standards. The writing is excellent, with imagery as good as any Emerson novel (and better than 95% of the authors out there), the characters are interesting, but the 'mysteries' here are as predictable as any novel out there. I find it disappointing to be 5 chapters ahead of the protagonist, particularly in a story told in a first person narrative. The story of Ben Aldrich could have been interesting, but instead was the most predictable plot device I have seen in any of Emerson's previous books. The ending was so-so, and if not for the strong narrative style, would not have been worth the effort. Dennis Lehane has done a much better job in recent years if presenting racial and class differences while presenting strong detective stories. I expect this to be one weak effort from Mr. Emerson and not indicative of anything, but I hope that as much effort will go into the storyline next time as into the characters and settings.

Not as bad as some reviews, but certainly not on par with some of the other reviews. The idea that the bad reviews are due to a reader not wanting to know that much about a 'poor African American family' is ridiculous, totally unsupported by the reviews themselves, and makes me wonder if Al Sharpton is posting reviews here now. Do not make the mistake of thinking that, because race is major factor in this novel, that that alone should somehow make the work exempt from an accurate review.

4 out of 5 stars Almost Perfect, Not Quite October 6, 2000
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

I've read all of Emerson's books, and this one just wasn't quite as great as the rest of them. It's hard to find fault with this writer since his protagonist is such a likeable character, living and working in my favorite city, but this was just kind of a downer for me. Eagerly awaiting Earl's next effort. Where in the damp Northwest will Thomas have his next (mis)adventure? I'd like to write Mr. Emerson personally, but don't know how. Please keep us up to date on coming books.

5 out of 5 stars New and welcome facets to the Thomas Black character. March 3, 1999
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I have to agree with the reader from Seattle. Did some readers not like this book due to its in-depth portrayal of an urban African-American family? Or did the book seem too serious to them after the manic "Million-Dollar Tattoo" (which is a classic!)?

I think Emerson did a helluva job making the intricate relationships believable without drawing racial caricatures, as well as depicting the difficulties facing a white P.I. struggling to sort through the subcultural undercurrents while solving a missing person/murder case.

Thomas Black books are addictive, and I'm already needing another fix.

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