Ash Dark as Night

by Gary Phillips

In the follow-up to One-Shot Harry, fearless crime photographer and occasional private eye Harry Ingram finds himself im the LAPD's crosshairs after capturing damning evidence of police brutality.

An atmospheric dive into a city on the brink that's brimming with remarkable historical detail, Ash Dark as Night is perfect for fans of Walter Mosley and James Ellroy.

Los Angeles, August 1965. Anger and pent-up frustrations boil over in the Watts neighborhood after a traffic stop of two Black motorists. As the Watts riots explode, crime photographer Harry Ingram snaps photos at the scene, including images of the police as they unleash batons, dogs, and water hoses on civilians. When he captures the image of an unarmed activist being shot down by the cops, he winds up in the hospital, beaten, his camera missing. Proof of the unjust killing seems lost—until Ingram’s girlfriend, Anita Claire, retrieves the hidden film in a daring rescue. The photo makes front-page news.

A recuperating Ingram is approached by Betty Payton, a comrade of Anita’s mother, who wants Ingram’s help tracking down her business associate Moses “Mose” Tolbert, last seen during the riots. Ingram follows the investigation down a rabbit hole of burglary rings, bank robberies, looted cash, and clandestine agendas—all the while grappling with his newfound fame, which puts him in the sightlines of LAPD’s secretive intelligence division.

Ash Dark as Night is a nail-biting ride-along through midcentury Los Angeles with a crime fiction legend in the driver’s seat.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Historical, Historical Fiction, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

312 pages, Hardcover

Published April 2, 2024

About the author

GARY PHILLIPS has been a community activist, labor organizer and delivered dog cages. He’s published various novels, comics, short stories and edited several anthologies including South Central Noir and the Anthony award-winning The Obama Inheritance: Fifteen Stories of Conspiracy Noir. Violent Spring, first published in 1994 was named in 2020 one of the essential crime novels of Los Angeles. He was also a writer/co-producer on FX’s Snowfall (streaming on Hulu), about crack and the CIA in 1980s South Central where he grew up. Recent novels include One-Shot Harry and Matthew Henson and the Ice Temple of Harlem. He lives with his family in the wilds of Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series set in Los Angeles in the 1960s. It features Harry Ingram, an Army veteran, freelance photographer and process server. I also read the first book, “One-Shot Harry”, but this book can be read as a standalone. In this book, Harry photographs an instance of police brutality during the Watts riot, putting him in the crosshairs of a police intelligence unit.

I like the historical details of this series. The beginning of the book, when Harry was photographing the riot, has a vivid, documentary feel to it. The later part of the book, when Harry is searching for a missing man, felt messy and I didn’t find it as compelling. No resolution is reached in the end. Maybe it will be in book 3. I referred the first book, but I will continue to read the series. As with the first book, the audiobook was narrated by Leon Nixon. He again did an excellent job.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gary Phillips' forthcoming novel, Ash Dark as Night (Scheduled for publication: April 2, 2024; ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C9ZDTB3R; Publisher ‏ : ‎ Soho Crime) is a follow-up to his earlier One-Shot Harry novel, which also features as the hero/amateur detective photographer Harry Ingram. That earlier novel was also set in South-Central Los Angeles, but in 1963, exploring racial tensions between the community and Captain Parker's LAPD.

Ash Dark as Night picks up Ingram's story in 1965 as the Watts Riots began and Ingram is right in the middle of the action. As looting and arson take over neighborhoods in South Central, Ingram is out with his camera, photographing what is going on, including a car pulled over and an altercation between the police and a community organizer, resulting in a death. Ingram captures the moment, showing that the man shot appeared to be unarmed and his photograph made the papers, resulting in a brief moment of fame for Ingram. Phillips' prose captures the mood of the moment, including both the lawlessness and the anger in South Central. You also get the sense that this moment in 1965 was different in tone and feel from the later Los Angeles riots in 1991 and 2020 and was more tied to the Civil Rights movement.

The story continues in the days following the outbreak of violence on the streets as Ingram is accosted by the police, his camera taken, his body beaten, and the story turns to his search for an acquaintance of his girlfriend's family who has been missing. Amidst the search for this person, Ingram navigates across the city as his home is bugged by Parker's Intelligence Division and Reverend King comes to the city to bring some peace and channel the energies in a positive way.

This novel is at its best in the first half, detailing the mood and activity as the city descends into chaos. The later half is a little less compact and takes a decided shift to a smaller story about the search for the missing friend. The characters are extremely well-developed, particularly Ingram and Anita Claire, who retrieves his missing film in the midst of looting and under the eyes of the police.

This reviewer received an advance reader's copy for purposes of review.

[Sarah-Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ash Dark as Night is the second volume in Gary Phillips' series featuring Black freelance photographer Harry Ingram. The series is set in the first half of the 1960s. Ingram, a veteran of the Korean War, is doing the best he can to make his living as a news photographer, taking on side jobs as a process server when necessary in order to make ends meet. Given the times, police-press relationships are hostile, particularly when the police are white and the photographer Black.

Ash Dark as Night opens in the midst of the Watts riots. Ingram is on the ground, looking for shots he might be able to sell to local newspapers. One photo, of the death of a rising activist at police hands, has Ingram in all kinds of trouble; he's badly beaten and his camera is seized. Matters are further complicated when Ingram begins searching for a man who disappeared during the riots. Was he also a victim of the police?

I find this series compelling because of its setting during a time of violent transition in the U.S. and the Black Angelino community it represents. This new installment is more ambitious and less tidy than the first volume, One-Shot Harry. Plot lines mesh, then unravel, and there's no neat resolution at the book's end—just more questions. The good news is that those unanswered questions promise more volumes to come.

If you appreciate historical mysteries that explore the contradictions of the times in which they're set and that are firmly based in the perspective of often-marginalized communities, you'll want to keep an eye out for this series.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss; the opinions are my own.

[Ilyse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Will borrow not buy the next in the series

[Betsy Cornwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a teenager when I listened to news reports of "rioting" in Watts, Los Angeles. This book took me back there to experience the event as an adult. Everything about the time and place feels authentic. Ingraham and Claire are complex characters. I found them easy to love despite their occasionally shocking behavior.
With all that, reading this book wasn't easy. I frequently had trouble sorting the pronouns. When two men are speaking, it doesn't help to call both of them "he." The writing felt unnecessarily awkward, as in "the man behind the wheel wearing a sport coat." I wouldn't usually call out details like that, but in this case, the writing seriously interfered with my enjoyment of an otherwise great book.

[Lexes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listen! This book will have your attention starting from page one until the end. I felt this is one of the few stories I've read that played out as if it was a movie with characters that were full of wits, smartness, and humor. Above all, I thought I was guessing a couple of the mysteries right but I couldn't have been further from the truth. I just loved the vibes and the feeling of fighting for progress, justice, and community this book brought me.

It felt like I was reading a story wrapped on a beautiful summer day with all our people around taking a stand and joining together. absolutely loved the book and loved Harry and Anita even more.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance audiobook of this title. The audiobook was very well done, and the narrator handled a large and diverse cast of characters well, I love that the book started during the Watts riots and we get a picture of LA during that point in history. It was definitely an inflection point and both good and bad followed. Tom Bradley and Martin Luther King Jr make appearances in the book. The plot itself had many different threads and characters, not all of which are well-developed or come together in the end. I wish it had been more tightly plotted and that a fewer number of characters had been better fleshed out.

[Ink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ash Dark as Night by Gary Phillips and narrated by Leon Nixon is Book 2 of the "A Harry Ingram Mystery" series and the first audiobook I have listened to from this author and it is outstanding

Leon Nixon has a beautiful timbre that is at once strong and calm, undulating with thhe flow of the narrative in spectacular fashion

Gary Phillips is a master of atmospheric, authentic narrative and dialogue, interspersing historical fact in a powerful opening to the novel with an intriguing mystery to fill out the storyline

The story is based during the Watts Riots of 1965 which took place at a time of continuing civil and social unrest due to illegal Residential Segregation which continued even after the state courts ruled in 1948 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The trigger point came after a young African American motorist was stopped for a sobreity test and his mother was struck, inciting outrage and rioting in a systemically marginalised community

Harry Ingram is a Crime Photographer and for the purposes of the riot he is Press (as he identifies himself to the white police officers that challenge him) Harry Ingram captures multiple images of the riot, culminating in having just 4 plates left, when he sees a that of a young, unarmed protestor on top of a car who cries out; "No-one needs to be made dead over getting some bread" and as Harry shoots the picture, the police shoot their guns, fatally wounding the young protester. One of the police notices Harry moving away and that he has a camera, immediately reacting to the potential implications and sets about him, smashing his camera and taking the film out, exposing it to the sunlight, except, he removes the wrong film from the wrong camera

Harry is knocked unconscious and wakes up in a prison hospital, where his gf Anita Claire comes to visit him. She has a litany of secrets of her own, that she is terrified to share with Harry, but she braves going back into the fray of the riot to retrieve the photographic plate and get it to the press. The picture is then plastered across the media, and while it does not show the flash of the gun that shot the fatal bullet, it creates an outcry across LA from one side and denial from the other. However, there is more than one soul lost on this day and HArry is soon asked to seek out Mose Tolbert for his GF's mother, which turns up a lot more than he was expecting

An outstanding piece of fact/fiction crossover that smashes beyond the genre of crime thriller and into literature. HIghly compelling and utterly immersive. Brilliant

Thank you to Netgalley, RB Media | Recorded Books, the author Gary Phillips and narrator Leon Nixon for this awesome ALC

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Ash Dark as Night is a novel featuring photographer and PI Harry Ingram, written by Gary Phillips. Released 2nd April 2024 by Soho Press on their Soho Crime imprint, it's 241 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback due out late 2nd quarter 2025 from the same publisher. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout.

This is a very well written gritty PI mystery set in LA in 1965. Harry captures undeniable proof of routine police brutality against the backdrop of the LA race riots which puts a target on his, Harry's back. Trying to get the proof published in the papers is a daunting nail-biting effort, aided by Harry's gutsy and brave girlfriend.

The book's prose is redolent of the time period and the dialogue is smart and whip-sharp. The cynicism from the main characters is palpable (and expected, given the overt deadly casual racism and economic injustice of the time).

The mystery is well written and leads to a satisfying (if bitter) denouement and resolution. The author has woven his story around a framework of real life history so skillfully that it's not always clear where history shades into fiction. It's not at all derivative, but the style and story will suit fans of Walter Mosley, Robert Crais, and James Ellroy.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 8 hours 20 minutes and is capably read by Leon Nixon. He has a well modulated, warm, rumbly baritone and handles the rapid dialogue without fumbles. He delineates the varied characters of both sexes and a range of socioeconomic classes and ethnicities clearly and without confusing the listener.

Four stars. It should be on the acquisitions lists for most public libraries, and would make a good choice for fans of historical PI noir.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[J Kromrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Ash Dark as Night by Gary Phillips is a riveting addition to the canon of Los Angeles noir, a genre that has been graced by the likes of Walter Mosley and James Ellroy. Set against the backdrop of the 1965 Watts riots, this novel not only tells a story but evokes a world teeming with tension, injustice, and the struggle for civil rights.

The protagonist, Harry Ingram, is a freelance news photographer who finds himself in the crosshairs of the LAPD after capturing a photo that becomes emblematic of police brutality. This image sets off a chain of events that sees Harry navigating a labyrinth of criminal malfeasance, where the lines between right and wrong are blurred by necessity and survival.

Phillips' writing is atmospheric, immersing the reader in the smoggy, charged streets of mid-century Los Angeles. His characters are complex and multifaceted, from Harry's lover Anita Claire, a field deputy who moonlights as a modern-day Robin Hood, to the various figures of the LAPD, whose corruption Harry inadvertently uncovers.

The narrative is a nail-biting ride-along that doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of its time. It's a story of contrasts, where acts of heroism and altruism exist alongside systemic oppression and violence. Phillips does an excellent job of folding real historical figures and events into the narrative, adding a layer of authenticity to the tale.

In essence, Ash Dark as Night is a historical snapshot and a social commentary, wrapped in the guise of a detective novel. It's a book that not only entertains but also prompts reflection on the ongoing issues of racial inequality and police brutality. With its rich historical detail and compelling storytelling, Gary Phillips' latest work is a must-read for fans of the genre and newcomers alike.

[Kry Tiger · Rating 4 out of 5]

***This was a Goodreads Giveaway ARC win.. was gifted this book in return for an honest review. This is my honest review.

It's 1965. August, LA. Riots have broken out - race riots in the Watts neighborhood. War vet and photographer, Harry Ingram, is on the scene. Walking the neighborhoods, he snaps pictures of looters, law enforcement detaining men and woman, and the destruction that comes with the demand of equality among races. But when Ingram captures an activist being gunned down in a crowd by law enforcement, Ingram knows exactly what he has to do with this film: publish it. Only that brings the law down on him. Soon, he and his girlfriend, Anita, are being watched a little too closely by Johnny Law, and they have to take matters into their own hands. Or risk falling into theirs. Not only is Ingram getting heat for his photo, but now a man is missing, and it somehow has to do with the riots. Can Ingram find Mose before he too falls into the wrong hands? Who is on his side? And who wouldn't mind seeing him get knocked down a peg or two??

This was such a good mystery novel. I really enjoyed it. I did, however, think that it was going to get real deep into the espionage side of things (you'll know once you read it), but it didn't. It just kind of ended. That was a little disappointing, but maybe that's for the next book. This is my first time reading Gary Phillips, and I'm impressed. I really liked his style of writing - the dialogue was not corny at all, and that's hard to pull off sometimes. I would like to read more from hiim.

[Rodney Gitzel]

Got this from the library. First section during the rioting quite engaging. Fell off from there.

It was an okay story, though not much of a mystery -- or rather the "mystery" seemed to resolve itself.

The characters were confusing. First off, calling the protagonist's girlfriend by her last name? It was several chapters when he mentions "Anita" and I was immediately thought, "who the F is Anita? Is he cheating on his girlfriend?" I had go back and scan to finally figure out that "Claire" was actually her last name. If you are going to refer to all your characters by their last name only, then perhaps be more particular about the names? "Anita Claire"?

References to names in general were confusing, particularly with a lot of characters appearing very briefly. So later in the book I'd be scanning back trying to find a name on the one page it appeared.

A number of characters, like his war buddies, appear to be mentioned only to keep including them in the Ingram-verse? Why did we need to know the details of he and his two friends being silent part owners of a grocery store, and that the agreement written up was stored in a safe somewhere?

Ultimately it felt like the book did not have an editor. Near the end (p. 288) was the strangest sentence:

"Not only did that rattle me, but I was to figure out if Gavin or Rickler were informing."

More scanning to verify that the one single character was explicitly named "Gavin Rickler" so.... what? He didn't seem the informing type, so... what?

Oh well.

[James Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it, for some odd reason, doesn't say so, this is the second book in the a series about Harry Ingram, a black news photographer in 1960s Los Angeles. The first book was set during the Watts riots and a speech by Martin Luther King, Jr., called One-Shot Harry; this one is set shortly after and is less tied to real-world events.

A missing person leads to Harry being hired for the second time to do some investigating, instead of photographing or writing. This one leads to his woman, Claire, getting involved with one of her communist friends, undercover in a criminal casino.

Illegal wire-taps, out-of-control cops, mobsters, and femme fatales, one of whom is his love. An enjoyable mystery tale with a generous helping of action and adventure.

[Linda Rorex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Harry Ingram mystery series by Gary Phillips. Set during the Watts riots in August 1965 Los Angeles, Harry Ingram, a crime photographer captures powerful photos of police brutality of officers using police dogs, batons, and hoses against civil unrest. Ingram photographs the killing of an unarmed activist by the police and he is beaten and ends up in the hospital. Ingram's girlfriend Anita Claire finds the photo and it makes it on the front page news. After leaving the hospital Ingram is hired by Betty Payton a friend of Anita's mother to locate Moses Tolbert. As Ingram conducts his investigation, he finds burglary rings, bank robberies and other crimes putting him under the watchful eye of LAPD's secretive intelligence division. I really enjoyed this amazing suspense thriller fiction novel. I had the pleasure of meeting the author at a book signing and was intrigued by this novel.

[Destanye B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry but I was not a fan of this book. It wasn't even a real mystery to me.
Please see my pros and cons below:

Pros


Cons
- There were a lot of cringey sex scenes
- Again, this didn't feel like a mystery to me. Also, it feels disoriented with the story of the Watts riot and this wannabe mystery.
- Again, the mystery should have had more to do with the riots then this random side quest
- Also, I don't think he actually found Mose. Mose came to him
- At the beginning of the book the main woman character was one called Anita, and then Clair,e and it wasn't for many chapters till you found it was her first and last name Anita Claire, but they would refer to her as one or the other. It's like the author forgot what he wanted to call her.
- Nothing was really resolved

[Eydie sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the first book in this series called One Shot Harry. It was so good. I was looking forward to the second installment, Ash Black As Night. Although the main theme, The Watts riots, definitely held my interest because I was an 8 year old girl in 1965, and as an ally, I am now 67.The Civil Rights era and ongoing battles for equality for all is very important to me. But the author wasted the entire chance to educate people about what was endured by blacks with gratuitous, unnecessary graphic sex scenes. It was revolting. I don't like to read about intimate things. I wanted to be educated. It ruined the entire book for me. While I will check out the third installment, if it's just more unnecessary sex scenes that do absolutely nothing to advance the plot, I'm done.

[Mystica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harry is a good photographer and he is in the eye of the storm in 1965 downtown Chicago in the maelstrom of riots. He gets good photographs of police brutality very clear and concise, and then finds himself at odds with the local police force.

When recuperating he is approached to track down Tolbert which in turn takes Harry down the road of bank corruption, wheeling and dealing and robberies. All the while being in the crosshairs of LAPD intelligence.

Very reminiscent of current events and riots in cities across the world, with no sign of abating. Is this a sign of the breakdown of justice, fairplay all around?

The first half of the story is fast paced, the second part less so.

[David Odeen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garry Phillips to my delight returned with Harry Ingram, Anita Claire duo in Ash Dark Night. A gritty crime novel featuring Harry Ingram photographer and pretty darn good PI. Harry finds himself in the middle of a LA riot and he snaps a photo of a young man shot and killed. The police try to cover this up, of course, and Harry's photo is published showing the man clearly had to weapon.

Phillips has created two very good crime novels. Harry's a great character, but Anita Claire has a lot to be explored. Highly Recommended .

[Pattyh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you for the opportunity to preview Ash Dark as Night. Set in another time but not so different than today. Racial tensions set in 1965 begin this novel and a man who sees something and captures it on film is the center of a mystery. Part 2 of the series.
Well written and a real gumshoe novel. 3 stars

[Jean Kowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grit, Dirt, and Tension set in 1965 Los Angeles, yes this is a book, but Author Phillips carries this story with such authenticity that it reads like something that might have been exactly what happened. A good read and a cautionary tale.

[Debby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This mystery with a historical backdrop starts hot, but loses its sizzle. Read my full review here.

Publication day was April 2.

#NetGalley #RBMedia #AshDarkasNight

[Marci Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a tough read and rage-inducing, as it should be. Racism is disgusting. Gary Phillips does a great job of putting you into the scene and life of those in his story. I have added all of his books to my TBR.

#AshDarkasNight
#NetGalley

[Duane Gosser · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had never read any of Mr. Phillips works before jumping into this one. His style is excellent and I really enjoyed the characters. However, the overall story was just OK and the ending not great. I will read some more of his work as he is good enough to rate a couple more rounds.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

2nd book of One Shot Harry Ingram. Love the characters and the historical setting of the Watts riots. But got lost in the weeds of the search for Mose, the corrupt police practices, the Morning Bandit, etc.

[The Sass Man · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book!

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to thank the Goodreads Giveaway Program and SoHo Crime for the opportunity to read this novel

A very good read

[phil breidenbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad,

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read One-Shot Harry first.

[John Raspanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book. Not the style of Walter Mosley, but only Mosley does Mosley. The story is at times convoluted, but Harry Ingram is an excellent character.

[Eric C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good storyline and great chemistry between Ingram n Anita, who has an interesting back story. In the realm of Walter Mosley but not quite as captivating or with sinister acquaintances.