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Detective Billy Able #2
The Gone Dead Train
Bestselling sensation Lisa Turner conjures a riveting Southern gothic mystery set in Memphis, with echoes of Midnight in The Garden of Good and Evil and Lisa Gardener, in which detective Billy Able is thrown into a vortex of bizarre murders, Santeria voodoo, flawed heroes, a damning photograph, and a stunning betrayal by a civil rights icon.
After time away to recover from the aftermath of a horrible case that left his partner dead, Billy's back in Memphis, drawn into an ever-widening murder mystery that focuses on flawed heroes: a disgraced major league baseball player, two legendary blues musicians on the lam, a straight-arrow lady cop tortured by a guilty conscience, and two iconic civil rights warriors with secrets so dark they'll shock the nation.
Detective Billy Able is at a crossroads. His previous case left him questioning everything he believed about his abilities as a cop and as a friend. Even though he's considering leaving police work behind, he's unable to turn off the instincts he's honed after a decade on the force.
But when he stops a crime from being committed, he finds himself embroiled in a much bigger scandal. A murder that has just taken place has connections to a series of much older crimes dating back to the civil rights movement. As he investigates, Billy uncovers so many layers of secrets he can barely keep the truth from the lies. And he knows the straight-laced cop assigned to the case is hiding something big. But is it connected to the case? This time he's determined to make sure he finds out the truth before anything else can happen. But as the search for truth with the help of a Santeria Priest leads him deeper into the underbelly of Memphis, will Billy make it out alive?
After time away to recover from the aftermath of a horrible case that left his partner dead, Billy's back in Memphis, drawn into an ever-widening murder mystery that focuses on flawed heroes: a disgraced major league baseball player, two legendary blues musicians on the lam, a straight-arrow lady cop tortured by a guilty conscience, and two iconic civil rights warriors with secrets so dark they'll shock the nation.
Detective Billy Able is at a crossroads. His previous case left him questioning everything he believed about his abilities as a cop and as a friend. Even though he's considering leaving police work behind, he's unable to turn off the instincts he's honed after a decade on the force.
But when he stops a crime from being committed, he finds himself embroiled in a much bigger scandal. A murder that has just taken place has connections to a series of much older crimes dating back to the civil rights movement. As he investigates, Billy uncovers so many layers of secrets he can barely keep the truth from the lies. And he knows the straight-laced cop assigned to the case is hiding something big. But is it connected to the case? This time he's determined to make sure he finds out the truth before anything else can happen. But as the search for truth with the help of a Santeria Priest leads him deeper into the underbelly of Memphis, will Billy make it out alive?
358 pages, Paperback
First published July 22, 2014
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1076 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
November 6, 2014
The pluses: Who doesn't love a good mystery with supernatural elements? I liked the inclusion of Santeria. Turner plays with the faith without really coming down on either side of it being effective or just a way to scare people. Likewise, her inclusion of blues music and the civil rights movement intrigued me. History and art are all over the pages of this book, providing a fantastic backdrop.
I was entertained all through the book, but a few things did fall flat for me. There were some loose ends and extraneous plot points that didn't feel necessary. There isn't exactly fresh ground covered by the main characters (the ruggedly handsome detective nursing a broken heart and a rookie with a chip on her shoulder and a lot to prove). Mostly I was bothered by the depiction of mental illness. The novel is written from a limited third person point of view, so we're mostly privy to the main characters' distasteful reactions. It felt like a cheap plot point and poorly handled at that.
I didn't read the first book in this series (and didn't realize it was a sequel), but I thought Turner did a good job establishing what happened in the previous novel. I may pick it up one day.
I was entertained all through the book, but a few things did fall flat for me. There were some loose ends and extraneous plot points that didn't feel necessary. There isn't exactly fresh ground covered by the main characters (the ruggedly handsome detective nursing a broken heart and a rookie with a chip on her shoulder and a lot to prove). Mostly I was bothered by the depiction of mental illness. The novel is written from a limited third person point of view, so we're mostly privy to the main characters' distasteful reactions. It felt like a cheap plot point and poorly handled at that.
I didn't read the first book in this series (and didn't realize it was a sequel), but I thought Turner did a good job establishing what happened in the previous novel. I may pick it up one day.
June 8, 2015
The Gone Dead Train, like the wondrous books of, say, Flannery O'Conner or Ann Pancake, just goes about its business telling about the folks on the lower ends of the American class system, the smart, the kind, the people who are ten pins in front of the big bowling ball of the system and the hard knocks. In Memphis, two legendary bluesmen squatting in a moldy building and victims of santería, a policewoman with a bit of a twist, something bent, not criminal, just bent, are out of place but trying hard and losing. Detective Billy Able is working to ably solve the case that has long roots into the web about Dr. King and his last hours in Memphis, and the witness of aging photos found in a Goodwill jacket. Getting to know Frankie, and Billy and Red "Daddy" Davis and Little Man and Dahlia, and Ramos and Mystica --and and and--unforgettable characters, living streets, long memories = an affecting and gripping read.
June 19, 2020
Busy, busy, busy.. that is about all I have to say. This is a multilayered story and every layer has a story that sort of goes on and on. The jacket promised the south, the Blues, Voodoo curses, murder, and more... and it was all there for sure... but maybe there might have been too many? While they all played to the center ... some started way out in the left field. I wonder if trying to reflect THE GARDEN OR GOOD AND EVIL, the Voodoo just seemed unnecessary to me. The hero, Sgt. Det. Billy Able. was just a good guy and was likable despite having significant flaws of personality and probably other areas of his life... He just seemed like a ... flake?
The first death is that of Little Man Lacy who dies fleeing toward the Mississippi River from a menace he calls “the Evils”, the second is guitarist/songwriter Red Davis who is found dead on a bench outside the Memphis train station. Later, a legendary baseball player whom Able admires perishes under suspicious circumstances and of course Able is the first suspect all while trying to be reinstated at the department. This fills the need for police interoffice conflict... Able pairs up with patrol officer Frankie Malone for the clandestine investigation into the death. Malone, of course, wants to promote to detective...
While I mildly enjoyed it, I had to make myself finish it... I just had a hard time warming up to it and Able.. about the time I knew where I was, the book would turn left and I had to play catch up. This is part of a series, but I don't think I will return to read it. The book did well as a stand-alone.
3 stars
Happy Reading!
The first death is that of Little Man Lacy who dies fleeing toward the Mississippi River from a menace he calls “the Evils”, the second is guitarist/songwriter Red Davis who is found dead on a bench outside the Memphis train station. Later, a legendary baseball player whom Able admires perishes under suspicious circumstances and of course Able is the first suspect all while trying to be reinstated at the department. This fills the need for police interoffice conflict... Able pairs up with patrol officer Frankie Malone for the clandestine investigation into the death. Malone, of course, wants to promote to detective...
While I mildly enjoyed it, I had to make myself finish it... I just had a hard time warming up to it and Able.. about the time I knew where I was, the book would turn left and I had to play catch up. This is part of a series, but I don't think I will return to read it. The book did well as a stand-alone.
3 stars
Happy Reading!
December 24, 2019
The story is great but definitely mistery or this kinda thriller aren’t my fave genre to read.
October 9, 2014
As it had been a while since I last read a murder mystery, I truly enjoyed reading The Gone Dead Train. After two blues musicians and a former baseball star who asked too many questions were murdered, Detective Billy Able, currently on leave, and Patrol Officer Frankie Malone follow their natural instincts as cops to solve the case. Too bad the cop actually assigned to these murders is a straight laced racist.
I simply couldn't put this many-layered mystery down. Apart from the beautifully written, never-a-dull-moment prose, colorful descriptions of Memphis, and the engaging cast of characters, the thrill of the hunt for the truth behind these deaths kept me turning the pages.
The characters, especially that of the main characters, Billy Able and Frankie Malone, are realistically crafted and well fleshed out. The author created believable back stories for both these characters; back stories that have a definite effect on how they relate to the case as well as to one another.
Other imaginative characters that make this book come alive include J.J. aka Jesus Junior, the Santerían priest, Sergio Ramos, and Theda Jones, an abused girl with a dream of stardom as well as a suspect who performs in drag at a club.
On the antagonist side of the character cast are two equally cleverly crafted characters. Don Dunsford, a supposed-to-be-good-guy who is, infact, woefully inept at police work and a blatant racist with a nastily malicious attitude towards Billy Able. The other, naturally, is the murderer, whose identity is skillfully kept a secret until just about the end.
With secrets dating back to, and deeply rooted in the civil rights era, The Gone Dead Train is a multifaceted, yet profoundly humane story anybody who loves a good mystery would want to read. (Ellen Fritz)
I simply couldn't put this many-layered mystery down. Apart from the beautifully written, never-a-dull-moment prose, colorful descriptions of Memphis, and the engaging cast of characters, the thrill of the hunt for the truth behind these deaths kept me turning the pages.
The characters, especially that of the main characters, Billy Able and Frankie Malone, are realistically crafted and well fleshed out. The author created believable back stories for both these characters; back stories that have a definite effect on how they relate to the case as well as to one another.
Other imaginative characters that make this book come alive include J.J. aka Jesus Junior, the Santerían priest, Sergio Ramos, and Theda Jones, an abused girl with a dream of stardom as well as a suspect who performs in drag at a club.
On the antagonist side of the character cast are two equally cleverly crafted characters. Don Dunsford, a supposed-to-be-good-guy who is, infact, woefully inept at police work and a blatant racist with a nastily malicious attitude towards Billy Able. The other, naturally, is the murderer, whose identity is skillfully kept a secret until just about the end.
With secrets dating back to, and deeply rooted in the civil rights era, The Gone Dead Train is a multifaceted, yet profoundly humane story anybody who loves a good mystery would want to read. (Ellen Fritz)
July 22, 2021
DNF'd at about 200 pages
I tried so so hard to get through this book but I just couldn't do it. The back cover promised a riveting mystery and all I ended up with was a curmudgeon detective with a "dark past" that whined too much. Billy Abel's entire identity was wrapped up in him being a cop and he never missed a chance to remind you that not only was he a cop, but he was damn good at his job. He was so invested in his job that it ruined his personal relationships which he whined about as if he wasnt part of the problem. Throw in the tropey Frankie, the young, cute female cop that's trying to make her way up through the ranks and prove herself to the sexiest and racist older male cops of the precinct all the while being desperately insecure because of her own past and you have one boring mystery. I couldnt even manage to care about the mystery because the characters were just so, so bad and boring. I don't care if Abel and Frankie work together in the future, and I don't care if they "get together" which is where this seemed to be leading when I stopped reading. I don't even care who the killer is. Not to mention how many typos this was riddled with, I dont know how it got past editing like this. This was just bad.
I tried so so hard to get through this book but I just couldn't do it. The back cover promised a riveting mystery and all I ended up with was a curmudgeon detective with a "dark past" that whined too much. Billy Abel's entire identity was wrapped up in him being a cop and he never missed a chance to remind you that not only was he a cop, but he was damn good at his job. He was so invested in his job that it ruined his personal relationships which he whined about as if he wasnt part of the problem. Throw in the tropey Frankie, the young, cute female cop that's trying to make her way up through the ranks and prove herself to the sexiest and racist older male cops of the precinct all the while being desperately insecure because of her own past and you have one boring mystery. I couldnt even manage to care about the mystery because the characters were just so, so bad and boring. I don't care if Abel and Frankie work together in the future, and I don't care if they "get together" which is where this seemed to be leading when I stopped reading. I don't even care who the killer is. Not to mention how many typos this was riddled with, I dont know how it got past editing like this. This was just bad.
August 15, 2016
It's hard to tell why, but I just didn't love this. That is reluctantly why I assigned it a less-than-sterling number of stars. It had potential, and it wasn't really bad, but I never warmed up to it, which I suspect happens to just about every writer. Some idiot, like myself, just doesn't get it. Well, certainly others will like it, and that's not a terrible thing. Perhaps it is the genre, which I do not read that much in.
July 15, 2014
What can I say? It is absolutely amazing! Engaging! Thought provoking! A great book for all readers. A mystery that has so many plot twists I couldn't stop reading. The creativity put behind the creation of this book is tremendous and deserves a job well done. I am so glad I read this book. Thank you, Ms. Turner.
September 10, 2016
Another book that was sitting on my to me read shelf. Sadly, I can't believe I waited so long to read this book. I loved the mystery, atmosphere, the musical references, and the characters of this book. The mystery surroundings the murders and the witch doctor was refreshing. This book is not your standard mystery/suspense novel. Thus the reason I enjoyed that it was different. Plus, I have not read a lot of books where the story took place in New Orleans. Which, I have never visited but I find it fascinating due to the history and intrigue. Thus the perfect setting for a murder mystery story.
Billy and Frankie were great independently of each other. However, they also worked well together. Both were very smart and picked up on clues and facts right away that others did not. Yet, together they were stronger. I am glad to see that this is the first book in this series. I plan to check into the next book as I do find Billy intriguing and I want to get to know him better.
Billy and Frankie were great independently of each other. However, they also worked well together. Both were very smart and picked up on clues and facts right away that others did not. Yet, together they were stronger. I am glad to see that this is the first book in this series. I plan to check into the next book as I do find Billy intriguing and I want to get to know him better.
May 5, 2014
The Gone Dead Train is about the South – the good, the bad and the ugly - in both present time Memphis and Memphis in the 1960s. It is about homicide detective Billy Able, who took a leave of absence after a case which hit too close to home, and who now must decide if he wants to continue to be a cop, assuming he doesn’t end up in jail for multiple murders. It is about Frankie Malone, a young female police officer with a debilitating secret, who hopes helping Able clear himself will get her promoted to detective and not fired. It is about Santeria voodoo, possible FBI conspiracy dating back to the 60s and an overall great read. The Gone Dead Train is, I hope, just the beginning of of a new police procedural series starring Able and Malone.
April 23, 2015
Some will come to this as I did, because of King Solomon Hill's Classic Blues track of 1932 'Gone Dead Train' recorded by many apart from him, not least Randy Newman and Neil Young's band Crazy Horse.
Blues music indeed features highly during the book. It is the story of three murders re; two blues musicians and a baseball player.
The setting is as appealing as the music. Memphis is brought to life in Turner's writing, in the period just after Katrina when many had resettled there from the Big Easy.
With its music background, and the occasional seedy side of the city, there are shades of Celestin's great 'Axeman's Jazz' about this.
A good cast of characters also, but the storyline isn't quite as strong, and at times fractured. Nonetheless, an enjoyable read.
Blues music indeed features highly during the book. It is the story of three murders re; two blues musicians and a baseball player.
The setting is as appealing as the music. Memphis is brought to life in Turner's writing, in the period just after Katrina when many had resettled there from the Big Easy.
With its music background, and the occasional seedy side of the city, there are shades of Celestin's great 'Axeman's Jazz' about this.
A good cast of characters also, but the storyline isn't quite as strong, and at times fractured. Nonetheless, an enjoyable read.
August 12, 2014
I really want to like these books so either I'm suddenly ADD or they just don't catch my attention. so much potential and yet the storyline simply leaves something to be desired.
April 7, 2015
A stunning Southern mystery set in Memphis. Santaferian voodoo, a flawed hero and a tough cookie of a heroine makes for a wonderful mix. Great read
November 5, 2015
A terrific mystery about Memphis' musicians who's strange deaths were somehow tied to voodoo. Excellent characters and well written suspense.
June 9, 2016
Just loved this book. I was captivated from beginning to end with Southern locale, blues musicians, santeria and decades old secrets.
March 3, 2018
On a long drive to visit my grandmother ailing in hospital, I decided to just pick whatever audiobook was available on the library app in the detective section. I had no idea it was part of a series until I added it to my goodreads today! So I can certainly say it stands up as a stand alone.
The plot was complex enough that I was never sure how it would come together. The only reason I believed that the deaths were related was because I was reading them in the context of a detective story, so that usually means something... I did suspect the culprit towards the end, but that didn't take away from the plot, because I suspected around the same time as the investigator did.
All in all, a really good choice for a long drive, and I'm glad I read it. I'm not sure if I'll go back and read #1... perhaps next long drive?
The plot was complex enough that I was never sure how it would come together. The only reason I believed that the deaths were related was because I was reading them in the context of a detective story, so that usually means something... I did suspect the culprit towards the end, but that didn't take away from the plot, because I suspected around the same time as the investigator did.
All in all, a really good choice for a long drive, and I'm glad I read it. I'm not sure if I'll go back and read #1... perhaps next long drive?
January 12, 2020
I wanted to like it more than I did.. the jacket seems promising; the South, the Blues, a Voodoo curse .. intriguing. The story isn't bad but it suffered from too many unnecessary "sidebars' and the 3rd person narrative was a little simplistic for my liking .. good supernatural overtones and an intriguing (and very flawed but likable) hero save the book to some extent. I've read much worse but I've also read much better.
March 31, 2018
I wish all mysteries were this good
Memphis Blues with a generous side of murder, racist history, and even black magic. This is what my dear Mom would have called “a good gripper.” Great atmosphere, memorable characters, convoluted plotting that all comes together in the end. Enjoy.
Memphis Blues with a generous side of murder, racist history, and even black magic. This is what my dear Mom would have called “a good gripper.” Great atmosphere, memorable characters, convoluted plotting that all comes together in the end. Enjoy.
June 7, 2018
Interesting to read about Santeria. I didn't think the story was terribly gripping. There wasn't much of a sense of urgency to solve the case, despite what the main character was going through. The end chase was pretty good. I wasn't sure who was guilty, but I don't know if it was because of me missing clues, or clues missing in the book.
June 16, 2017
So so. Good atmosphere but I guess I'm not a fan of the gumshoe police procedural. Too much treading water until something happens. Agree with other reviewers that the tropes of weary detective who got dumped and the fresh-faced ambitious young woman cop is hackneyed.
September 25, 2017
I found this to be a fascinating book. It was full of the terrible times of segregation (which still haunt us),and showed us a protagonist who believes in the mission to see that justice is done. Colorful and interesting characters all over the place. What more can I ask?
May 29, 2021
Although I didn't read #1 (my public library doesn't even own it) and know nothing about the main character's background, I liked the storyline and found the main character sympathetic. Interesting sideline into Santeria. Cannot compare with The Garden of Good and Evil.
April 18, 2023
I couldn't get into it. I tried, but I read multiple books at a time and didn't want to go back to it. The story feels dated, has cliched characters, and is predictable. So, I'll cut my losses and move on.
November 19, 2016
Great book
I love a good mystery and this one delivered! Great mystery. Edge of your seat tension. Fantastic characters. A must read!
I love a good mystery and this one delivered! Great mystery. Edge of your seat tension. Fantastic characters. A must read!
May 12, 2017
So much better than the other two in this series. I much prefer when the focus is on the case rather than on Billy's love life.
June 26, 2017
Great
Great read can't wait to read the next one. I think Billy and Frankie will make great partners in everything.
Great read can't wait to read the next one. I think Billy and Frankie will make great partners in everything.
July 12, 2017
Enjoyable story and characters.
August 2, 2017
The Gone Dead Train by Lisa Turner is a great read. Detective Billy Able is deep into a thrilling case. I really enjoyed it.
October 21, 2017
It was okay. Interesting but not compelling.
June 20, 2018
Loved this story set in the south where we have multiple murders to solve and jazz.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews