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Frank Clemons #1
Sacrificial Ground
(7 Audio Cassettes) A stunningly beautiful and wealthy teenaged girl is found dead in an abandoned lot in a bad part of town. Frank Clemons, a cop who is struggling with some demons of his own, is drawn into Atlanta’s unsavory art world in order to solve a crime of innocence corrupted.
288 pages, Paperback
First published March 24, 1988
About the author
Thomas H. Cook
99 books359 followersThere is more than one author with this name on Goodreads.
Thomas H. Cook has been praised by critics for his attention to psychology and the lyrical nature of his prose. He is the author of more than 30 critically-acclaimed fiction books, including works of true crime. Cook published his first novel, Blood Innocents, in 1980. Cook published steadily through the 1980s, penning such works as the Frank Clemons trilogy, a series of mysteries starring a jaded cop.
He found breakout success with The Chatham School Affair (1996), which won an Edgar Award for best novel. Besides mysteries, Cook has written two true-crime books including the Edgar-nominated Blood Echoes (1993). He lives and works in New York City.
Awards
Edgar Allan Poe – Best Novel – The Chatham School Affair
Barry Award – Best Novel – Red Leaves
Martin Beck Award of the Swedish Academy of Detection – The Chatham School Affair
Martin Beck Award of the Swedish Academy of Detection – Red Leaves
Herodotus Prize – Fatherhood
Thomas H. Cook has been praised by critics for his attention to psychology and the lyrical nature of his prose. He is the author of more than 30 critically-acclaimed fiction books, including works of true crime. Cook published his first novel, Blood Innocents, in 1980. Cook published steadily through the 1980s, penning such works as the Frank Clemons trilogy, a series of mysteries starring a jaded cop.
He found breakout success with The Chatham School Affair (1996), which won an Edgar Award for best novel. Besides mysteries, Cook has written two true-crime books including the Edgar-nominated Blood Echoes (1993). He lives and works in New York City.
Awards
Edgar Allan Poe – Best Novel – The Chatham School Affair
Barry Award – Best Novel – Red Leaves
Martin Beck Award of the Swedish Academy of Detection – The Chatham School Affair
Martin Beck Award of the Swedish Academy of Detection – Red Leaves
Herodotus Prize – Fatherhood
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
April 28, 2019
Lu en Français.
J’adore Thomas H. Cook! C’est le troisième livre que je lis de lui et je les ai tous adorés. Celui-ci est un roman policier plus classique, mais au-delà de l’enquête, c’est la force des personnages, la beauté de l’écriture, l’ambiance, l’atmosphère, mais surtout la réflexion sociale sur les secrets de tous, les vies secrètes, la façade publique, etc. qui semble être un thème récurant chez Cook. Un roman qui va plus loin que les limites de son genre. Un très bon livre et un auteur à découvrir si ce n’est pas déjà fait!
J’adore Thomas H. Cook! C’est le troisième livre que je lis de lui et je les ai tous adorés. Celui-ci est un roman policier plus classique, mais au-delà de l’enquête, c’est la force des personnages, la beauté de l’écriture, l’ambiance, l’atmosphère, mais surtout la réflexion sociale sur les secrets de tous, les vies secrètes, la façade publique, etc. qui semble être un thème récurant chez Cook. Un roman qui va plus loin que les limites de son genre. Un très bon livre et un auteur à découvrir si ce n’est pas déjà fait!
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May 29, 2014Sacrificial Ground, by Thomas H. Cook, B-plus, Narrated by Michael Sutherland, Produced by High Bridge Company, downloaded from audible.com.
This is the first in the Frank Clemons series. Frank, a homicide detective in Atlanta, is assigned to a case involving the body of a beautiful White teenage girl laid out without a stitch of clothing in the weeds in the poorest part of town, where she clearly doesn’t belong. To Frank, it’s too close to his own personal life where his teenage daughter committed suicide and ended in his divorce and sinking into alcoholism. His only salvation is finding justice for the dead, and he sets out to find out whether this girl was killed or committed suicide. He has a very hard time because she seemingly had no friends at her school. Even her sister, with whom she had lived since their parents’ deaths, knew almost nothing about her and hadn’t actually been in her bedroom since the girl was 11 years old. We see Frank pursuing dogged interview after interview to come on a very tragic outcome. Cook is especially good at creating atmosphere, and dialogues for interviews. His only problem is the adverb clauses he includes way too often in Frank’s responses, such as “Frank asked quickly” or “Frank answered immediately” etc. It’s fairly annoying. Despite this drawback, the book and its mystery are quite good.
This is the first in the Frank Clemons series. Frank, a homicide detective in Atlanta, is assigned to a case involving the body of a beautiful White teenage girl laid out without a stitch of clothing in the weeds in the poorest part of town, where she clearly doesn’t belong. To Frank, it’s too close to his own personal life where his teenage daughter committed suicide and ended in his divorce and sinking into alcoholism. His only salvation is finding justice for the dead, and he sets out to find out whether this girl was killed or committed suicide. He has a very hard time because she seemingly had no friends at her school. Even her sister, with whom she had lived since their parents’ deaths, knew almost nothing about her and hadn’t actually been in her bedroom since the girl was 11 years old. We see Frank pursuing dogged interview after interview to come on a very tragic outcome. Cook is especially good at creating atmosphere, and dialogues for interviews. His only problem is the adverb clauses he includes way too often in Frank’s responses, such as “Frank asked quickly” or “Frank answered immediately” etc. It’s fairly annoying. Despite this drawback, the book and its mystery are quite good.
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April 26, 2026Il y a quelques jours, j’ai entendu des voix. Vu ce qui est arrivé à Jeanne d’Arc, et comme la chaleur excessive et moi font trois, je me suis dit qu’il vaudrait mieux percer le mystère avant de revêtir mon armure et de grimper sur le dos d’un cheval pour m’enfuir. De toute façon, il était hors de question que j’abandonne mes livres (sachant que je suis mariée… chacun ses priorités).
Et c’est alors qu’un éclair de lucidité m’a traversé l’esprit (vu que d’habitude, ce sont plutôt des idées farfelues qui m’habitent, j’étais plutôt ravie) : et si c’étaient mes livres qui s’adressaient à moi ? Je me suis rapprochée et, là, j’ai entendu « Lisez-moi ! Lisez-moi ! Lisez-moi ! », qui plus est sur la musique de Billy Ze Kick (ce qui explique, entre autres, pourquoi ils s’adressaient à moi en me vouvoyant – comme si tout le reste était parfaitement normal…). Je me suis rapprochée encore un peu (je ne suis peut-être pas dure de la feuille, mais en ce qui concerne mes coquillards, c’est une autre histoire) et mon choix s’est porté sur celui-ci (les autres attendront leur tour).
Alors, il faut savoir que, même s’il est écrit « inédit » sur la quatrième de couverture (ce qui n’est pas tout à fait exact, puisqu’il s’agit plutôt d’une nouvelle traduction), ce roman policier date de 1988 et que l’on est donc sur un polar « à l’ancienne ». Pas de technologies de pointe pour élucider le meurtre d’Angelica Devereaux, dix-huit ans, dont le corps a été retrouvé dans un terrain vague, sans aucune trace de violence, dans une position qui n’est pas sans faire penser à une mise en scène. Frank Clemons, inspecteur alcoolique et divorcé à la suite du suicide de sa fille, trois ans plus tôt, va se lancer corps et âme dans cette enquête qui devient, pour lui, une obsession.
Au-delà de l’enquête, ce que j’ai particulièrement apprécié, ce sont les digressions du partenaire de Franck. Ces digressions dépeignent une Atlanta des années 80, sombre et contrastée, où la prostitution a fait place à d’autres formes de dérives. Le récit peut sembler lent au premier abord, mais cette langueur, à laquelle les fortes chaleurs ne sont pas étrangères, installe une atmosphère particulière, scindant la ville en deux : les riches au nord, les pauvres au sud.
Bref, un roman policier d’atmosphère et psychologique, qui laisse entrevoir le succès que Thomas H. Cook connaîtra par la suite avec, notamment, 𝒜𝓊-𝒹𝑒𝓁à 𝒹𝑒 𝓉𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓈𝑜𝓊𝓅ç𝑜𝓃, lauréat du prestigieux Prix Edgar Allan Poe.
Pour la petite anecdote, il est écrit, toujours sur la quatrième de couverture, « Cook change de ton : Chandler n’est pas très loin », et, forcément, j’ai pensé en premier à Chandler Bing, le roi du sarcasme, ce qui donne en effet un tout autre ton, alors que j’imagine que l’on fait ici allusion à Raymond Chandler, pour beaucoup le maître du roman policier noir.
https://www.instagram.com/aliceintheo...
Et c’est alors qu’un éclair de lucidité m’a traversé l’esprit (vu que d’habitude, ce sont plutôt des idées farfelues qui m’habitent, j’étais plutôt ravie) : et si c’étaient mes livres qui s’adressaient à moi ? Je me suis rapprochée et, là, j’ai entendu « Lisez-moi ! Lisez-moi ! Lisez-moi ! », qui plus est sur la musique de Billy Ze Kick (ce qui explique, entre autres, pourquoi ils s’adressaient à moi en me vouvoyant – comme si tout le reste était parfaitement normal…). Je me suis rapprochée encore un peu (je ne suis peut-être pas dure de la feuille, mais en ce qui concerne mes coquillards, c’est une autre histoire) et mon choix s’est porté sur celui-ci (les autres attendront leur tour).
Alors, il faut savoir que, même s’il est écrit « inédit » sur la quatrième de couverture (ce qui n’est pas tout à fait exact, puisqu’il s’agit plutôt d’une nouvelle traduction), ce roman policier date de 1988 et que l’on est donc sur un polar « à l’ancienne ». Pas de technologies de pointe pour élucider le meurtre d’Angelica Devereaux, dix-huit ans, dont le corps a été retrouvé dans un terrain vague, sans aucune trace de violence, dans une position qui n’est pas sans faire penser à une mise en scène. Frank Clemons, inspecteur alcoolique et divorcé à la suite du suicide de sa fille, trois ans plus tôt, va se lancer corps et âme dans cette enquête qui devient, pour lui, une obsession.
Au-delà de l’enquête, ce que j’ai particulièrement apprécié, ce sont les digressions du partenaire de Franck. Ces digressions dépeignent une Atlanta des années 80, sombre et contrastée, où la prostitution a fait place à d’autres formes de dérives. Le récit peut sembler lent au premier abord, mais cette langueur, à laquelle les fortes chaleurs ne sont pas étrangères, installe une atmosphère particulière, scindant la ville en deux : les riches au nord, les pauvres au sud.
Bref, un roman policier d’atmosphère et psychologique, qui laisse entrevoir le succès que Thomas H. Cook connaîtra par la suite avec, notamment, 𝒜𝓊-𝒹𝑒𝓁à 𝒹𝑒 𝓉𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓈𝑜𝓊𝓅ç𝑜𝓃, lauréat du prestigieux Prix Edgar Allan Poe.
Pour la petite anecdote, il est écrit, toujours sur la quatrième de couverture, « Cook change de ton : Chandler n’est pas très loin », et, forcément, j’ai pensé en premier à Chandler Bing, le roi du sarcasme, ce qui donne en effet un tout autre ton, alors que j’imagine que l’on fait ici allusion à Raymond Chandler, pour beaucoup le maître du roman policier noir.
https://www.instagram.com/aliceintheo...
August 18, 2019
I am a huge fan of Thomas h cook and have read several of his later books as well as Chatham , his early award winner. I have always been moved by his use of language and style. This book has neither. It is standard police procedure with a odd ending. I’m glad this was not the first of his books I read as I would have skipped missing out on some great reads.
February 22, 2018
Dark, brooding and atmospheric. This haunting mystery revolves around Frank Clemons, a lonely police detective who has his reasons for drinking hard, looking for the killer of a beautiful young girl. A slow burn that seems to ask bigger questions than simply 'whodunnit?'.
July 2, 2023
This was a wonderful detective story! Hard boiled in with a melancholy but tough protagonist. I give it five stars and I would recommend this to anybody who likes to read about tough hard, boiled and caring empathetic detective.
June 4, 2017
Inspecteur tout cabossé, ambiance mélancolique et crépusculaire, tout serait parfait si l histoire avait un peu plus de consistance en dehors de sa seule atmosphère. Agréable à lire mais décevant.
November 17, 2017
BG . Not bad, not good.
March 21, 2024
Found this in a Little Library and had to take it because the murder victim shares my name.
July 10, 2024
Kind of blah toward the end!
October 24, 2024
Very slow and not very interesting. I'll pass on the following books.
April 2, 2016
I kept on wondering how did the people interrogated by Frank Clemons remember all the details of what happened like up to three months ago! I can't remember what I had for breakfast the day before.
So, detective Frank Clemons investigates the murder of a beautiful young girl; her mystic beauty made her special and it sort of annoyed me because the author kept on rubbing that fact on my face incessantly. Anyway, it's a classic detective story that takes a lot of time to launch itself into becoming interesting. I rarely put a book down unfinished, so I just pushed myself onward until I finished it.
So, detective Frank Clemons investigates the murder of a beautiful young girl; her mystic beauty made her special and it sort of annoyed me because the author kept on rubbing that fact on my face incessantly. Anyway, it's a classic detective story that takes a lot of time to launch itself into becoming interesting. I rarely put a book down unfinished, so I just pushed myself onward until I finished it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2013
used Hb -- thank you Amazon
I like the style of the writing because I really like the characters. This is a case where the death of an extremely beautiful girl leads to the seedier side of the fringe art community in Atlanta. The reader can tell that this book was written when using racial slurs was just beginning to be frowned upon by select groups. The author refrains from using street 'speak' and tells a story of a lonely girl. Recommend for a vast audience including older teens. a sort of cross between 'Kill a ... and Gone ..."
I like the style of the writing because I really like the characters. This is a case where the death of an extremely beautiful girl leads to the seedier side of the fringe art community in Atlanta. The reader can tell that this book was written when using racial slurs was just beginning to be frowned upon by select groups. The author refrains from using street 'speak' and tells a story of a lonely girl. Recommend for a vast audience including older teens. a sort of cross between 'Kill a ... and Gone ..."
May 14, 2026
I'm a big fan of Thomas's works, and this was a good story, but it did tend to drag along. Maybe I've been reading too many thrillers lately. Anyway, it's good enough to look for the next in the series.
5/9/26: Re-reading because I don't remember a thing about it. :D
5/14/26: Finished reading. It's still a 3 star story. In fact, my original review still stands.
5/9/26: Re-reading because I don't remember a thing about it. :D
5/14/26: Finished reading. It's still a 3 star story. In fact, my original review still stands.
October 9, 2011
I love this THC! This is an older book - mid 80's I think - and is a bit less intense than some of his others but an intriguing story nevertheless. You know that there is always a subtext to his plots and I have no doubt that this one is going to be a doozy.
March 6, 2013
Not my favorite Thomas H Cook by far... It is part of a trilogy set partly in NY. The character and plots are pretty interesting, but this is no edge of your seat mystery/thriller/detective book. Unfortunately, nor is it written in Thomas H Cook's usually spellbinding and almost poetic style.
December 8, 2014
Well, this is another story with a down and out cop who drinks too much and is all alone in the world. Having said that, this did turn out to be a pretty good story from a good writer. It's a bit dark, but it was well written and I liked the ending.
November 9, 2008
Don't bother.
December 12, 2009
The first of his three book series with Frank Clemons. Good 80's cop/PI series.
January 6, 2011
Another Great book
April 1, 2011
Another excellent read from Cook. One of his earlier books, and more of a police crime procedural than the moody thrillers he writes now, but entertaining, well-written and a satisfying ending.
May 18, 2011
great!
July 22, 2013
I have read many of Cook's books and usually love them. This is one of his early works. It did not appeal to me.
January 29, 2014
Cassettes in 1996. George Guidall.
November 9, 2014
Kind of odd. A literary police-procedural. Hard to really believe in the characters.
October 10, 2014
A very good "gumshoe" novel, save for two clichés you can spot pages in advance it could have gone to 5 stars.
Looking forward to next Frank Clemmens story.
Looking forward to next Frank Clemmens story.
June 26, 2017
Who killed Angelica and why?
This is a sad story in that it begins with the discovery of the body of a beautiful teenage girl in a vacant lot, tossed out like so much garbage. Frank Clemons, a sad, grieving, lonely man investigates the case along with his partner, Caleb Stone.
The investigation is plagued by contradictions as no one seems to know much about the victim, including her sister. Yet someone murdered her, so what was really going on in her life?
6
This is a sad story in that it begins with the discovery of the body of a beautiful teenage girl in a vacant lot, tossed out like so much garbage. Frank Clemons, a sad, grieving, lonely man investigates the case along with his partner, Caleb Stone.
The investigation is plagued by contradictions as no one seems to know much about the victim, including her sister. Yet someone murdered her, so what was really going on in her life?
6
January 4, 2015
The book was bought cheap on my Nook device, excellent read , well written, good story line
April 14, 2017
Romanzo del 1988.Trama interessante. Personaggi convincenti. E soprattutto la misericordia verso tutti gli attori, che caratterizza i grandi autori (v. Karim Fossum).Emozionante.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews