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Bluff City
Welcome to Memphis, a.k.a. Bluff City. Hope you brought your camera, because no one's going to believe you when you tell them what you've seen.
Luther Washington is the last of the great bluesmen, a legend now reduced to playing a fourth-rate Mississippi casino bar. But when two down-on-their-luck gamblers, flat busted and cleaned out from a bad night’s run at the casino tables, decide to kidnap Luther, he suddenly becomes famous all over again. Everyone from bumbling white supremacists to militant church congregations wants to get their hands on the old bluesman, and things descend into bad craziness in a hurry. In the mix are a housewife who finds her true calling as a grifter; a disgraced former heavyweight champ seeking a shot at redemption; a hotshot sportswriter running for his life after writing a too-revealing profile of the city’s star athlete; and a reverend who knows a lot more about the kidnapping than he’s telling his flock. The whole crew comes together at the Elvis Brawl, a worldwide pay-per-view extravaganza starring wrestling Elvis impersonators, while outside, the city nears its boiling point...
Bluff City will have you packing your bags for Memphis ... and locking your door once you get there.
Luther Washington is the last of the great bluesmen, a legend now reduced to playing a fourth-rate Mississippi casino bar. But when two down-on-their-luck gamblers, flat busted and cleaned out from a bad night’s run at the casino tables, decide to kidnap Luther, he suddenly becomes famous all over again. Everyone from bumbling white supremacists to militant church congregations wants to get their hands on the old bluesman, and things descend into bad craziness in a hurry. In the mix are a housewife who finds her true calling as a grifter; a disgraced former heavyweight champ seeking a shot at redemption; a hotshot sportswriter running for his life after writing a too-revealing profile of the city’s star athlete; and a reverend who knows a lot more about the kidnapping than he’s telling his flock. The whole crew comes together at the Elvis Brawl, a worldwide pay-per-view extravaganza starring wrestling Elvis impersonators, while outside, the city nears its boiling point...
Bluff City will have you packing your bags for Memphis ... and locking your door once you get there.
ebook
First published May 24, 2011
About the author
Jay Busbee
26 books34 followersJay Busbee is a senior writer for Yahoo Sports, where he’s covered the Olympics, the Super Bowl, the World Series, the Masters, the Daytona 500, the Kentucky Derby and, of course, the Iron Bowl. He is also the host of NASCAR Studios’ “Home Turn” travel/history show, and he writes a weekly Southern culture Substack newsletter, Flashlight & A Biscuit. Jay’s work has been honored by Best American Sports Writing, and his book "Earnhardt Nation," a biography of NASCAR’s Earnhardt family, won praise from both Kirkus and Publishers Weekly for its in-depth research and narrative scope.
He lives in Atlanta with his family and worships at the church of SEC football.
He lives in Atlanta with his family and worships at the church of SEC football.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 20, 2018
Absolutely loved it. A must-read. And the fact that I wrote it has nothing to do with my opinion that this is the best book you'll read this, or any other, year. Get it!
June 4, 2025
I picked Bluff City up randomly b/c I enjoy the author's sports writings and this looked entertaining. I mean, the author himself gave it a 5 star review, so how bad could it be :)
There is so much going on through the entire book. Twist, Twist, Twist with all the most deprived characters that only a city like Memphis could muster getting into the craziest of situations. My first thoughts were ooph, this is way too all over the place, but the pace and the crazy characters had me invested and the story actually came together pretty well. Turned out to be a quick fun read!
There is so much going on through the entire book. Twist, Twist, Twist with all the most deprived characters that only a city like Memphis could muster getting into the craziest of situations. My first thoughts were ooph, this is way too all over the place, but the pace and the crazy characters had me invested and the story actually came together pretty well. Turned out to be a quick fun read!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews