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Willie Black #4
The Bottom
Richmond is in a panic. For the fourth time in eighteen months, a young girl or woman has been brutalized and murdered. This time, the body of a fourteen-year-old is found in Richmond's Shockoe Bottom train station. On her ankle is the same perversely cartoonish tattoo that has led the cops and newspapers to dub the perpetrator the Tweety Bird killer.
When Willie Black finds out that the night security guy at the station was lured away from his post by a phone call from Willie's daughter just before the body was dumped, the story gets weirder and a lot more personal.
At the same time, Willie's paper is facing a lawsuit from a developer who wants to make a killing of another kind - turning part of The Bottom into top of The Bottom, a mix of big-box stores and apartments. It's an area where slaves were buried in unmarked graves, many of them still not discovered. The Bottom is emblematic of what Willie thinks of as the permanent stain Richmond can never wash away, but now he and the paper are under pressure to "lay off" Wat Chenault and his plans to turn the land into a real estate bonanza.
When the police arrest Ronnie Sax, a photographer who used to work at Willie's paper, for the murders, the evidence seems overwhelming. But then Willie starts getting letters from someone who seems to know more about the killings than an innocent bystander should. Eventually, Sax is released and the city goes on high alert again. At the same time, Willie grows more and more suspicious about Chenault's motives.
Willie is also trying to crawl back into the good graces of the lovely Cindy Peroni, seeking to convince her that he at last has a handle on his bourbon and two-packs-a-day habits.
In The Bottom, the fourth Willie Black mystery to follow Oregon Hill (winner of the 2012 Hammett Prize), Richmond's nosiest newspaperman, true to form, chases the story like a bulldog going after a pork chop. But once he's caught it, he'll wish he hadn't.
When Willie Black finds out that the night security guy at the station was lured away from his post by a phone call from Willie's daughter just before the body was dumped, the story gets weirder and a lot more personal.
At the same time, Willie's paper is facing a lawsuit from a developer who wants to make a killing of another kind - turning part of The Bottom into top of The Bottom, a mix of big-box stores and apartments. It's an area where slaves were buried in unmarked graves, many of them still not discovered. The Bottom is emblematic of what Willie thinks of as the permanent stain Richmond can never wash away, but now he and the paper are under pressure to "lay off" Wat Chenault and his plans to turn the land into a real estate bonanza.
When the police arrest Ronnie Sax, a photographer who used to work at Willie's paper, for the murders, the evidence seems overwhelming. But then Willie starts getting letters from someone who seems to know more about the killings than an innocent bystander should. Eventually, Sax is released and the city goes on high alert again. At the same time, Willie grows more and more suspicious about Chenault's motives.
Willie is also trying to crawl back into the good graces of the lovely Cindy Peroni, seeking to convince her that he at last has a handle on his bourbon and two-packs-a-day habits.
In The Bottom, the fourth Willie Black mystery to follow Oregon Hill (winner of the 2012 Hammett Prize), Richmond's nosiest newspaperman, true to form, chases the story like a bulldog going after a pork chop. But once he's caught it, he'll wish he hadn't.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published August 17, 2015
10 people are currently reading
471 people want to read
About the author
Howard Owen
32 books67 followersHoward Owen was born March 1, 1949, in Fayetteville, N.C. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1971, journalism) and has a master's degree from Virginia Commonwealth University (1981, English).
He and his wife since 1973, Karen Van Neste Owen (the former publisher of Van Neste Books), live in Richmond, Va. He was a newspaper reporter and editor for 44 years.
Owen won The Dashiell Hammett Prize for crime literature in the United States and Canada for Oregon Hill, his 10th novel.
His first novel, "Littlejohn," was written in 1989, when he was 40. It was bought by The Permanent Press and published in 1992. Random House bought it from The Permanent Press and reissued it as a Villard hardcover in 1993 and a Vintage Contemporary paperback in 1994. It was nominated for the Abbey Award (American Booksellers) and Discovery (Barnes & Noble) award for best new fiction. It has sold, in all, more than 50,000 copies. It has been printed in Japanese, French and Korean; it has been a Doubleday Book Club selection; audio and large-print editions have been issued, and movie option rights have been sold.
His second novel, "Fat Lightning," came out as a Permanent Press book in 1994. It was bought by HarperCollins and was reissued as a Harper Perennial paperback in 1996. It received a starred review from Publishers' Weekly.
His third novel, "Answers to Lucky," was published by HarperCollins as a hardcover in 1996 and as a paperback in 1997. It received favorable reviews in The New York Times, Southern Living, GW, Publishers' Weekly, the Atlanta Constitution, the Baltimore Sun, the Memphis Commercial Appeal and numerous other publications. It was included in "The Best Novels of the Nineties: A Reader’s Guide."
His fourth novel, "The Measured Man," was published in hardcover by HarperCollins in 1997. It was praised in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Publishers' Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, the Raleigh News & Observer, the Orlando Sentinel, the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel and many other publications. It was one of the LA Times Book Reviews’ "Recommended Titles" for 1997. It was included in "The Best Novels of the Nineties: A Reader’s Guide."
Owen's fifth novel, "Harry and Ruth," was published by The Permanent Press in September of 2000 to critical acclaim from Kirkus, Publisher's Weekly and various weekly publications.
His sixth novel, "The Rail," was published in April of 2002. It is about (among other things) baseball and the parable of the talents. Owen won the 2002 Theresa Pollack Award for Words.
His seventh novel, "Turn Signal," was about a man whose muse drives him either to madness or to the best move he's ever made in his life. It came out in 2004 and was a Booksense selection for July of 2004.
His eighth novel, "Rock of Ages," is something of a sequel to his first novel, "Littlejohn." Georgia McCain returns to her hometown years after her father’s death to sell the family farm and finds herself immersed in baby-boomer guilt and a murder mystery. It was a Booksense pick for July of 2006.
His ninth novel, "The Reckoning," about ghosts of the ’60s, came out in late 2010 and received very positive reviews from, among others, Publishers Weekly and the New York Journal of Books.
His short story, "The Thirteenth Floor," part of "Richmond Noir," came out in early 2010.
The protagonist of “The Thirteenth Floor,” Willie Black, also is at the center of Owen’s 10th novel, “Oregon Hill,” which came in July of 2012 to very positive reviews in The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus and elsewhere. It's also an audio book.
Willie starred in future Owen novels: The Philadelphia Quarry (2013), Parker Field (2014), The Bottom (2015), Grace (2016) and The Devil's Triangle (2017). His 16th novel, Annie's Bones, comes out in April of 2018.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 6, 2020
Willie Black is an old school cop reporter in a fading industry, he’s hot on the trail of the “Tweety Bird” child rapist and killer. Willie is a real character surrounded by a motley crew of family, co-workers and the bureaucrats of Richmond, VA. This fourth book in the series (2015) is a gem, the grim subject matter is lightened up by old school snappy dialog and anecdotes that made me laugh out loud more than once. The book also has a real sense of place, Michael Connelly has LA, George Pelecanos has DC, but the mean streets of Richmond belong to Howard Owens.
November 8, 2019
As The Bottom: A Willie Black Mystery by Howard Owen begins, it is the middle of September 2013 and more than a year since Les Hacker was murdered. Peggy, Willie Black’s mom, is still devastated and deep in grief and so she is barely functioning. At least Peggy knows what happened and that the killer was caught and is receiving some sort of justice in a prison hospital.
For the family and friends of others justice in the form of catching the killer of their loved ones can be a very elusive thing. Such is the case for the families and friends of four young female victims and counting as a serial killer or killers are working the streets of Richmond. Every six months another young and homeless teen is brutalized, killed, and dumped to be found by the authorities. Each body founds has the same strange tattoo which has caused some in the media to refer to the “Tweety Bird Killer.”
The fact that there is a small thin connection to the latest victim and his own daughter, Andi, makes Willie Black more than a little concerned. The connection is innocent and Andi did nothing wrong, but it does mean the police are going to be interested in her and therefore in Willie. They are not the only ones interested in the actions of Willlie.
A former state senator, Wat Chenault, is leading a development project that promises jobs, an increased tax base, and all the other usual amenities that make those in power grant tax incentives and other goodies. The fact that much of what is promised can just as easily go away the way the contract is written for the developer is a troubling issue, but one that is being ignored by the proponents. The fact that the development project will make traffic on the surrounding freeway system way worse as well as the fact that the project would be constructed on the graves of slaves is being ignored in the rush for the all mighty dollar.
Then there is the history of the lead proponent. Walt Chenault has a bad history and some of that has come back to light thanks to Willie Black’s reporting on the new development. Litigation is being threatened against the paper as well as Willie Black. He knows the stories were accurate. He also knows that with corporate vultures circling the carcass of his slow decaying paper yet again, those in charge are the paper are not going to do much to support and defend him or his work.
This latest installment, The Bottom is another very good read in the Willie Black Mystery Series. Rich in scene setting details, numerous twists and turns, and the occasional sarcastic commentary power along the latest mystery. As the series progresses overall, characters are not stagnant and continue to evolve as does Willie Black’s attempts to be relatively sober and have a relationship. The read works on all levels. The Bottom: A Willie Black Mystery by Howard Owen, like the previous reads in this excellent series, is
highly recommended.
The Bottom: A Willie Black Mystery
Howard Owen
http://www.howardowenbooks.com
The Permanent Press
http://www.thepermanentpress.com
August 2015
ISBN# 978-1-57962-392-0
Hardback (also available in audio, digital, and paper formats)
210 Pages
My reading copy came from the North Oak Cliff Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2019
For the family and friends of others justice in the form of catching the killer of their loved ones can be a very elusive thing. Such is the case for the families and friends of four young female victims and counting as a serial killer or killers are working the streets of Richmond. Every six months another young and homeless teen is brutalized, killed, and dumped to be found by the authorities. Each body founds has the same strange tattoo which has caused some in the media to refer to the “Tweety Bird Killer.”
The fact that there is a small thin connection to the latest victim and his own daughter, Andi, makes Willie Black more than a little concerned. The connection is innocent and Andi did nothing wrong, but it does mean the police are going to be interested in her and therefore in Willie. They are not the only ones interested in the actions of Willlie.
A former state senator, Wat Chenault, is leading a development project that promises jobs, an increased tax base, and all the other usual amenities that make those in power grant tax incentives and other goodies. The fact that much of what is promised can just as easily go away the way the contract is written for the developer is a troubling issue, but one that is being ignored by the proponents. The fact that the development project will make traffic on the surrounding freeway system way worse as well as the fact that the project would be constructed on the graves of slaves is being ignored in the rush for the all mighty dollar.
Then there is the history of the lead proponent. Walt Chenault has a bad history and some of that has come back to light thanks to Willie Black’s reporting on the new development. Litigation is being threatened against the paper as well as Willie Black. He knows the stories were accurate. He also knows that with corporate vultures circling the carcass of his slow decaying paper yet again, those in charge are the paper are not going to do much to support and defend him or his work.
This latest installment, The Bottom is another very good read in the Willie Black Mystery Series. Rich in scene setting details, numerous twists and turns, and the occasional sarcastic commentary power along the latest mystery. As the series progresses overall, characters are not stagnant and continue to evolve as does Willie Black’s attempts to be relatively sober and have a relationship. The read works on all levels. The Bottom: A Willie Black Mystery by Howard Owen, like the previous reads in this excellent series, is
highly recommended.
The Bottom: A Willie Black Mystery
Howard Owen
http://www.howardowenbooks.com
The Permanent Press
http://www.thepermanentpress.com
August 2015
ISBN# 978-1-57962-392-0
Hardback (also available in audio, digital, and paper formats)
210 Pages
My reading copy came from the North Oak Cliff Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2019
February 3, 2019
As I have just visited Richmond twice over the last few months, this book made more sense to me. Portraying the city carefully while also highlighting the current plight of local newspapers, the story centers around a journalist who in pretty good noir style investigates and stumbles about, surrounded by other dysfunctional folks.
September 2, 2023
In this fourth novel in the Willie Black series, Willie is hot on the trail of The Tweety Bird killer who tattoos the young girls he kills with a Tweety Bird tattoo. His mother, Peggy is deeply grieved over the murder of her live in boyfriend Les Hacker, even though his killer is locked up. Willie's daughter, Andi is pregnant with his first grandchild. The story of how Willie tries to find the Tweety Bird killer is a really good story. The sideline of a developer, who is former member of the House of Delegates who cavorted with young girls, distracts Willie for a while but he finally gets to find out the killer. I'm loving this series and reading about the dying newspaper age which is what we are living through right now. The editing of the books is really good and really enjoying getting to know the characters more fully as I read more of this series. Highly recommend this book and series.
December 4, 2019
Interesting because of all of the Richmond references, but otherwise pretty standard murder thriller. The narrator of the audiobook had a much thicker southern drawl than a Richmonder would have though.
June 4, 2023
Howard Owen’s work should be more widely read! I felt like Willie was even funnier in this one. Maybe because I listened to the audiobook?
January 12, 2024
I found this an average read. If you have a connection to Richmond, VA you would probably enjoy it more.
August 27, 2015
I won an ARC of The Bottom by Howard Owen from Goodreads.
Howard Owen's narrator, journalist Willie Black, shares his story with the reader with such warmth and candor that readers become comfortable moving around Richmond with Willie. As a crime reporter, Willie takes readers into the belly of the police department and into the heart of the crime. This time, Willie is tracking a serial killer who decides to take his crimes up close and personal with Willie. Because the narrator is so laid-back, readers are drawn in and caught up in the unfolding drama.
The Bottom is an outstanding mystery with a cast of well-drawn, fascinating characters that readers will want to revisit again and again.
Howard Owen's narrator, journalist Willie Black, shares his story with the reader with such warmth and candor that readers become comfortable moving around Richmond with Willie. As a crime reporter, Willie takes readers into the belly of the police department and into the heart of the crime. This time, Willie is tracking a serial killer who decides to take his crimes up close and personal with Willie. Because the narrator is so laid-back, readers are drawn in and caught up in the unfolding drama.
The Bottom is an outstanding mystery with a cast of well-drawn, fascinating characters that readers will want to revisit again and again.
August 17, 2015
This was one of my Goodreads wins! This is a hard boiled detective type of story and it was excellent. The main character is a newspaper journalist who delves into the murder of four girls. He is on the trail and he get threatened and beat up along the way. However, his determination and perserverance lead him to finally identify the killer and it is a very exciting ending. I also liked the way that the characters were developed, I really felt I got to know them. It definitely is a good read!
January 3, 2016
This is a book I won in a Goodreads Giveaway. I enjoyed the book. It is not a long book and it reads quick. It is also the first book I have read in this series. That being said, there were some holes I had to kind of guess at because I did lose some character history by not starting at the beginning of this series. It was not enough to distract me from the book itself. I enjoyed the story. It was a fun murder mystery with not a lot of gory details. I liked it.
November 12, 2015
I received The Bottom in paperback from Goodreads.
I enjoyed this murder mystery. The characters were well developed so that it was easy to get into the story. The descriptions of Richmond were clear, making it easy to visualize what was happening. Because the book is just over 200 pages it was a quick read. The failing of a hometown paper due to the internet I found quite sad. This is a widespread problem and this book makes it clear where the cuts have hit hardest.
I enjoyed this murder mystery. The characters were well developed so that it was easy to get into the story. The descriptions of Richmond were clear, making it easy to visualize what was happening. Because the book is just over 200 pages it was a quick read. The failing of a hometown paper due to the internet I found quite sad. This is a widespread problem and this book makes it clear where the cuts have hit hardest.
August 11, 2015
Received from Goodreads Give Away Program.
Very easy and quick read - finished in an afternoon. Was a page turner for me. Very good crime novel with murder, mystery and a great cast of characters.
Well written, great story and well developed characters.
Really enjoyed. Definitely recommend!
Very easy and quick read - finished in an afternoon. Was a page turner for me. Very good crime novel with murder, mystery and a great cast of characters.
Well written, great story and well developed characters.
Really enjoyed. Definitely recommend!
August 30, 2015
Received in contest as a Preview Edition. Newspaper reporter is trying to find who is responsible for some horrible crimes on very young ladies. Book gets very graffic at times.I did finish the book, after stating wanted to know how it ended. But if you enjoy murder mysteries might like this one.
August 16, 2015
This is a great murder mystery that feels like true crime. The victims and their families feel very real and gained my sympathy. With strong investigators and many twists in the plot this novel delivers! A good read!
August 16, 2015
Just couldn't put this book down. loved the way he weaved all the facts together seamlessly. this was a great story and very entertaining.
this review is my own personal opinion. I received this book through a good reads giveaway.
this review is my own personal opinion. I received this book through a good reads giveaway.
September 27, 2015
Nice short story paperback, with a exciting ending. Not one of my favor reading, but good for a short story only.
August 25, 2015
Nice short little paperback. Good commute read, interesting enough, misses the mark a couple times on the humor but it is short enough that it doesn't really distract too much from the read.
December 5, 2015
Could not get interested.
Read
December 27, 2015Richmond newspaperman investigates murders of young women while the print business collapses around him and he annoys the police.
May 2, 2016
Another mystery set in Richmond, with perhaps a bit too much violence for me.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews