Streets of Fire

by Thomas H. Cook

As the first of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s civil rights demonstrations proceeds through Alabama, a young Black girl is found murdered, and Detective Ben Wellman pursues the killer, unearthing more corpses as he goes

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

416 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1989

About the author

There 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

Reviews

[Jenny Byers · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm listening to this book. It is a dark, intense story. One thing I don't like is the million times the author says "Ben said nothing" or "He did not answer". This is a quiet, morose, character. He doesn't think a lot. The plot goes slow, but it is sort of compelling. It is nice how he describes a slow awakening of a social rights, civil rights conscience. The mystery is convoluted with several side stories. The narrator is very good. And I'm learning about this time in history. After finishing, I don't think I will listen to another one of these. Unless it is reviewed as very different. I appreciated the history and muted, underplayed social conscience, but the story drags, and I like a story with more intelligence and figuring things out, or using his resources more than this one did.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third or fourth time (at least) I've read this book, and I never cease to be amazed by it. (It looks even better in comparison to some of the latest and greatest from the past few years - a lot of which is crap - that I've been reading.) Cook wrote it pretty early in his career but IMO he's rarely (if ever) surpassed it. It probably will never happen at this late date, but I would love to see a movie made of it.

(My review from my last reading, which for some reason was of a different edition even though I'm pretty sure it should be the same one.

Though the solution to the mystery is one of the least memorable things about it, the book as a whole more than makes up for it - every bit as good as when I first read it decades ago. The characterization of a city in turmoil, and of a good man cast into his own turmoil and finding his way to compassion and courage, make Streets of Fire an outstanding novel. We didn't learn that much about the civil rights era in my classes in the late 70s, and this book is one of the things I credit with raising my consciousness about the issue. Even this early in his career, Thomas H. Cook was already at the top of his game.)

[Trudy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This compelling story is set during the civil rights demonstrations of May 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama. The novel weighs about equally the fictional police investigation into the murder of a black girl, and the well-documented activities of the desegregation campaign, which closely follow actual events. Both are interwoven throughout the story. This is a good depiction of the racial tension that would have existed at that time, and is much more than a mystery novel. Very good narration by George Guidall.

[Suzn F · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up in the south in the 60s and in my opinion this book captures the feel of this time in our country's history with straightforward grit and grace. The characters come alive under Mr. Cook's pen. The story is compelling throughout. The main character Ben is a complex and caring man who is trying to find out the circumstances surrounding the death of a young black girl found in the neighborhood of Bearmatch. This book reflects the tensions back then and accurately illustrates the horrors so many people in the African American community suffered at the hands of some very mean and sadistic police officers.
Overall an excellent and important read!

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

best since Wambaugh! wow, just wow. did audio.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

How have I missed this author???? This book is set during the Birmingham Civil Rights march with Martin Luther King, Jr. I believe that images that enter and break your heart when you are young leave a profound effect upon your mind. I was in my early teens when I watched the fire hoses police attack dogs turned on the marchers. I have never forgotten the pain of seeing those events. Thus the setting of this book resonates strongly with me as Detective Ben Wellman fights to solve the murder of a young Black girl. Loved the protagonist!! Loved the writing!! Thomas H. Cook is now on my must read list!! Kristi & Abby Tabby

[Deb W · Rating 4 out of 5]

This seemed a bit plodding in the beginning, but then I got caught up in the way it seemed everything seemed to have more than one possible meaning and became tantalized.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this expert, relentless detective novel by the author of Flesh and Blood and last year's Edgar-nominated Sacrificial Ground , the sweltering, angry summer of 1963 in Birmingham, Ala., serves to make every crime a powderkeg of racial tension. As the rest of the police force is being called upon to hose demonstrators, to arrest marching schoolchildren and even to take notes on Martin Luther King's speeches for their inflammatory content, detective Ben Wellman investigates the rape and murder of a deaf 12-year-old black girl. Wellman's boss wants him to make a minor show of concern without really pursuing the criminal, the black community greets his efforts with mistrust and skepticism, and his fellow cops, most of them rednecks and racists, view his dedication as misplaced. As Wellman probes further, he discovers that all sides have reasons to hope that the case remains unsolved. Cook doesn't use the civil rights movement merely as a conveniently atmospheric backdrop; he weaves it through the plot in sharp, unexpected ways, never letting his focus stray too far from Wellman's dogged attempt to find an elusive killer.

I love THomas H. Cook. I have enjoyed everything I have read by him. Not simple mysteries by any means. In this book, the little girl who is killed is just a blip toward the real problem. One white cop (Davis) and one black bad guy (Roy Jolly) have made a deal. Davis gets rid of the Black Cat boys and Roy Jolly gets rid of Martin Luther King. The little girl (Doreen) just happened to see the deal getting made.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

"That's the trouble with a situation like this - you just don't know who is who."

Published by Highbridge Audio in 2012
Read by Ray Chase
Duration: 11 hours, 35 minutes

Thomas H. Cook's Streets of Fire is set in Birmingham, Alabama in the spring of 1963 during Martin Luther King's famed "Birmingham Campaign" that featured the Children's March, "Bull" Connor, boycotts and fire hoses being turned on demonstrators.

Sergeant Ben Wellman is called away from taking detailed notes on Martin Luther King's speeches at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church (one of many policemen that were used as spies who filled notebooks and turned them in to their superiors) to investigate a dead body found in a shallow grave in an abandoned ball field in Bearmatch, a black neighborhood. Generally, the all white Birmingham police department didn't do much investigating into murders in this working class Black neighborhood - they are logged and if it is not solved with minimal investigation, it is left to the people of Bearmatch to mete out justice if they can.

But, Wellman is touched by this case. A 12 year old girl in a simple dress was raped and killed and buried in the middle of a neighborhood and no one noticed...

Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2013/...

[Kathleen Hagen]

Streets of Fire, by Thomas Cook, a-minus, Narrated by George Guidall, Produced by Recorded Books, downloaded from audible.com.

This book involves the famous protest rallies in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963 when Martin Luther King came to town-the riots we remember because the police chief turned fire hoses and dogs on the demonstrators. Detective Mark Wellman takes on the case of a murdered young Black girl. The rest of the department, more interested in the daily demonstrations, aren’t interested. They tell him the girl was killed in the “nigger” part of town, that no one will admit to it, and that he should just let them take care of it. But the girl’s aunt reports her missing, and he is drawn into trying to figure out why the girl was killed, especially when he finds out she is deaf. There may be some corrupt police involvement in the case, and Wellman’s life is in danger. A very good tightly plotted book.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though the solution to the mystery is one of the least memorable things about it, the book as a whole more than makes up for it - every bit as good as when I first read it decades ago. The characterization of a city in turmoil, and of a good man cast into his own turmoil and finding his way to compassion and courage, make Streets of Fire an outstanding novel. We didn't learn that much about the civil rights era in my classes in the late 70s, and this book is one of the things I credit with raising my consciousness about the issue. Even this early in his career, Thomas H. Cook was already at the top of his game.

[Siddharth Jain · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am an ardent fan of the way Mr. Cook creates an atmosphere in the book. Characters seem to be seeping in your conscience. In fact, Streets of Fire was the first novel of his which I happened to lay my hands on.

However, in this novel, I enjoyed the journey through the novel but was struck really hard by the way it ended !!!! All through the journey, we are made to witness new situations which seem to point in a different direction and, suddenly, it ended with something to the effect of 'He Did It' and that's it !!!!

We don't get to know the details or the particulars as to how the crime was committed, how it was contemplated. We are left with an expression of 'like really !!!!'.

[Maltoablativ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Usually I like my crime novels to be heavy in the plot department with not too much characters development and too much social commentary. But with Streets of Fire it was the oposite. And it has something to do with the overall theme of the book, which is the Civil Rights Movement. I wished the writing wasn't as sparse and plot-oriented as it is, and I also wish Cook would have taken more time in developing non-stereotyped plotlines and characters and would have dug much deeper into the background of the Civil Rights Movement. Besides this, the story is (very) fast paced and focuses on the murder case. In the end it's nothing special, that's why I can't recommend this one.

[Elaine Mayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summer of '63 in Birmingham. That's the setting for this mystery / "coming of consciousness" novel. If you're old enough to remember that summer, this book will evoke memories; if you're too young, it will give you a strong sense of that summer and some of the events. Highly recommended.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Thomas Cook...missed this one years ago!

[Jim Swike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great novel set in 1963 Birmingham Alabama. If you love history, and the Civl Rights Era, a great read.

[Rod Zemke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75