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Memphis: Rock DJ Uncovers Conspiracy Behind MLK Jr. Assassination
From Memphis, a new political thriller by Mike
"J. Edgar Hoover was standing at his window looking down at Pennsylvania Ave. It was his favorite spot for thought. Clyde Tolson was sitting dutifully in front of the Director's desk. The two men — who between them wielded more power than the President and Vice President of the United States — had been keeping tabs on King since 1955. In recent years, that effort had recently increased dramatically to include wiretaps, 24-hour surveillance and monitoring. Hoover also had some of King's closest and most trusted members of his inner circle on the FBI payroll. They provided intelligence on King's every move. "Clyde, I don't think we're getting timely intel from the folks we are paying inside the SCLC," Hoover fumed. "The people we're paying are closest to King. We should be getting more out of them."
When Matt Harrison arrives in Memphis in 1966 to advance his broadcast career as a radio DJ, he finds himself inadvertently caught up in a web of intrigue. It began years earlier when J. Edgar Hoover compiled his infamous "prayer list" — targeting JFK, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy for "removal."
Fresh from a small town in Texas, Matt's world is turned upside down on his very first day in Memphis when he's stopped by a redneck cop — setting off a terrifying chain of events that reaches from the highest corridors of power in Washington D.C. to the sordid world of the Dixie Mafia.
Set against the backdrop of the civil rights movement and the rich musical history of the Mississippi Delta, "Memphis" is a gripping political thriller torn from the headlines of the 1960's when America found itself on the precipice.
"J. Edgar Hoover was standing at his window looking down at Pennsylvania Ave. It was his favorite spot for thought. Clyde Tolson was sitting dutifully in front of the Director's desk. The two men — who between them wielded more power than the President and Vice President of the United States — had been keeping tabs on King since 1955. In recent years, that effort had recently increased dramatically to include wiretaps, 24-hour surveillance and monitoring. Hoover also had some of King's closest and most trusted members of his inner circle on the FBI payroll. They provided intelligence on King's every move. "Clyde, I don't think we're getting timely intel from the folks we are paying inside the SCLC," Hoover fumed. "The people we're paying are closest to King. We should be getting more out of them."
When Matt Harrison arrives in Memphis in 1966 to advance his broadcast career as a radio DJ, he finds himself inadvertently caught up in a web of intrigue. It began years earlier when J. Edgar Hoover compiled his infamous "prayer list" — targeting JFK, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy for "removal."
Fresh from a small town in Texas, Matt's world is turned upside down on his very first day in Memphis when he's stopped by a redneck cop — setting off a terrifying chain of events that reaches from the highest corridors of power in Washington D.C. to the sordid world of the Dixie Mafia.
Set against the backdrop of the civil rights movement and the rich musical history of the Mississippi Delta, "Memphis" is a gripping political thriller torn from the headlines of the 1960's when America found itself on the precipice.
493 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 20, 2022
2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 5, 2023
Memphis by Mike Hambrick is a wild ride made more interesting by Mike's personal backstory as a rock DJ at the same time MLK is assassinated in 1968. The hero in the story Matt gets swept up in both music and cultural history as he stands against the racist powers at work in the south. He also champions blues and other music icons while risking his life to tell the truth. I learned so much about both the Delta Blues and political landscape of the 1960's. This book is a work of fiction but also exposes genuine little known historical bombshells of the era. I highly recommend Memphis...get ready to have your mind blown and also to be moved to action to fight against the injustice that is still happening today.
December 16, 2024
To start off, this is not my normal type of read. So bare with me as I try to write down my thoughts.
I was excited to get started on this. I've obviously read historical fiction type books in the past but nothing like this and when I was given a description of this story It sounded like something right up my alley. I love a good conspiracy & it took me 2 years to talk myself out of majoring in History in college.
I'm A little embarrassed at how long it took me to finish this one I'll admit. I wish I had some grand explanation that would justify the length of time I spent on this book, But there isn't. In some ways I became a tad upset at some of the words written in these pages. Not a "*scoff* I'm offended!" type of upset, but A "this is my heritage that is being spoken about - and not in a positive light." I am a true daughter of The South. I was raised in a holler deep in the Appalachian Kentucky mountains, I grew up on stories of the Nam' war with both of my grandfathers being Vets, one of them being a Vietnam War Hero and stories of my great-pappaws fight in the confederacy. So when I read the first interaction with Matt and the police officer I was genuinely worried that I was about to go head first into a stereotypical "were in The South now and everyone is a racist redneck" type story.. and while I did feel that vibe throughout some of this book, I was surprised to find it went so much deeper.
Mr. Hambrick's past in radio entertainment definitely shined throughout this story, and the research that was put into this was highlighted on multiple levels. At some points I found myself wondering which parts were blurring the line between fact and conspiracy. Everything does fall so perfectly into place and you find yourself thinking "could this have been a thing?".
Overall, while this one took me longer than It should have, once I set down and decided to finish it and get this review out, I honestly couldn't stop. This is Mike Hambrick's first publish and honestly, You wouldn't know it by the way the writing style is. You give it the attention and it will suck you into a whole new look at what truly happened that day?
I was excited to get started on this. I've obviously read historical fiction type books in the past but nothing like this and when I was given a description of this story It sounded like something right up my alley. I love a good conspiracy & it took me 2 years to talk myself out of majoring in History in college.
I'm A little embarrassed at how long it took me to finish this one I'll admit. I wish I had some grand explanation that would justify the length of time I spent on this book, But there isn't. In some ways I became a tad upset at some of the words written in these pages. Not a "*scoff* I'm offended!" type of upset, but A "this is my heritage that is being spoken about - and not in a positive light." I am a true daughter of The South. I was raised in a holler deep in the Appalachian Kentucky mountains, I grew up on stories of the Nam' war with both of my grandfathers being Vets, one of them being a Vietnam War Hero and stories of my great-pappaws fight in the confederacy. So when I read the first interaction with Matt and the police officer I was genuinely worried that I was about to go head first into a stereotypical "were in The South now and everyone is a racist redneck" type story.. and while I did feel that vibe throughout some of this book, I was surprised to find it went so much deeper.
Mr. Hambrick's past in radio entertainment definitely shined throughout this story, and the research that was put into this was highlighted on multiple levels. At some points I found myself wondering which parts were blurring the line between fact and conspiracy. Everything does fall so perfectly into place and you find yourself thinking "could this have been a thing?".
Overall, while this one took me longer than It should have, once I set down and decided to finish it and get this review out, I honestly couldn't stop. This is Mike Hambrick's first publish and honestly, You wouldn't know it by the way the writing style is. You give it the attention and it will suck you into a whole new look at what truly happened that day?
January 27, 2023
"MEMPHIS" is one of the most mind-gripping books I have read in years. My plan of reading 50-60 pages per day was quickly discarded as I got more caught up in the story. It's historical fiction so there must be speculation in some areas, but I recognized many names as I read. And the musicians mentioned definitely took me back in time. When you think of the city of Memphis, great BBQ and even greater music come to mind, but this novel also reminds us there is a dark underbelly of mistreatment and murder. I love a book that also makes me think and reevaluate how I view things. "Memphis" fits that category.
Hambrick is an excellent storyteller who makes both the fictionalized and the facts come to life. I went through a range of emotions while gripped by the plot. How much is true, and how much is speculation, I don't know, but all of it is plausible. Mike Hambrick is an award-winning broadcast journalist who started out on a small Texas radio station before becoming a rock n’ roll DJ in Memphis. That experience is the basis of this novel. Hopefully, his next novel will not be far behind!
Hambrick is an excellent storyteller who makes both the fictionalized and the facts come to life. I went through a range of emotions while gripped by the plot. How much is true, and how much is speculation, I don't know, but all of it is plausible. Mike Hambrick is an award-winning broadcast journalist who started out on a small Texas radio station before becoming a rock n’ roll DJ in Memphis. That experience is the basis of this novel. Hopefully, his next novel will not be far behind!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews