Stone Cribs [Paperback]

Smokey Dalton is a black man hiding from the police and FBI in Chicago living under the assumed name Bill Grimshaw. He's hiding because Jimmy witnessed the shooting of Marin Luther King and knows who the real shooter is, a fact the FBI want hidden. The tension produced by the need to remain undiscovered underlines the entire series and is continued in this book. It isn't helped by the fact that, because Smokey works as an unofficial private detective, he seems to be a magnet for trouble, threatening to bring him to the notice of the police too often.

The story starts off at a frantic pace after Smokey and his girlfriend Laura arrive home to find a woman lying in his neighbour's apartment bleeding to death. Upon closer inspection it becomes obvious that the woman has had an abortion, an operation that is illegal in 1969. They rush her to hospital where she is almost refused treatment because she would not name the doctor who performed the procedure.

The whole scene raises the abortion issue, as it was at the time in great detail. It particularly highlights the way in which a black woman was treated and explains how they were occasionally punished by being sterilized for having an abortion, a fact that shocked Smokey (and me).

It turns out that the woman is the "sort of" cousin of his neighbour and she hires Smokey to try to find out who performed the abortion in the hope that other women will be warned to stay away from that particular doctor. It's a vague case that appears to have no real direction to it. Smokey merely works his way down a list of names, running into dead ends and false leads, pretty standard detective work. What is established over and over is Smokey's caring nature as he puts himself out for less fortunate families that he meets while working.

The case is turned on its head halfway through the book when a murder takes place that hits very close to home for Smokey. The directionless feel to the story suddenly coalesces into a grim and determined fight as once again Smokey finds himself up against a police force that refuses to properly investigate a crime against a black man. In desperation, he turns to the street gang that he worked so hard to avoid in THIN WALLS for help.

The tension that has dominated the first three books of the series is still a major factor in STONE CRIBS, but it has been complemented by a significantly greater emphasis on the character development. Characters who played minor roles previously have been brought back here and we learn a great deal more about them and their role in Smokey's life.

The characters include Marvella, the voluptuous neighbour of Smokey's who, up until this book, has simply been the woman who occasionally flirted with him as he arrived home. A more sensitive and serious side to her has now been revealed. Sinkowicz, the white cop who has reluctantly put himself out for Smokey has become his permanent friend in the force and a surprisingly intuitive character. Truman Johnson, the black cop that Smokey has just started to truly trust reveals a hidden personal life.

The most pronounced development though, is the relationship between Jimmy and Smokey, which is becoming increasingly strained. This is mainly due to Jimmy's fear that something will happen to Smokey and he will lose him as has happened to Jimmy so many times in the past. Jimmy has become moody and uncommunicative and although Smokey seems to be able to solve everyone else's problems, he appears unable to come up with a solution to this one.

Nelscott continues to highlight the racial prejudices of the late 1960's through Smokey Dalton's experiences. But rather than come across as a voice that's shrieking in outraged indignation, it's more weary and grim-faced, occasionally speechless with frustration. This is illustrated by Smokey's own summation of his jaded personality when he says: "...events conspired to make me serious, protective and justifiably paranoid."

This is a strong addition to an already powerful series. The mix between Smokey's personal troubles and the more widespread civil unrest that is sweeping the nation is proving incredibly effective and I've found it particularly compelling.

When Bill and Laura return to his apartment, they hear moans from the neighbor's place. They investigate to find a rape victim Val in critical condition because of a botched alleyway abortion. Her former spouse seeks vengeance, but is killed instead by a teen gang. Bill takes up the mantle seeking a deadly abortionist and a killer on the meanest streets of the Windy City.

This is great urban noir that stars powerful characters, especially the series regulars, as Smokey continues to smoke the competition as a window to the wild social unrest of the late 1960s especially in the black communities. However, the tale is more historical as readers are grimly reminded of the pre Roe vs. Wade era especially in Black America of hanger medical care and Planned Parenthood via sterilization woven inside the superb who-done-it. Also being released at the same time is the trade paperback version THIN WALLS, a great Smokey Dalton entry.

Harriet Klausner