A Fine Dark Line

Rating:
Summary: Deeply satisfying mystery yarn
Review: It is unusual for a writer to successfully cross the boundaries between literary genres, but Joe R. Lansdale does so with ease. He's written horror stories and novels, science fiction, and mysteries. What's more, the author has won awards in different genres, from six Bram Stoker Awards for horror to the Edgar Award and the American Mystery Award. Up until a month ago, I never read a Joe Lansdale book. I heard of him over the years, always meant to pick up one of his books, but just never got around to it. The recent release and the subsequent clamor of praise for "Bubba Ho-Tep," a Lansdale short story adapted for the big screen by "Phantasm" creator Don Coscarelli, finally inspired me to sit down with a Lansdale tome or two. Surprisingly, I picked two of his mystery stories, the recent "Sunset and Sawdust" and "A Fine Dark Line." I liked the former, a whodunit set in the steamy environs of East Texas during the Depression. I also, it turns out, enjoyed the former, a whodunit set in East Texas during the late 1950s. Lansdale writes about East Texas because he knows the region like the back of his hand. It's possible the writer may well do for the Lone Star state what Stephen King did for Maine and what Bentley Little is trying to do for Arizona.

"A Fine Dark Line" stars Stanley Mitchel, Jr., a man in his late fifties recalling a series of startling events that occurred in the Summer of 1958 when he was thirteen years old and living in Dewmont, Texas. The Mitchel family was well off in Dewmont since they owned the local drive-in theater. Stanley Mitchel, Sr., the patriarch of the clan, is a no nonsense type of guy who doesn't hesitate to hand out a few slaps to keep peace in the family. For instance, when daughter Callie falls under suspicion for sleeping with the local bad boy, Chester, Stanley Mitchel makes sure the lout doesn't come around anymore. With his family and employees, the father is different; a loving, caring man who believes that his children and wife should have all the decent things in life. Although he embodies many of the racial attitudes of the day, he acquiesces to his spouse's demand to take in a black woman named Rosy Mae when domestic problems with her abusive boyfriend Bubba Joe threaten to put the woman in the local morgue. Mitchel Sr. puts up with the taciturn Buster Abbot Lighthorse Smith, an alcoholic black man who runs the projection booth at the theater. In short, the family is what you would call liberal today, but radical in 1950's Texas.

The mystery begins in earnest when Stanley Mitchel Jr., with loyal dog Nub in tow, uncovers a cache of letters in the wooded area behind the drive-in. These epistles, written back during the Second World War, detail an enigmatic relationship between two people known only as 'M' and 'J'. Intrigued, Stanley investigates the origins of these love letters and in the process uncovers several nasty secrets about the town's richest residents. Soon, Stanley joins forces with the moody Buster Smith. Together the two embark on a covert operation to discover the identities of the two letter writers, an operation that rapidly uncovers more than the two unlikely sleuths thought possible. Nothing less than murder, corruption, and several other unsavory activities come to light. A seemingly unrelated subplot involving Stanley's friend Richard and the boy's hyper religious and abusive father plays a significant role in the inevitable final showdown. During the course of the story, Stanley Mitchel, Jr. moves from childhood into adulthood as he learns how the world really works. "A Fine Dark Line" is primarily a mystery story, but it is also a coming of age story as well as a tale about changing race relations in the South.

While I have only read two Lansdale books to date, I already detect a pattern in the man's writings. First, his concerns about race permeate his books. As a child of the South during the tumultuous days of the 1960s, Lansdale must have personally witnessed many of the riots, marches, and other activities associated with the Civil Rights struggle. The author is obviously no Bull Conner or George Wallace, however. Stanley Mitchel's family's attitudes about local blacks must have been similar to the opinions held by Joe Lansdale's family. Second, the author's prose strikes all the right chords. Clean, sparse, and to the point, Lansdale wastes few words describing his characters and the atmosphere of East Texas. He advances the plot effortlessly, without any needless exposition so common amongst his more verbose colleagues. Finally, Lansdale knows how to write effective scenes, perhaps best evidenced in "A Fine Dark Line" with the chase sequence in the woods where Richard, Callie, and Stanley meet up with the ominous Bubba Joe while on a quest to discover more information about the letters. It is a scary situation while at the same time revealing several important plot elements in the space of a just a few pages.

"A Fine Dark Line" is a fine dark read. The story moves at a lightening fast pace, is humorous in spots (witness Stanley's observations about the balloons), and fleshes out even minor characters effectively. The only drawback I saw was the jacket flap, which was full of errors. For example, the flap refers to Buster Abbot Lighthorse Smith as Buster LIGHTHOUSE Smith (?) and misspells Stanley Mitchel's last name. If I were Joe Lansdale, I'd have been furious over these slipshod mistakes. "A Fine Dark Line" felt like a good place to start for me, the novice Lansdale reader. Now if I can just find a few of his horror stories, I'll go a little further.

Rating:
Summary: A Moving and Evocative Story
Review: It's 1958 and Stanley Mitchel is a very young thirteen years old. His family has just moved to the small town of Dewmont, Texas where they have purchased the Dew Drop Drive-in and Concession stand. Although he's out of school for the summer, Stanley is about to learn some tough lessons about love, loyalty, friendship, racism and about the perversity that often lurks deep in the human heart. Oh yeah, he also figures out why those cars parked out near the back fence each night at the drive-in are always rockin'.

One day Stanley and his faithful dog, Nub, discover a rusty old box full of love letters buried in the yard of a burned out house behind the family's property. The letters were written by a young girl who had been brutally murdered twenty years earlier. With the help of Buster Abbot Lighthorse Smith, the surly and aging African American projectionist employed by his father, Stanley decides to solve the old murder that has fallen into his lap. The boy starts digging but there are some folks in Dewmont who would prefer to "let sleeping dogs lie." Before too long, Stanley and his family are immersed in and threatened by the sins of Dewmont - past and present. As the violence and menace close in and as Stanley gets closer and closer to the truth, the young boy's eyes are opened and his heart is broken by the tragic and bittersweet drama of adulthood and the inevitable loss of innocence that always seems to come along for the ride.

A FINE DARK LINE is a powerful and haunting work. Lansdale writes with grace and genuine emotion. His experience in the gothic tradition enables him to give his readers a glimpse of the darkest reaches of the human soul while at the same time crafting a story that is as uplifting, hopeful and as ripe with promise as a sunny day stretching ahead of a young boy and his dog on summer vacation. But just beneath the surface or hiding behind that big oak tree just beyond the next corner are danger, disappointment and death. Stanley soon discovers that learning to be a man means glorying in and appreciating that promise while being at the same time always prepared to face disillusionment and disenchantment. "That's life," Buster tells Stanley, "Ain't always satisfactory, but sometimes the part that is, is pretty damn good. Thing to remember is, enjoy life, `cause in the end, dirt and flesh is pretty much the same thing. You understand that?"

A FINE DARK LINE is a novel that succeeds on multiple levels: as a mystery with wondrously wrought gothic elements, as a moving and poignant evocation of a bygone era, and as the story of one small boy's soul-wrenching journey to adulthood and, ultimately, to peace with himself and his place in the world. But Stanley's journey is also our journey as well. It's Lansdale's ability to make that connection in such an effective and entertaining way that elevates this book beyond the level of the ordinary thriller.(James Clar - MYSTERY NEWS)




Rating:
Summary: LEAVE YOU WANTING MORE
Review: It's rare that you find yourself really sad when a book ends. This was the case for me in Lansdale's wonderful A FINE DARK LINE. Although it is a mystery, it is also a marvelous look at growing up in what seemed to be more "innocent" times, when the local drive in was the hottest place in town on Friday and Saturday nights. The Mitchell family, including the story's narrative voice, Stanley, is a warm and comfortably stoic group, highly developed morals, a sense of family love, and a warm heart for even those outside of the family (most noticeably in their "adoption" of the Negress Rosy). Buster Lighthorse Smith, who works as the projectionist at the Mitchell's drive-in, is a moody, often caustic alcoholic, who becomes a friend to young Stanley and helps him in his investigation of two murders committed twenty years before. Although this mystery is what drives the storyline of A FINE DARK LINE, it is the development of the characters, including Stanley's friend, Richard, and many other supporting characters, that elevates this book to its level of excellence. One of the murders is solved; the other,well, that's for you to decide. But nonetheless, I wanted to spend more time with Stanley and his family and friends; the wrap up at the end adds to the nostalgic feel of learning about people you knew. A great book!

Rating:
Summary: LEAVE YOU WANTING MORE
Review: It's rare that you find yourself really sad when a book ends. This was the case for me in Lansdale's wonderful A FINE DARK LINE. Although it is a mystery, it is also a marvelous look at growing up in what seemed to be more "innocent" times, when the local drive in was the hottest place in town on Friday and Saturday nights. The Mitchell family, including the story's narrative voice, Stanley, is a warm and comfortably stoic group, highly developed morals, a sense of family love, and a warm heart for even those outside of the family (most noticeably in their "adoption" of the Negress Rosy). Buster Lighthorse Smith, who works as the projectionist at the Mitchell's drive-in, is a moody, often caustic alcoholic, who becomes a friend to young Stanley and helps him in his investigation of two murders committed twenty years before. Although this mystery is what drives the storyline of A FINE DARK LINE, it is the development of the characters, including Stanley's friend, Richard, and many other supporting characters, that elevates this book to its level of excellence. One of the murders is solved; the other,well, that's for you to decide. But nonetheless, I wanted to spend more time with Stanley and his family and friends; the wrap up at the end adds to the nostalgic feel of learning about people you knew. A great book!

Rating:
Summary: A Mystery with Meaning
Review: Joe Lansdale has written a coming-of-age story of 13y.o. Stanley Mitchell growing up in East Texas, 1958. In A FINE DARK LINE Stanley crosses from innocence to the cold realities of domestic violence, racism, alcoholism, and murder as well as experiencing the natural awakening to sexual feelings, and realizing the necessity of work and friendships.

The picture Lansdale paints of the past, in the post WWII, pre-computer age, creates nostalgia via its realism. Stanley finds some love letters of a young girl with a mysterious past and a lost identity. He becomes interested in discovering more about her and is compelled to find out what happenned to her. In the process he befriends an elderly Black man and an abused boy his own age. As Stanley interacts with several adults and family members he passes from childhood into adolescence.

Lansdale writes there's a "fine dark line between black mystery and reality" and Stanley fears that his intrusion into the events of the past by openning the old letters has offended the gods, changing fate and causing evil things to happen to him. At the time it may have felt that way, but with the perspective and benefit from years of living, his reflections on the past help Stanley realize how much he's learned and how he's been molded into the man he is today.

As is characteristic of superb, meaningful writing, there is the story and the added meaning of the story the reader can "take home". Besides an intriguing mystery, Joe Lansdale has given his readers plenty to reflect upon and keep in A FINE DARK LINE.

Rating:
Summary: Coming of Age at the Dew Drop
Review: Joe Lansdale proves again he can recreate with a fine eye growing up in East Texas during the '50's. Perhaps "A Fine Dark Line" is a bit too close to his prize-winning "Bottoms," but nevertheless, this is prime Lansdale reading.

Stanley Mitchel, Jr. 13 resides in Dewton, Texas. His daddy owns the Dew Drop Drive-In movie, and their home is kind of between the screen and the concession stand, which Stanley thinks is a very good thing. The whole family, Mom ("Gal"), Daddy, and older sister Callie run the theatre. It is the summer of 1958, and as Stanley says, more things happen in that summer than have happened in his entire life. He finds a hidden trove of love letters that lead in him to a burned out plantation in the woods in back of the drive-in and discovers a young girl was burned to death in the fire. On the same night another young girl was murdered on the railroad tracks, decapitated and her head never found. Rumored ghosts abound. The remnants of the house and mill are eerily entwined with vines and saplings that have grown around and through them. Stanley decides to investigate the mystery, and gets a great deal more than he bargained for---corruption in high places, blackmail, and two psychotics: father of his best friend Richard and erstwhile boyfriend Bubba, huge and terrifying, of the family's housekeeper Rosy Mae.

The characterizations are sublime. High spirited, cheerleader-cute sister Callie is wonderfully drawn. She knows she has great powers of attraction and uses them like an inexperienced marksman with an assault rifle. Friend Richard wrenches your heart with his deprived and catastrophic home life. The family employees, Buster, the projectionist, and Rosy Mae, crackle with life, earthiness, and vibrancy. Daddy, in spite of his bad temper and propensity to fight, shines with goodness, and mother Gal is secretly in charge of everyone.

"A Fine Dark Line" is witty, terrifying and occasionally mischievous. Sometimes credibility is stretched. Even in 1958, could there be one 13-year-old boy that still believed in Santa Claus? The amount of terror and mayhem that happened on one night couldn't have happened to most people in a lifetime. But believe me, you will consider every last word right and true as you race through the pages. A book not to be missed.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer

Rating:
Summary: Coming of Age in America
Review: Joe Lansdale, who started his career as a horror writer, is now best known for his hard-biting, hard-edged and very dark mystery and thrillers. The last few years has a offered a softer version of Lansdale who, although still writing mysteries, has decided to deal more with the pains and fears of growing up. A Fine Dark Line is another addition to this lot and, although it is genuine Lansdale, the whole still left me a bit disappointed. This one felt more like the outline for a greater novel than anything else.

Stanley is a thirteen year old boy who, during the summer of 1958, moves with his family to a new town. His father has bought the town's drive-in as a family business and that's where Stan will see himself live with his parents and sister. Soon enough, he uncovers a box full of old letters, which will lead him to discover a mystery that has just been waiting to be unearthed.

The mystery deals with a couple of young girls who were killed nearly thirty years ago. Their deaths are still unresolved and Stanley, with the help of his sister and the old projectionist, decides to figure things out by himself.

Since the book is set in the 50s it will, of course, deal with sexuality, with the black revolution and with movies of the era. Lansdale tries to deal with too much in too little time. There are great echoes of To Kill a Mockingbird in this one (even a Boo Radley-like character appears in A Fine Dark Line), which just shows the kind of thing Lansdale was striving to achieve. The book is barely 300 pages long and yet, it has more to deal with than most books twice its size. It really saddens me to say that this one feels more like an outline Lansdale didn't feel he had to courage to see through.

I still enjoyed reading A Fine Dark Line. The book has great characters and some very chilling situation. But the whole thing left me thirsting for more. This is the rare case where the story could have used a little more flesh on its skeleton. As it stands, A Fine Dark Line is an average book by an author capable of much better (like his great book The Bottoms, one of the best mystery to ever see print).

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written coming of age novel set in the South
Review: Lansdale describes a summer in 1958 when 13 year-old Stanley Michel Jr and his family moved to a house that formed the screen of the drive-in theater in Dewmont Texas. During that summer, Stanley loses his childhood innocence when he learns about racial bigotry, passion, cruelty and violence. He also becomes close to his 16 year old sister, befriends the aged black man who runs the projector and solves a 20 year old murder mystery.

This "not to be missed" story draws its characters and their personalities so finely, you feel like you can actually see them. I enjoyed some of the dialogue of the characters so much, I reread parts of the story.

The title, Fine Dark Line, signifies many things in the story. There is a quote by Stanley in the story in which he feared that a force he felt in his room would take hold of him and drag him with them "across the fine dark line that made up the border between the world of the living and the world of the dead." I also think there was a fine dark line between the lives of the blacks and the whites in the town, the poor and the rich, and instances we see of both cruelty and love.

There are lots of memorable characters. In addition to Stanley Jr. who narrates the story, we meet his friend Richard, who receives regular beatings my his religious fanatic father but finds the courage to stand up to him; the aging black projectionist, Buster Lighthouse Smith, who helps him solve the mystery letters found in an abandoned house. Buster teaches him how to research what actually happened to two murdered teenage girls, but more importantly, teaches Stanley many life lessons. His sister Callie, a co-conspirator in his investigations, introduces him to many adult issues.

This book has been compared to "To Kill a Mockingbird" and is as memorable. Highly recommended

Rating:
Summary: Could of been more
Review: Lansdale is a great writer. He's so good that he can write in his sleep -- which may be the problem with A Fine Dark Line. Lansdale's ability in dealing with issues of race, sexuality, good and evil, is remarkable. You never feel like you're being preached to, which is probably a testimony to Lansdale's good common sense. However, in A Fine Dark Line, the ghosts invoked come from other novels. Anyone who has read To Kill a Mockingbird or Tom Sawyer, knows he or she has read earlier and greater efforts. A violent fight at night in a storm; a town mystery or two; a boy entering into early manhood; strange lights down by the railroad tracks; a headless girl. American Folklore 101. Yep. Lansdale's pushing the buttons. Still, this book is worth a read, since you quickly come attached to the Mitchel family and their friends. But if you've read Lansdale's The Drive-in, you'll find yourself longing for the early wild man, as opposed to this tame, mainstream version of a pulp master.

Rating:
Summary: A worthy successor to Lansdale's Edgar winner "The Bottoms"
Review: Opening with a sweetly melancholic passage recounting some of his earliest memories, Stanley Mitchell, the now fifty seven year old narrator of A Fine Dark Line, quickly gets down to the business at hand, telling a story which began in the summer of 1958. That summer, Stanley's discovery of a long buried diary eventually leads to the revelation of the truth behind a scandal in the town's past, involving the deaths of two young women from opposite ends of the social spectrum. A modern day Tom Sawyer, Stanley finds himself in the middle of things, his curiosity and naiveté placing him in the path of mortal danger.

Given Lansdale's notorious sense of the bizarre, much of the novel concerns itself with Stanley's often harrowing adventures around his hometown of Dewmont, Texas. The strongest portions of the novel, however, deal not with Stanley's investigations, nor with their macabre side effects, but with his mundane, day to day life: his loving, if sometimes embattled relationships with his father, mother, and sister, his comradery with his friend Richard (Huck to Stanley's Tom), his affectionate reliance on the family housekeeper Rosy Mae, and his often contentious association with Buster Lighthorse Smith, an elderly black man who runs the projector at the Mitchell family drive-in. Lansdale's portrait of Stanley's family life and 1958 Dewmont possesses all the detail and authenticity of an old home movie; he chronicles the townspeople's prejudices, dreams, and petty squabbles with deceptive ease. Doing so, he demonstrates that the "fine dark line" of the title delineates not only the barriers between races and social classes, and between the past and the present, but also the ones that exist between childhood and adulthood, and between spouses and friends.

Wise and knowing, A Fine Dark Line is blessed with the same air of authenticity as Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, or Stephen King's "The Body," making it a worthy successor to Lansdale's Edgar Award winning regional gothic The Bottoms. Lansdale's writing continues to climb to higher levels--always a distinctive voice, he continues to hone his craft, producing ever more suspenseful, colorful, and engaging work, creating books which are increasingly more personal and heartfelt.