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FOOLS RUSH IN. . .
I'd done some crazy stuff off-and-on the last couple of years. My life had gone off in some weird directions. But nothing could match yanking a stoned, naked, sick seventeen-year-old girl out of a murder scene and sneaking her off under the nose of the police.
Harry James Denton is no fool. But his search for a rich runaway teen, Stacey Jameson, takes him to the seamy and very wild side of Nashville. Nobody's chain lays straight, a friend tells Harry. But Stacey's is especially twisted, with links that lead back to a family filled with secrets. Even a hardboiled P.I. like Harry isn't prepared for what awaits him in the depths of hard-core hell, where only he can save a lost girl before she destroys herself or lets a ruthless murderer do it for her.
"Steven Womack has done for male private eye fiction what Grafton and Paretsky did for women operatives in the Eighties, and if you haven't heard of him yet, you will."
--Mostly Murder
I'd done some crazy stuff off-and-on the last couple of years. My life had gone off in some weird directions. But nothing could match yanking a stoned, naked, sick seventeen-year-old girl out of a murder scene and sneaking her off under the nose of the police.
Harry James Denton is no fool. But his search for a rich runaway teen, Stacey Jameson, takes him to the seamy and very wild side of Nashville. Nobody's chain lays straight, a friend tells Harry. But Stacey's is especially twisted, with links that lead back to a family filled with secrets. Even a hardboiled P.I. like Harry isn't prepared for what awaits him in the depths of hard-core hell, where only he can save a lost girl before she destroys herself or lets a ruthless murderer do it for her.
"Steven Womack has done for male private eye fiction what Grafton and Paretsky did for women operatives in the Eighties, and if you haven't heard of him yet, you will."
--Mostly Murder
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published March 31, 1996
51 people are currently reading
134 people want to read
About the author
Steven Womack
32 books43 followersWith the publication of his novel, FADE UP FROM BLACK: THE RETURN OF HARRY JAMES DENTON, Steven Womack brings back his award-winning MUSIC CITY MURDERS series, featuring P.I. Harry James Denton
Womack began his first novel when he was eighteen-years-old. A short eighteen years later, he finally sold one. His first published novel, MURPHY'S FAULT, was the only debut mystery on the 1990 New York Times Notable Book List. Since then, he has published ten more novels, winning both the Edgar and Shamus Awards, as well as receiving multiple nominations for major mystery awards.
His Edgar and Shamus Award-winning Harry James Denton MUSIC CITY MURDERS series--DEAD FOLKS' BLUES, TORCH TOWN BOOGIE, WAY PAST DEAD, NOBODY'S CHAIN LAYS STRAIGHT, A MANUAL OF MURDER and DIRTY MONEY--has been republished by Spearhead Press.
A scriptwriter as well, Womack co-wrote the screenplays for PROUDHEART, which was nominated for the CableAce Award, and VOLCANO: FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN, an ABC television movie that was one of the most-watched television movies of the year.
Womack lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where for twenty-five years he anchored the screenwriting program at the Watkins Film School of Watkins College of Art. He also served five years as Chair of The Film School. When the college closed in May, 2020, he was the longest serving faculty member at the college.
A licensed pilot, Womack loves to fly and scuba dive in his spare time. Unfortunately, there hasn't been any spare time since 2001.
Visit his website at www.stevenwomack.com
Womack began his first novel when he was eighteen-years-old. A short eighteen years later, he finally sold one. His first published novel, MURPHY'S FAULT, was the only debut mystery on the 1990 New York Times Notable Book List. Since then, he has published ten more novels, winning both the Edgar and Shamus Awards, as well as receiving multiple nominations for major mystery awards.
His Edgar and Shamus Award-winning Harry James Denton MUSIC CITY MURDERS series--DEAD FOLKS' BLUES, TORCH TOWN BOOGIE, WAY PAST DEAD, NOBODY'S CHAIN LAYS STRAIGHT, A MANUAL OF MURDER and DIRTY MONEY--has been republished by Spearhead Press.
A scriptwriter as well, Womack co-wrote the screenplays for PROUDHEART, which was nominated for the CableAce Award, and VOLCANO: FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN, an ABC television movie that was one of the most-watched television movies of the year.
Womack lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where for twenty-five years he anchored the screenwriting program at the Watkins Film School of Watkins College of Art. He also served five years as Chair of The Film School. When the college closed in May, 2020, he was the longest serving faculty member at the college.
A licensed pilot, Womack loves to fly and scuba dive in his spare time. Unfortunately, there hasn't been any spare time since 2001.
Visit his website at www.stevenwomack.com
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 12, 2018
The fourth book in the Harry Denton private eye series is a pleasant enough read, fastmoving, and engaging, with quite a few nods to Chandler's Big Sleep. It features a search for a missing heiress and takes Harry on a tour through Nashville's stripclubs and sleazy adult bookstores at a time when the Internet was just beginning. It has a stripper with a heart of gold, a tenacious down on his luck Detective, and bodies dropping everywhere. Not a bad read, although not earthshattering.
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February 19, 2022Gritty
This is not cozy fare, despite the innocuous sound of "Music City Murders." And while approaching noir, it's not that bleak, although this one perhaps is the bleakest of them by the time you've read up to this book of the series.
I think you could drive the streets-or old streets- of Nashville based on all the directions given, and find most of the places mentioned have closed, classics even so, and wonder what direction Nashville is going in, and perhaps all the major cities in our nation. Places that were a hard 45 minutes are now 15 from downtown and 25 from the farthest opposite side, and that's with a ton more traffic in the decades since this story appeared and fictionally took place. Changes.
Another part of life.
Maybe another broken string on another acoustic guitar.
This book is not a lullaby to sleep by; it'll leave grit in your eyes when it's done.
But that's life.
Life.
This is not cozy fare, despite the innocuous sound of "Music City Murders." And while approaching noir, it's not that bleak, although this one perhaps is the bleakest of them by the time you've read up to this book of the series.
I think you could drive the streets-or old streets- of Nashville based on all the directions given, and find most of the places mentioned have closed, classics even so, and wonder what direction Nashville is going in, and perhaps all the major cities in our nation. Places that were a hard 45 minutes are now 15 from downtown and 25 from the farthest opposite side, and that's with a ton more traffic in the decades since this story appeared and fictionally took place. Changes.
Another part of life.
Maybe another broken string on another acoustic guitar.
This book is not a lullaby to sleep by; it'll leave grit in your eyes when it's done.
But that's life.
Life.
April 21, 2022
First off, isn’t that a great title? It caught my attention. The cover caught my eye also. The characters are intriguing and quirky, which I love in a story. His search for drug-addled rich girl keeps you reading. The relationship between Denton and his girlfriend Marsha hit me as a little off. Doesn’t read true on the page, and is the only problem I had with the story. There is lots of sleaze in the story. The ends and outs of the strip clubs and who owned what and who is a bit convoluted. Or maybe I just had trouble keeping up. But it’s a decent story, with a unique voice. I’ll probably try another book in the series.
April 11, 2022
To be fair to the Author This book simply was not my cup of tea. It is just too "woke" for my liking, too liberal. It talks about sex and being gay as if that is the normal way of life and everyone needs to partake in such activity. I had to do something i rarely do and put the book down and not read all of it. It may be a much better book than I am giving it credit for, and I simply did not give it a chance.
This author has written many good books, and this one is well written. I just dont like the subject matter. You may find it to be a great book. I, just dont.
This author has written many good books, and this one is well written. I just dont like the subject matter. You may find it to be a great book. I, just dont.
November 15, 2022
As fates would have it, this is the first in the series for me. I will be going back to read books 1 - 3 though.
Definitely not a cozy mystery. It's very dark and involves the seedy side of Nashville, from the other side of the tracks, so to speak. Sex clubs, abuse and more than one murder. Interesting and intense.
Definitely not a cozy mystery. It's very dark and involves the seedy side of Nashville, from the other side of the tracks, so to speak. Sex clubs, abuse and more than one murder. Interesting and intense.
January 28, 2022
Wow! What a roller coaster ride!
This is not my usual choice of book, but, the fast pace, the ugly world the characters inhabited, the incredible ending! I was hooked and could not stop reading. This book is not for everyone.
This is not my usual choice of book, but, the fast pace, the ugly world the characters inhabited, the incredible ending! I was hooked and could not stop reading. This book is not for everyone.
April 13, 2019
Nobodies Chain Lays Straight
Another good story. This one was dark and kind of hard to read but am hoping Harry gets his head on straight and moves on to another adventure.
Another good story. This one was dark and kind of hard to read but am hoping Harry gets his head on straight and moves on to another adventure.
September 17, 2021
Sam Spade meets Tennessee Williams in a Nashville strip club
A quirky mystery to read by the pool. Looking forward to reading more Womack novels. Need five more words, darn.
A quirky mystery to read by the pool. Looking forward to reading more Womack novels. Need five more words, darn.
October 26, 2021
Too much excitement.
This is a somewhat different kind of story for this author. It deals with the raunchy, seedier side of life. Very sad.
This is a somewhat different kind of story for this author. It deals with the raunchy, seedier side of life. Very sad.
November 16, 2021
Another excellent story in a top series.
January 17, 2022
I need more Harry
This is the first book that I have read by Steven Womack.
Now I need to read the rest of the series. It was SO good!
This is the first book that I have read by Steven Womack.
Now I need to read the rest of the series. It was SO good!
January 27, 2022
What a great series! It has got it all….romance, action, murder, mystery and one heck of a roller coaster ride of a story! I am reading this series back to back to back. It is that good!
July 16, 2022
More violent than his usual fare, and significantly more than I enjoy.
February 10, 2022
Nobody's Chain Harry's
Like, held my interest. Extremely hard to put down . held my interest well into the very end. I would definitely ask someone to read this seriously recommend this read.
Like, held my interest. Extremely hard to put down . held my interest well into the very end. I would definitely ask someone to read this seriously recommend this read.
June 3, 2012
Steven Womack is a local who sets his mysteries in Nashville. Since these books were written in the NIneties, his Nashville is one I recognize from my high school days. The writing is pretty forumlaic, but I'm a sucker for a boiler-plate mystery, and reading about places I know is neat. Plus, I'm writing a short story that's set in Nashville and using some of the hallmarks of the detective genre in the story, so I'm counting it as thesis research. Fun!
Well, sorta fun. This book basically sucked. The writing is lame, the dialogue is canned and the plot points completely unrealistic, unbelievable, and overly sensational. The only reason I finished it and gave it 2 stars (instead of the 1 it deserves) is because I liked reading about the Nashville setting.
Well, sorta fun. This book basically sucked. The writing is lame, the dialogue is canned and the plot points completely unrealistic, unbelievable, and overly sensational. The only reason I finished it and gave it 2 stars (instead of the 1 it deserves) is because I liked reading about the Nashville setting.
August 17, 2022
A story that wanders into a sick view of life: sex, violence, sick families, etc. Wish I hadn't read it. But the main character, Harry, was a more innocent bystander, and as we read (I'll have to admit, I skimmed), he slides further and further into bewilderment and confusion and overwhelm by this worldview. I guess you'd say it ended okay; he didn't die. But too many others did.
April 5, 2013
Well!!! This story really drug along and took me forever to read. I can't remember what the story was about. The only character I can recall is Denton because I was in Denton when I was reading this book.
June 14, 2009
Excellent book, dealing with a very dark subject. Has been years since I read this, but certain scenes are still vivid memories.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews