A Dangerous Road

Smokey Dalton, Book 1

By: Kris Nelscott

Narrated by: Mirron Willis

Private Investigator Smokey Dalton works for Memphis, Tennessee’s black community. He has almost no interaction with the white hierarchy, even though they exist only blocks away. So he’s surprised the day a white woman walks into his Beale Street office. Laura Hathaway has sought him out because he’s a beneficiary in her mother’s will, and Laura wants to know why. So does Smokey. He’s never heard of the Hathaways, but his search will take him on a journey that will change everything he’s ever known.

Set against the backdrop of the strike and protests that will end with Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination, A Dangerous Road combines the politics of race, betrayal, unexpected love, and the terrible cost of trust into a story so memorable the Mystery Writers of America chose it as one of the top five novels of the year.

©2000 Kristine K. Rusch (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"More than just offering a puzzle, this novel encourages self-examination about identity, responsibility, and the consequences of choices. Smokey proves himself a man of conscience able to make tough choices." (Publisher’s Weekly)

"It's not hard to draw parallels between Nelscott’s PI Smokey Dalton and Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlins, another secretive, canny black man trying to solve mysteries while circumspectly navigating the white world. But Dalton’s no knock-off. (Would you label the hundreds of hard-boiled detectives who’ve appeared in Raymond Chandler’s wake mere Marlow Xeroxes because they’re white?)" (Entertainment Weekly)

Excellent

Fiction wrapped in history! Loved it! I was leery at first but was quickly won over by good story telling.

great read!

A story that redefines the meaning of family and takes a man on a search to find the reason for the murder of his parents and what his ties may be to a wealthy family who anonymously gifts him with money.

This is a great read on racial issues.

A great read that relates to what is happening in the world today. I learned what it is like to walk in the shoes of an African American.

Good book, but...

This was a good book, the narrator made it enjoyable; however, it didn't get good for me until chapter 8. That's a little too long to wait for a book to start getting good. I like the ties to history mingled in with the story.

Great story

The story was well told. The narrator was perfect. Once you start the book you do not want to put it down.

I was surprised.

I didn't know what I expected, but was really surprised when the book ended because I couldn't stop listening. It is a good book. I plan to get more of Kris Nelscott's books.

Excellent story, excellent performance!

I love a good detective story, but this was something quite different. It combined a detective story with major historical events of the 1960s as the backdrop, in a realistic and convincing way. I was especially taken with the reader performance of this story. His voice was interesting, calming, exciting, frightening... whenever the text called for it. He really seemed to be in the head of the characters and spoke as if he felt what was happening. Plan to read the next book in the series.

Easy Rawlins is That You?

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The character Smokey Dalton would make better use of his education and intelligent, the explanation given by the author as to his current station in life doesn't ring true

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

It needed to remind me less of Walter Mosley's character Easy Rawlins, at times it seemed I could finish Smokey's sentences.

What does Mirron Willis bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Mirron Willis is one of the best narrators I've listened to, he has a great voice and knows how to bring characters to life

Did A Dangerous Road inspire you to do anything?

I actually researched the author

Any additional comments?

I plan to listen to the 2nd book in the series for closure, but doubt I'll listen to any others

Excellent

The narrator has a rich, smooth voice that is also able to convey a believable woman’s and child’s voice. Story is quite compelling, with enough intrigue to keep me listening far into the night.

The Beginning Of a Great Series

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes, I think it was time well spent because it introduces us to a side of history rarely addressed in literature.

If you’ve listened to books by Kris Nelscott before, how does this one compare?

I haven't ...yet.

Which character – as performed by Mirron Willis – was your favorite?

Smokey Dalton. He came across as intelligent, conflicted and a little flawed.

Was A Dangerous Road worth the listening time?

Yes, I believe so. I wish the author had focused more on the main story line.