Done for a Dime

by David Corbett

Book Overview

Raymond "Strong" Carlisle made his mark as an ace sideman to the biggest names in R&B. Now he lies in the mud outside his home, shot dead from behind. He's the first official casualty in a dirty war... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345447530
• ISBN13: 9780345447531
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.3" x 6.4"

Customer Reviews

Outstanding

David Corbett's first book, The Devil's Redhead, was fantastic, and Done for a Dime is even better. The numerous characters are all well-drawn, distinct, and believable. The realistic description of the neighborhood and its various inhabitants, together with the jazz theme which winds through the novel, combine to create a strong sense of atmosphere and place. The plot races forward, much like the fire which is a central part of the story, to a conclusion which was not predictable, but which becomes inevitable. And, in addition to these large elements, there are innumerable shorter scenes--e.g., the rescue of a child during the fire, the description of a family which was murdered during the fire--which are so well-painted that they remain with you and add layers of depth to the main story. For anyone who wants their novels, mystery or not, well-written and thoughtful, with unusual characters and a story to tell, Done for a Dime is the perfect choice.

Powerful, passionate, and compelling

David Corbett's story of the murder of a jazz musician is an utterly compelling read from start to finish. The deadly consequences of the initial killing, the aching hearts of the survivors, the alternating brutality and compassion of the all-too-human policemen - all are rendered in powerful, vivid prose that makes no compromises. Readers looking for crime fiction on a par with Dennis Lehane's MYSTIC RIVER need look no further than this terrific novel.

A Rollercoaster Ride on the Dark Side of Police Noir

"The Devil's Redhead" brought David Corbett critical kudos and an Edgar nomination for Best First Novel, 2003. I've read it...by me, it's a hands-down winner, and "Done for a Dime" is every bit as explosive and compelling an exploration of the darker side of noir as that debut outing was. It's certainly equally well-written and so completely realistic as to make it abundantly clear that Mr. Corbett is a powerful new voice in suspense fiction. Rio Mirada in Northern California is schismatically polarized: economically, racially and geographically. Gang warfare, drug trafficking, political corruption, chicanery and greed have created a climate of violence in the Baymont area particularly which angst-ridden Detective Dennis Murchison; his bigot partner, Larry Stluka, and their fellow police can only hope to contain, not curtail. The latest random killing finds black jazz legend, Raymond 'Strong' Carlisle, brutally gunned down in his front yard. Cantankerous, proud and feisty, ill-health and age have forced him into an uneasy dependence upon his estranged musician son, Toby Marchand, who has a major problem explaining his fast arrival at the scene of his Dad's murder. Trying to uncover a motive for the old man's death by unraveling the last hours of his life, Murchison learns that Carlisle had taken part in a brawl at the Zoom Room (where he'd gone to hear his son's band with Toby's white girl friend, Nadya Lazarenko), effectively endangering Toby's gig there, and also tangled with some gang members, one of whom, Arlie Thigpen, had later been spotted in the vicinity of the Carlisle home by a neighbor. With two suspects safely in custody, what Murchison doesn't realize is that there's a wild card in this lethal deck: gangbanger-wanna-be, paranoic arsonist Manny Turpin who has been camping out in an abandoned house next door has a bone to pick with Carlisle too. At this point, we pick up the second plot thread: Manny has become the willing pupil and dupe of conniving Richard Ferry who has entered into a sub rosa agreement with corrupt power broker Clint Bratcher to torch the entire hillside enclave...lower/middle class predominantly black homes...thus clearing the way for lucrative redevelopment projects. Inevitably the two cases intertwine, but by the time Murchison and Stluka sort through a maze of misdirection and human duplicity, Baymonth is in flames and trapped people are dying. As answers slowly begin to emerge from the rubble, Murchison finds himself faced with the most desperate decision of his life: how to put paid to horrific crimes and a criminal whom only street justice can touch?Frankly, I'm finding it very hard myself to do appropriate justice to this brilliant book. It reminds me so much of the music which it celebrates: there's a kind of wild power and barely contained desperation, a depth of feeling, an evocative dark splendor in the way it's developed and structured that makes Mr. Corbett's characters...their environment.

stark, gritty and totally believable police procedural

There is tension between father and son because famous blues musician Raymond "Strong" Carlisle has started drinking again only months after having a kidney removed. Toby Marchand moved in with his father to nurse him through his health crisis and is irate that his dad disobeys medical orders. Toby goes to play with his own band at a nearby club and his girlfriend Nadya escorts his father to see him perform.Strong picks a fight with everyone he comes in contact with. When he returns home someone kills him with three bullets in his back. The police turn their attention to Toby and Nadya, but that fails to turn up any leads. What the police have yet to realize is that the killer lives next door to Carlisle in a boarded up Victorian, waiting to set fire to a part of the town that his clients want destroyed. These developers want to rebuild it in the image that will bring them the most profit. Whether the killer will succeed in carrying out his objective remains to be read.David Corbett's story line is stark, gritty and totally believable. From the police to the average citizen to the criminals, Mr. Corbett creates a microcosm of life in the pages of DONE FOR A DIME. His perspectives is realistic and readers will accept that the lead detective on the case has to go outside the law to try to see that justice occurs. While many readers will not agree with the protagonist's solution, they will understand why he was driven to break the laws he was sworn to uphold. This is one police procedural it will be impossible to forget.Harriet Klausner