Dead by Popular Demand: A Harlem Noir Featuring Devil Barnett [Hardcover]

Teddy Hayes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 16, 2005

Behind the glitter and the hype of the music business, Devil Barnett discovers a world of drugs, murder, betrayal and backstabbing, and that he may be next on the hit parade.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Introduced in Hayes's Blood Red Blues (2004), Devil Barnett leaves his headquarters at the Be-Bop Tavern for a second entertaining tough-guy prowl through the dangerous underbelly of Harlem. When two members of the breakout British rap band Dancehall Dogz are viciously murdered, Devil, a former wet-ops hitman for the CIA, gets on the case. Against a music business backdrop of remix fees and "cleans," promotional CDs that often end up for sale in record stores, Devil encounters a cast that includes crooked ministers, crack whores and band managers who "wouldn't have the brains to manage Elvis if he came back from the dead." A sidetrip to London derails the action briefly, but when the setting is Harlem, the reading is fast and fun.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Devil Barnett returns in a second outing that finds the CIA hit-man-turned-Harlem-barkeep up to his neck in a case involving murdered members of a London hip-hop act, warring cocaine dealers, dark family secrets, and enough willing women to form several hot combos with the jazz-loving private dick. Despite constructing an overly convoluted plot, Hayes delivers a fun read by exposing the dirty underside of the record business and salting a handful of engagingly original characters among the urban stereotypes. The book is at its best when it takes a break from the brisk narrative flow and focuses on, for instance, Benny Sweetmeat, an aging sandwich maker recognized by a couple of colleagues from his porn-star days who want to relive old times. Also compelling is Devil's extended hallucination after he gets shot and suffers a sickle-cell crisis. Devil is an interesting guy--he delivers heartfelt monologues about how much he enjoys helping people right after meting out sadistic punishment. When Hayes gives the investigator interesting things to do and people to mingle with, the series clicks. Frank Sennett
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Justin, Charles & Co. (September 16, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932112235
• ISBN-13: 978-1932112238
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,532,866 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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