Customer Reviews

Go by Go

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Jon A. Jackson has written a masterpiece of hard-boiled noir that takes efforts to organize 1917 miners and turns out a masterful story of greed, retribution and revenge.

I read this book between Jim Thompson's The Killer Inside Me and The Golden Gizmo, both excellent examples of the noir genre. Jackson does it better.

A young Pinkerton agent, Goodwin "Geed" Ryder, is sent to Butte, MT, in 1917 to help put an end to union organization. There, he befriends, and ultimately, betrays, IWW union organizer Frank Little. When Little is murdered, the young detective leaves the agency, and takes up an itinerant life as a mystery writer.

Thinking the past is as dead as his friend, Little, Geed suddenly finds himself drawn back into the mix in the 1950s as the House Unamerican Activities Committee begins an investigation into Geed's ties to Communists.

An overall sense of frustration builds through this book as you look at Geed's decisions and actions, but Jackson gently ties it together, giving you a fine, ultimately satisfying, story in the process.

After a mine explosion in Butte, Montana results in the death of 162 miners in 1917, the miners walk out, demanding better safety conditions in the mines. Union organizer Frank Little comes to Butte and begins encouraging the miners to join his union. The Pinkertons and other agencies are there too. They are hired by the Copper Kings, the mining corporation to make sure that Little doesn't succeed.

Young Pinkerton operative, Geed Ryder is sent to the area to infiltrate the strikers, find the trouble makers and determine what the miner's were planning.

Geed is well described as a character with his youthful ambition and gullibility. In this respect, he may be a symbol of the United States at that time and the view of unions and corporate profits.

Geed seems sincere and is able to talk his way into the homes and hearts of the miners and union representatives. He is also seen as a man with failings as he becomes involved with the wife of a miner who was his friend.

The setting is the mining town of Butte, Montana. It is depicted precisely with accompanying photographic documentation, This adds realism to the story and makes the reader feel that they are learning the details from the local newspaper.

Jon A. Jackson details the attempts by the union to provide a safer working environment and a living wage for the union members. The greedy corporation uses the World War as an excuse, claiming that anyone who wants to set up unions and stop the mining must be a communist. In this manner they are able to hide their greed and their heartlessness toward their employees.

A thought provoking story.