The Underbelly (Outspoken Authors) [Paperback]

Gary Phillips (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2010 | Series: Outspoken Authors (Book 3)

Providing insight on homelessness, political corruption, and the potential effects of gentrification, this urban noir tells the tough story of Magrady, a semi-homeless Vietnam veteran in Los Angeles. As he searches for a friend who has gone missing from Skid Row and who may be involved in a dangerous scheme, Magrady must deal with take-no-prisoners community organizers, an unflinching cop from his past, frequent flashbacks of war, an elderly sexpot, the drug culture, and the perils of chili cheese fries at midnight. A rollicking interview with the author wherein he discusses ghetto literature, politics, noir and the proletariat, and the unknown future of books, is also included.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Mulgrew Magrady, a nearly homeless Vietnam vet, steps in to issue a warning when a drug dealer harasses his wheelchair-bound friend. Later, when the friend disappears and the dealer turns up dead, Magrady is deemed the prime suspect, hand-picked by Captain Stover of the LAPD. Magrady and Stover go way back to unresolved issues when they both served in Vietnam. With little else to do in a quickly gentrifying skid-row neighborhood, and to keep himself out of prison, Magrady investigates the murder. Plagued by flashbacks of Vietnam and memories of a failed marriage, distracted by the attentions of a frisky elderly lover and a community organizer determined to get him involved somehow, Magrady gets to the motive behind the murder. It involves wealthy developers, desperate characters, and a recently unearthed American Indian skull that is believed to have magical powers. Magrady’s adventures, with a distinctive noir feeling and appreciation for comic books, started as an online, serialized mystery. Drawings and an interview with Phillips enhance the package, offering a compelling perspective on race and class issues in South Central L.A. --Vanessa Bush

Review

"Firmly rooted in the hard-boiled tradition."  —Publishers Weekly

 

"Honesty, distinctive characters, absurdity, and good writing . . . are here in Phillips’s work."  —Washington Post

"Magrady's adventures, with a distinctive noir feeling and appreciation for comic books, started as a serialized mystery. An interview with Phillips enhances the package, offering a compelling perspective on race and class issues in South Central L.A."  —Booklist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: PM Press (September 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1604862068
• ISBN-13: 978-1604862065
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,144,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars FULL EDITION, September 14, 2010

By 

Bill Cunningham "bill cunningham" (San Marcos, Tx. USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Underbelly (Outspoken Authors) (Paperback)

I think the prior reviewer must have purchased a chapter from the book that was orginally published online. This is a full edition, albeit short (more of a novella) by one of America's most grievously under-rated crime writers.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE STUFF IS HERE!!!, June 15, 2011

By 

RossFan - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Underbelly (Outspoken Authors) (Paperback)

After being consumed for two days by Gary Phillip's UNDERBELLY, this is my review: THE - STUFF - IS - HERE!!! Put down that flat, watered-down forty you've been slurping and take a hit of this! The crack of mystery novels!!! The Underbelly has the hard-hitting pathos of T.R. Burnett's The Asphalt Jungle, and a humor equal to Chandler's. The only reason I can fathom for Phillip's obscurity is his shirtsleeve politics - scornful digs at the Brightbarts and Ann Coulters, cheerleading for the ACORNs who alleviate the suffering he describes so faithfully, right down to a skeletal vagrant taking a dump in an alleyway. His sleuth, Magrady, earns redemption by working for the community organization that has helped him along the way.

0 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars BEWARE! Part 12 of a series of chapters, June 7, 2010

By 

patrick kevin lee - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Underbelly (Kindle Edition)

I thought I was getting the Kindle version of the book being released this month in print. However, it is just chapter 12 in an ongoing serial story. Nothing else! Don't buy this, even for a buck!