Book Review: White Shadow

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

White Shadow     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Ace Atkins
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Historical   Thriller
Putnam, May 2006, $24.95

For years Charlie “White Shadow” Wall ran the Tampa, Florida mob. Now Charlie retired as he knows that being the kingpin is a young man’s game with him finding it increasingly difficult to stay alive from the assorted rivals and employees who want to dethrone him. However, in April of that year, someone stabbed elderly Charlie killing him.

Detective Ed Dodge and Tampa Tribune reporter Leland Hawes investigate the homicide that each assumes ties back to the White Shadow’s mob days; could someone have feared that Charlie knew too much and with Kefauver making noise in DC was about to reveal secrets. Dodge and Hawes travel the city to include the infamous Latin Quarter of Ybor City, Sunset Park and more before heading to Havana as they follow clues that look promising but seem to go nowhere with the mob watching every step they take just in case.

Though a fine mystery based on the real homicide of Wall in 1955 Tampa, WHITE SHADOW feels more like a historical tale with a whodunit subplot as the story line contains a who’s who of 1950s Florida and Cuba. The investigation is terrific, but it is the tidbits from the era and the persona like Castro who brings what seems now like ancient history (the Dodgers are still in Brooklyn winning their only world series while located there while L.A. is not even a strategic objective). True crime fans, the historical mystery audience, and readers who appreciate a look back at the “Happy Days” of the Eisenhower era will appreciate Ace Atkins fine “reenactment” thriller

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner