Book Review: RACE TRAITORS by Mark Davis
Recently I had the opportunity to meet Chicago author Mark Davis, former commander with the Chicago Police Department now retired, and author of a book titled RACE TRAITORS. We met at a law enforcement retiree function (my background also being in law enforcement) where I was introduced to Davis and his book RACE TRAITORS. As an avid reader and author myself, my interest was immediately piqued, even more so when I noticed the book related to my hometown of Chicago and I immediately procured a copy.
RACE TRAITORS, according to the bio flap, takes places in the city of Chicago during the 60's and early 70's when gang activity and violence reached an all time high, primarily on the south and southeast sides, something I can attest to as a kid who grew up during that era and in that location.
The plot revolves around two main characters, detectives Aristotle Ashford and Myles Sivad, and their "suspenseful journey through the streets of Chicago in pursuit of justice."
Told mainly from Sivad's viewpoint, I found the story to be a virtual trip down memory lane, filled with references to places I'd known back in the day. Izola's restaurant, the Woodlawn neighborhood, Cook County Hospital, Daddy-O-Daley, Hyde Park High School, legendary 47th street, and the newsstands on every street corner blending into the history and background of the city.
Tension between the two detectives surfaces in their relentless quest to solve the gang killings, as Sivad is a rookie and Ashford, a veteran who despises blacks killing blacks considering them traitors to the race.
While populated with interesting characters and situations, Davis' writing occasionally seems to emulate more of a police report style (just the facts, ma'am) than an author's narrative, but for anyone with decades of police reporting as his part of his legacy, perhaps it was bound to seep in. The ending, though satisfactory, left a question or two hanging with the reader, such as what happened to a particular character or the resolution of a particular relationship.
And then coincidentally, I recently met Davis again at another retiree function where I learned of his new novel, RACE TRAITORS 2. Of course I purchased a copy immediately-- if only to find out if perhaps those one or two lingering questions from the first novel get answered.
Learn more about the author and book here:
What's on your reading list this summer? Feel free to share in the comments.
Thanks for reading!
BIO:
GAIL MERRIWETHER is a retired Chicago police, author, and member of Poets United to Advance the Arts.
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