Synopsis
A gritty and atmospheric thriller by a talented young writer.
Tulane professor and problem solver Nick Travers is minding his own business when a friend from his college football days asks a favour. Teddy Paris is a record producer and his biggest rap star, a kid from the projects named Alias, needs help. Somebody has ripped off Alias's assets. Always ready to bail out a buddy, Nick dives in, but the closer he gets to unmasking the villain, the more danger he unleashes until his own life is on the line.
The Washington Post
Atkins's story of rap world murder and duplicity threatens to spin out of control a few times, but mostly he keeps it moving at a steady pace; his unsentimental portrait of the angry and confused rapper Alias is one of the novel's highlights. But what I enjoyed most about Dirty South were its many glimpses of New Orleans. Atkins knows and loves the city, and loathes what tourism and gentrification have done to it, and he brings to life its incomparable food, music and funky charm. If you know what it means to miss New Orleans, his book will be as welcome as a cold Dixie beer on a hot Jazz Fest afternoon. — Patrick Anderson