Overview
On a manic ride from the mixing boards of hip-hop recording studios to mansions in the Hamptons and the projects of the urban ghetto, Detective Black Sallie Blue Eyes ventures behind-the-scenes of the record business in search of a street-side assassin. Casting a widely satirical net on all spectra and species of the Manhattan social scene—from tweaking downtown hipsters, wrestling fetishists, and rapper wannabes to real estate moguls and hip-hop impresarios—this satirical urban noir novel offers intrigue, insight, and an innovative brand of humor.
Synopsis
On a manic ride from the mixing boards of hip-hop recording studios to mansions in the Hamptons and the projects of the urban ghetto, Detective Black Sallie Blue Eyes ventures behind-the-scenes of the record business in search of a street-side assassin. Casting a widely satirical net on all spectra and species of the Manhattan social scene—from tweaking downtown hipsters, wrestling fetishists, and rapper wannabes to real estate moguls and hip-hop impresarios—this satirical urban noir novel offers intrigue, insight, and an innovative brand of humor.
Publishers Weekly
Blatte's inartful debut presents a murder investigation through the eyes of three characters: a traditional NYPD detective, Sal Messina (aka Black Sallie Blue Eyes); a young thug called Scholar, who manages Proof Positive, a hip-hop group; and Spahiu Congoli (aka Vooko), a refugee from Kosovo. When Vooko's cousin Pashko is gunned down in a Manhattan parking lot, Vooko vows revenge on those responsible. Black Sallie, who's developed an uncanny shit detector, pursues leads ranging from players in the music industry to Sheldon Kessler, an influential real estate mogul. What little insight Blatte, a Clio Award-winning songwriter and producer, offers into the music business doesn't compensate for mundane prose ("Four dudes emerged from the heat and flames and came to a swift halt once they saw several officers with drawn guns") and a routine plot. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Blatte's inartful debut presents a murder investigation through the eyes of three characters: a traditional NYPD detective, Sal Messina (aka Black Sallie Blue Eyes); a young thug called Scholar, who manages Proof Positive, a hip-hop group; and Spahiu Congoli (aka Vooko), a refugee from Kosovo. When Vooko's cousin Pashko is gunned down in a Manhattan parking lot, Vooko vows revenge on those responsible. Black Sallie, who's developed an uncanny shit detector, pursues leads ranging from players in the music industry to Sheldon Kessler, an influential real estate mogul. What little insight Blatte, a Clio Award-winning songwriter and producer, offers into the music business doesn't compensate for mundane prose ("Four dudes emerged from the heat and flames and came to a swift halt once they saw several officers with drawn guns") and a routine plot. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Bestsellersworld.com
Marc Blatte's first novel is 'da bomb.' He has created the first 'wonderful hip-hop noir mystery' that even a farm girl from Iowa couldn't put down.John Burdett
A rollicking page-turner that engrosses the reader from page one-a unique, hip, urban whodunit that ushers in a new voice to the mystery genre. (John Burdett, author, Bangkok 8 and Bangkok Ghosts )Mostlyfiction.com
Blatte produces a hard-to-put-down page-turner . . . an expertly done first novel. Readers have every reason to look forward to the installments to follow of the Black Sallie Blue Eyes series.Mystery Scene
A dark, witty, and often brilliant novel . . . such shocking good fun, you won't feel guilty about laughing at all the carnage.San Francisco Chronicle
After living in California all these years, it's a pleasure to be hit with this big dose of New York energy. A broad spectrum of characters appears here, dangerous flaws and wild humanity intact."Library Journal
In Grammy-nominaed songwriter Blatte's debut mystery, detective Salvatore Messina, nicknamed Black Sallie Blue Eyes, must solve a murder involving a hip-hop club, the recording industry, Serbian refugees, and some really bad people out to hurt anyone in their way. The street talk eventually grates, but the mystery is entertaining. For larger collections.
—Jo Ann Vicarel