Atlanta Blues

Atlanta Blues, Robert Lamb’s intricate foray into the underworld of Atlanta, challenges mystery fans to look beyond a city’s surface and into mankind’s darkest depths.

Ben Blake knows missing-persons simply do not make headlines. But when Connie Phillip’s distraught mother begs him to help search for her daughter, the overworked, underpaid newspaper reporter reluctantly caves in.

While on the tracks of the seemingly innocent girl, Ben and his police officer buddies find themselves weaving through the streets of Atlanta, beyond the side of the city tourists see in daylight, into the sexual deviance and murder that lies behind closed doors.

With disarmingly clear prose, the veteran author attacks the most complex of questions, diving into such harrowing topics as eroticism, perversity, murder and betrayal with the authority only thorough research and real-life experience as a newspaper reporter can muster.

Offering a compassionate and humane portrayal of life as an Atlanta police officer in the 1980s, Lamb not only investigates the trials cops face, but also delves into their souls as his characters come face to face with the horror of the criminal mind.

Spanning the wide breadth of criminals to cops, Lamb tackles readers’ most sacred safe havens as police officers illegally obtain evidence and young adults turn up dead.

From the jaded and heartbroken Johnny Lee — an Atlanta cop with shattered ideals — to the cunning and devious Eve Garland — owner of one of the hottest and most successful lesbian bars in the city — the cast of characters waltzes through the scenes in a colorful and mesmerizing disarray, as Ben meets all kinds in his effort to uncover the truth.

Lamb’s artful narrative and gritty dialogue portray the real Atlanta with contemporary details complementing the traditional cat-and-mouse detective novel. Following in the footsteps of Dashiel Hammitt and Joseph Wambaugh, the author crafts a sensitive and haunting tale about innocence exploited and hope regained.