The Scribe, Matthew Guinn
The Scribe, Matthew Guinn
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The Scribe
A Novel

Author: Matthew Guinn

Narrator: Lloyd James

Unabridged: 7 hr 17 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/14/2015

Synopsis

A reckoning with the persistence of evil in post–Civil War AtlantaAfter leaving Atlanta in disgrace three years before, detective Thomas Canby is called back to the city on the eve of Atlanta’s 1881 International Cotton Exposition to partner with Atlanta’s first African American police officer, Cyrus Underwood. The case they’re assigned is chilling: a serial murderer who seems to be violently targeting Atlanta’s wealthiest black entrepreneurs. The killer’s method is both strange and unusually gruesome. On each victim’s mutilated body is inscribed a letter of the alphabet, beginning with “M.” The oligarchy of Atlanta’s most prominent white businessmen―the same men who ran Canby out of town, known more openly before Reconstruction as “the Ring”―is anxious to solve the murders before they lose the money they’ve invested in both the exposition and the city’s industrialization, even if resolution comes at the expense of justice.After Canby’s arrival the murders become increasingly disturbing and unpredictable, and his interference threatens to send the investigation spinning off in the wrong direction. As the toll of innocent victims rises, Canby must face down enduring racism and his own prejudices, to see clearly the source of these bloody crimes. Meanwhile, if he can restore his reputation, he might win back the woman he loves.With scrupulous attention to historical detail, Edgar Award finalist Matthew Guinn draws listeners into a vortex of tense, atmospheric storytelling, confronting the sins and fears of both old South and new.

About Matthew Guinn

Matthew Guinn, a native of Atlanta, holds degrees in English from the University of Georgia, the University of Mississippi, and the University of South Carolina, where he was personal assistant to the late James Dickey. Guinn’s first novel, The Resurrectionist, was a finalist for the Edgar Award. He lives in Jackson, Mississippi.

About Lloyd James

Lloyd James (a.k.a. Sean Pratt) has been a working professional actor in theater, film, television, and voice-overs for more than thirty years. He has narrated over one thousand audiobooks and won numerous Earphones Awards and nominations for the Audie Award and the Voice Arts Award. He holds a BFA degree in acting from Santa Fe University, New Mexico. 

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jim

I liked this book and picked it out to read mainly because of the setting--the post-Civil War South. I have read a lot about the Civil War, both fiction and non-fiction, but now I want to read more about the time period following that war--the Reconstruction Era and then the rise of the "Jim Crow" S......more

Goodreads review by Cathleen

The idea of a post-Civil War Atlanta-set mystery with the first African American detective holds so much promise. Several professional reviews cite historical detail as a draw, but my disappointment was that I did not feel immersed in the time and place as I'd hoped. The mystery was thin, and the cr......more

Goodreads review by John

It's 1881 and Atlanta, having largely rebuilt itself after Sherman's destructive visitation, is just about to host the International Cotton Exposition which, it's hoped, will bring the city much-needed revenue. There's only one problem: Some maniac is murdering people and leaving their mutilated bod......more

Goodreads review by Mark

It's unusual these days for me to give two stars to a book I read the whole way through (a two star usually means I've abandoned it midstream), but let me explain. First, I was intrigued by the historical period Guinn was exploring, post-Civil War Atlanta, after Reconstruction had failed and the cit......more

Goodreads review by Grant

“Atlanta…. Restored to her timetables. It did his soul good to see it.” I always thought Atlanta seemed to be a city devoid of history. When I was a kid, my family took a lot of trips to Southern towns, and in almost every one, you could see the spots where history was made. It’s not hard to visualiz......more

Quotes

“Matthew Guinn is…a Southern literary craftsman who knows how to write a thriller.” Greg Iles, New York Times bestselling author

“Guinn makes the reader realize that the present is an extension of the past and our predecessors are not our predecessors but are us. The Scribe is a remarkable book and hard to put down.” James Lee Burke, New York Times bestselling author

“Exciting, atmospheric…A fine historical thriller.” Missourian

“The author superbly portrays the evil that lurks along the streets of post-war Atlanta. His research of Atlanta after the war is impeccable, and the plot, with its twists and turns, is fast paced, gripping, and compels the reader to turn each page. I highly recommend this mystery.” Historical Novel Society

"[A] superior whodunit…[with] the richness of the characters and period detail.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Graphic gothic horror and nineteenth-century American caste politics meld with unsettling force in this scorching whodunit.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“The action moves between the burgeoning city and the villages on the outskirts, ending in a thrilling railroad chase scene and an assassination attempt on a prominent American. Guinn’s latest, a mix of exciting and gruesome, will appeal to readers who like crime combined with history.” Library Journal

“An absorbing historical mystery filled with evocative period detail, a brooding atmosphere of corruption and pervasive evil, and compelling characters.” Booklist

“Lloyd James gives an understated performance in this sequel to The Resurrectionist…James is completely convincing, giving the principals depth and dimension. Each character is instantly identifiable—man or woman, white or black, Northerner or Southerner…A flawless delivery by James.” AudioFile

Awards

  • Amazon Best Book of the Month
  • LibraryReads Pick
  • BookPage Book of the Day
  • Conroy Legacy Award
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