A fine dark line

4.1 avg 4741 votes

About this book

It is the summer of 1958 in Dewmont, Texas, a town the great American postwar boom passed by. The kids listen idly to rockabilly on the radio and waste their weekends at the Dairy Queen. And an undetected menace simmers under the heat that clings to the skin like molasses... For thirteen-year-old Stanley Mitchell, the end of innocence comes with his discovery of the mysterious long-ago demise of two very different young women. In his quest to unravel the truth about their tragic fates, Stanley finds a protector in Buster Lighthorse Smith, a black, retired Indian-reservation cop and a sage on the finer points of Sherlock Holmes, the blues, and life's faded dreams. But not every buried thing stays dead. And on one terrifying night of rushing creek water and thundering rain, an arcane, murderous force will rise from the past to threaten the boy in a harrowing rite of passage... Vintage Lansdale, A Fine Dark Line brims with exquisite suspense, powerful characterizations, and the vibrant evocation of a lost time.

4.1 ★★★★☆ average of 2 sources · 4741 votes
Open Library 4.0 2
Goodreads 4.1 4741

Reader Profile

Enjoyment82Difficulty60Influence36Popularity36Classic23

4.1/5 · 4741 readers · 307 pages · ≈ 5 h 41 m · Moderate

How long does it take to read A fine dark line?

About ≈ 5 h 41 m — 307 pages, assuming roughly 250 words per page at 225 words per minute.Typical novel≈ 5 h 56 mA fine dark line~5 h 41 m

How many pages is A fine dark line?

307 pages in its most-read edition.Typical novel320A fine dark line307

What genre is A fine dark line?

It sits on the Thriller, Mystery, Fiction shelves.

Is A fine dark line in the public domain?

No — it is still under copyright.

Who wrote A fine dark line?

Joe R. Lansdale (1951–0).

A fine dark line ★ 4.1 · 2 sources Check price →