Darktown vs Lightning men: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: African American police, Atlanta, African American, Race Relations, African Americans, Police Procedural
Darktown
"Responding to orders from on high, the Atlanta Police Department is forced to hire its first black officers, including war veterans Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith. The newly minted policemen are met with deep hostility…
vs
Lightning men
"Reads like the best of James Ellroy."--Publishers Weekly (starred review, on Darktown) "Mullen is a wonderful architect of intersecting plotlines and unexpected answers."--The Washington Post, on Darktown From the…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Darktown has the widest readership — 9140 ratings behind its score.
- Lightning men runs the darker storyline; Darktown stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Darktown | Lightning men | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (9140) | 4.1 (2567) |
| Hardcover | 3.9 (14) | 4.5 (4) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (43) | 4.0 (19) |
Reception
| Darktown | Lightning men | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 9140 | 2567 |
| Editions | 1 | 1 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | 10654 | 2702 |
| Reading it now | 710 | 257 |
| Written reviews | 1290 | 366 |
| Wikipedia attention | 193 | — |
| Pages | 371 | 374 |