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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780446691673
ISBN number: 0446691674
Label: Mysterious Press
Manufacturer: Mysterious Press
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 320
Printing Date: October 01, 2003
Publishing house: Mysterious Press
Sale Popularity Level: 296636
Studio: Mysterious Press
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Edgar Award-winner Joe R. Lansdale's suspenseful mystery about forbidden love and murderous passion in 1950s East Texas is now in paperback.For young Stanley Mitchell, Jr., 1958 is quickly becoming a year of newfound joys and thrilling adventure. Beginning with the discovery of hidden love letters, Stanley learns about blues music, Sherlock Holmes, racism, and lost dreams. Through the natural course of growing up, he discovers the true nature of his father's heart; learns about love from his mother, sister, and house servant, Rosy; and becomes involved in a forbidden world that exists beneath Dewmont, Texas, like dirt swept under a beautiful carpet. But when Stanley enters a forbidden world of secrets filled with death and darkness, jealous lovers, and ghostly occurrences, he finds the real murderer of the young girl who wrote the once-secret love letters...and becomes the subsequent target.
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Rated by buyers 
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This audio book is abridged, and it shows. Unfortunately I love Lansdale's work and I love audio books, but Joe only has only a couple of books on audio and they happen to be abridged. Anyway, even though I own the book, I knew I would get to this story faster if I listed to audio book. The story only clocks in at 4 discs, and it feels short. I expect that all major plot points are covered by this abridgement, but it does feel like there needs to be more character development.
The story itself is a mystery, and it is about a family that buys a local drive-in in a new town. The protagonist is the boy, and his adventures. He finds out that behind the drive-in is a burned house, and that burned house has some mystery attached to it, in the form of a murdered girl. The boy and one of the workers at the drive-in decide to investigate for fun, but it doesn't turn into fun when the boy gets wrapped up in the real mystery of the murder.
It is an interesting listen, as the story is entertaining, but since it's an abridgment I can only recommend it if you've read the novel, as I feel like I need to go to the book to get more answers. Good voice acting by the reader, though. The voice was very professional.
Rated by buyers 
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I read this book in a day and half. FINALLY! I have found a book that for me was nearly impossible to put down. The kiddies went with Dad for a few hours and I didn't do any housework! That may sound silly but for me that's a big deal. What a riveting, thought provoking, mysterious, heartbreaking tale. The era and the scenery were so visible - every character came to life upon very first introduction. It was also a case of a double edge sword for me - I wanted to find out the conclusion but I didn't want it to end! Don't miss this one.
Rated by buyers 
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After reading Joe Lansdale's magnificent novel THE BOTTOMS, I wanted to immediately read another one of his books. I eventually decided on A FINE DARK LINE, which is kind of an unofficial companion piece to that Edgar-winning novel. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as THE BOTTOMS, but it's still a mighty fine read.
A FINE DARK LINE is substantially similar to THE BOTTOMS in its structure. It is a historical novel set in a small town in East Texas, except in takes place in 1958 instead of 1932. The main character is a young boy on the verge of manhood who uncovers evidence of a crime that took place in the town's past, and involves some of the town's most powerful citizens.
I enjoyed A FINE DARK LINE very much, because I simply adore Lansdale's writing style. He has an uncanny ear for dialogue, and the working class characters in this novel are so real and vivid they virtually leap off the page. Further, Lansdale is pretty unflinching when it comes to confronting issues such as racism and sexual taboos, but he's able to pull this off without coming across as moralistic or preachy. Lansdale also has a great sense of humor, and there are many laugh-out moments in this book, especially when it comes to the main character's sexual awakening.
A FINE DARK LINE is a bit slow and sentimental in spots, and the crime plot isn't as well developed and exciting as the one in THE BOTTOMS. Still, this is a lovely, evocative novel that offers real insight to life in small town America in the 1950s. While I wouldn't recommend this novel over THE BOTTOMS, it is definitely worth your time.
Rated by buyers -
I enjoyed this novel for it's interesting plot and well-devoloped characters.
The young protagonist, his older sister, and his dog spend one 1950's Texas summer learning about other people's lives and motivations, discover the sometimes harsh truth about family and friendships, and uncover and help solve a set of murders from the town's past.
Rated by buyers -
If it's a coming-of-age story with supernatural elements set in the late 50s (or thereabouts) there's a good chance I'll like it, and the venerable Joe R. Lansdale's "A Fine Dark Line" novel is no exception.
I don't think the fun of this novel is about the believability of the events but its wonderful ambiance full of evocative nostalgia and old-school action. It feels delightfully pulpy in places but also has a modern, self-conscious sensibility about it.
The protagonist of the book is 13 year old Stanley Mitchell. He lives in the fictional small East Texas down of Dewmont. He lives with an older sister by a few years, Cassie, and his mother and father in a house with an outer wall that doubles as the drive-in (owned and operated by the family) projection screen. Also featured prominently are two African-American characters, the projectionist Buster Smith and the family's housekeeper and cook Rosy, and of course what story like this is complete without a loyal and heroic pet dog. The era, setting, set-up, and cast of characters all make for an intriguing start that makes it easy to get into the book.
One day Stanley finds a buried box full of letters that hint at tragedy and scandal in the town's past. This box of letters starts Stanley on the road to a series of improbable yet entertaining adventures, and a lot of growing up. Along the way Stanley also learns through his adventures and the people around him, particularly Buster, Rosy, and his sister, about pertinent life issues, like love, sex, racism, abuse, and many facets of human nature. In his adventures he comes across threats both supernatural and human.
Lansdale is a very gifted storyteller with a good sense of the era and a natural ear for the dialogue. Some it may seem over the top to modern readers who didn't live through the time, but mostly it rings true. The characters are all excellently fleshed out, the plotting is fine and the pacing superb.
To conclude, this novel is really a crowd pleaser, and I could see it appealing to mature readers of all ages and interests. I prefer it to Lansdale's earlier coming-of-age novel with supernatural touches (set in the Depression era) "The Bottoms." I recommend "A Fine Dark Line" without reservation.
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