Not to bad. A little rough language and some parts were a little to graphic. I should give it a 3.

Gary, where you beenGonna read everything

Intrigue and suspense across the "Cotton Curtain"Freelance photographer Harry Ingraham turns amateur detective after the suspicious accidental death of a wartime buddy. His inquiries take us all over Black Los Angeles of the early sixties - where Black aspirations are stifled by racist police and a shadowy cabal of the city's movers and shakers. On this quest he encounters con artists, leg breakers, Black Muslims, jazz greats, beautiful women and... Martin Luther King. A fast, fun read, and not

It was a good read.

Synopsis/blurb...Race and civil rights in 1963 Los Angeles provide a powerful backdrop in Gary Phillips’s riveting historical crime novel about an African American forensic photographer seeking justice for a friend—perfect for fans of Walter Mosley, James Ellroy, and George Pelecanos.LOS ANGELES, 1963: African American Korean War veteran Harry Ingram earns a living as a news photographer and occasional process server: chasing police radio calls and dodging baseball bats. With racial tensions run...

This was the first Gary Phillips novel I have read. It definitely won't be the last. I really enjoyed the pieces of history that were woven into the narrative of this book. They provided a great backdrop for the investigation that Harry takes up. The accuracy was appreciated and at times I felt as if the story could be nonfiction. Harry is a Korean War vet who is now working as a photographer and process server. Harry ends up photographing the deadly wreck of an old Army friend. The details of t...

I am assuming that this is the beginning of a series? The premise is great & as a history nerd there were enough details to transport me back to the time in question. Very slow mid book. I mean, lots and lots of detail and backstory that wasn’t always needed. I would probably continue with the series- especially if some of the minutiae is skipped in the next book. Solid 3 🌟 book- but too many questions left unanswered for it to be a standalone. Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook. My participa...

First book for me by this author and it looks to be the start of a new series. I like the characters well enough, I just had a few problems with the storytelling and the pacing. It takes a few too many detours for my liking from the main story which caused it to lack some urgency. 3 + stars

I'm always on the lookout for an interesting new historical mystery series and Gary Phillips' One-Shot Harry certainly fits the bill. It's set a few years after the end of the Korean War and takes place laregly within L.A.'s varying Black communities: artists, the privileged, "ordinary" people. The Harry of the title is Harry Ingram, a Black Korean War veteran still dealing with shell shock. Like far too many BIPOC people in U.S. history, he deals with the daily insult of having fought for the r...

A couple of observations to start: This novel is obviously to be the first in a series so don’t expect all loose ends to be tied; and it seems the author gives every person, place, and thing a backstory so there are lots little interludes with some being more interesting and relevant to the story than others. Since the time period written about are the months before MLK is assassinated, the topics are interesting and the situations ring true. I liked the two main characters very much.Thanks to N...

Thank you to Soho Crime, Gary Phillips, and Goodreads Giveaways for the ARC of One-Shot Harry.One-Shot Harry is a gritty crime novel that follows Harry Ingram, a black Korean war vet living in 1960s Los Angeles. Harry is a photographer, always on the lookout for the perfect photo op. While listening to the police scanner, he hears of one such opportunity. However, what appears to be an accident at first glance is actually the cover-up for a more sinister plot. The novel follows Harry as he uncov...

Set in 1963, this gritty free-lance news photographer turned PI mystery weaves between several investigations. African American Korean War Vet Harry Ingram first reconnects with his GI buddy Ben Kinslow, then hears of his death just a day later. Was it an accident or murder?The action is subtle, the shoot-out very-1963ish, while the mystery is complex. Clues abound and fall softly into place as Ingram follows the breadcrumbs. Along the way, Ingram meets WWII and Korean Veterans who tell their ta...

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Soho Press for an advanced copy of this mystery novel.One thing as I reader I have always enjoyed about mysteries is that an author, especially a skilled one, can teach and show more about an era, more about a system that people had to live with and live under, while presenting a murder to be solved. Fiction readers might complain about a book being preachy, science fiction writers might complain about a book being to Star Trek-y. Mysteries though, add a

One-Shot Harry was a throwback to 1960's LA in the midst of racism, jazz, blackmailers, and love. Harry Ingram was a character that was easy to vibe with as he navigated his world. Gary Phillips does an amazing job world-building and building characters that left you wanting to know more about them and of course what happened to Ben Kingslow. This book reminded me of the Eary Rawlins series by Walter Mosley. If you are looking for a good old-school BIOPIC mystery... this is the book for you!Los

Thanks to Soho press for an advanced copy of this mystery novel. It takes place in 1960’s Los Angeles. Harry is an African American Korean War veteran. He is a news photographer and process server who becomes involved in the death of a good friend whose death is declared an accident by LAPD. Harry’s photos show otherwise and he becomes involved in solving this crime in order to find justice for his friend.The setting is noir and gritty. In his detective work, he encounters racism, gangsters and

Good story. One of the reasons I enjoyed it because of my interest in photography. I noticed a few discrepancies with the types of cameras Harry used but other than that, I liked the book.

I enjoyed this one for several reasons. Harry is so easy to cheer for--he's kind, loyal, courageous, and pragmatic. He appreciates the good things he finds in his wide-ranging circle of acquaintances. His ability to step back and show events through his photographer/journalist's perspective makes him the perfect hero for this adventure set in 60's LA. Fifty years later, things have changed, but also they have not.There are lots of characters, both historic and fictional, amd the plot gets a bit

Harry Ingram is a crime photographer, subpoena server, budding private-eye in 1960s LA. His friend dies suspiciously causing Harry to investigate. Along the way Phillips paints a vibrant picture of Black life at that place and time. Many characters. Communists. A young Tom Bradley. A cameo by MLK. The book seems to be more of a picture of Black life than a whodunit. The books ends in a way that may signal more to come.

Great read, Harry Ingram is a character to be reckoned with!!!! He's more than a photographer and relentless in his search for the truth when his friend dies in an accident that he thinks is murder. This book shows the difficulties African American men who came back from the Korean War and were still treated wrongly. It's a commentary on how someone who seems to have a lot against him doesn't let it stop him and keeps going against all odds. The characters in this book are very believable and th...

Typically not my genre, but it is now! I enjoyed One-Shot Harry and look forward to the next book staring Harry Ingram book. There has to be more.