Thomas Mullen Books

Lightning Men follows the multi-award-nominated, highly acclaimed crime debut Darktown into a city on the brink of huge and violent change - and full of secrets.

The stunning third novel in the award-nominated, critically acclaimed Darktown series sees a newspaper editor murdered against the backdrop of Rosa Parks' protest and Martin Luther King Jnr's emergence

In 1948, 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 by their white peers; they arent allowed to arrest white suspects, drive squad cars, or set foot in the police headquarters. But they carry guns, and they must bring law enforcement to a deeply mistrustful community. When black a woman who was last seen in a car driven by a white man turns up dead, Boggs and Smith take up the investigation on their own, as no one else seems to care. Their findings set them up against a brutal cop, Dunlow, who has long run the neighborhood as his own, and his partner, Rakestraw, a young progressive who may or may not be willing to make allies across color lines. Among shady moonshiners, duplicitous madams, crooked lawmen, and the constant restrictions of Jim Crow, Boggs and Smith will risk their new jobs, and their lives, while navigating a dangerous world--a world on the cusp of great change. --

Darktown is a relentlessly gripping, highly intelligent crime novel set in Atlanta in 1948, a city rife with corruption, racism and violence, perfect for readers of Attica Locke's Black Water Rising and James Ellroy's L.A. Confidential.

Set during the Great Depression, the novel follows the escapades of Jason and Whit Fireson, notorious bank robbers celebrated as folk heroes for their defiance against a flawed system. After a deadly shootout, their girlfriends, Darcy and Veronica, grapple with their loss and cling to the hope that the brothers may still be alive. Amidst swirling rumors and a chaotic world, the story explores themes of love, myth, and the elusive nature of the American dream, as the brothers race to reconnect with their loved ones.

Zed, a futuristic agent, is tasked with preserving a utopian world where all problems are resolved. His mission unfolds in a narrative filled with action and intrigue, exploring the complexities of history and the implications for the future. The story offers a unique perspective on contemporary global issues, prompting readers to reflect on the nature of progress and the consequences of altering history.

Set against the dual backdrop of World War I and the devastating 1918 influenza epidemic, 'The Last Town On Earth' is a brilliantly drawn tale of morality and patriotism in a time of upheaval. Deep in the woods of Washington lies the mill town of Commonwealth, a new community founded on progressive ideals, and a refuge for workers who have fled the labor violence in the surrounding towns. When rumours spread of a mysterious illness that is killing people at an alarming rate, the people of the uninfected Commonwealth vote to block all roads into town and post armed guards to prevent any outsiders from entering. One day two guards are confronted with a moral dilemma. A starving and apparently ill soldier attempts to enter the town, begging them for food and shelter. Should the guards admit him, possibly putting their families at risk? Or should they place their lives above his and let him die in the woods? The choice they make - and the reaction it inspires in their town and beyond - sets into motion a series of events that threaten to tear Commonwealth apart. A sweeping cinematic novel, 'The Last Town on Earth' powerfully grapples with the tensions of individual safety and social responsibility, of moral obligation and duty in the face of forces larger than oneself.

The groundbreaking new crime novel by multi-award-nominated author Thomas Mullen, for fans of The Last by Hanna Jameson, The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes, The Last Policeman by Ben Winters and Minority Report

Following the awards recognition and critical praise for his unique series Darktown, Thomas Mullen once more reaches into 20th-century US history for a crime novel that reveals the soul of a nation.

Atlanta 1956: In der pulsierenden Südstaatenhauptstadt verschärfen sich die Rassenkonflikte, als die Bürgerrechtsbewegung mit dem jungen Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. einen neuen Wortführer bekommt. In dieser ohnehin schon angespannten Lage wird Arthur Bishop, der Herausgeber der führenden schwarzen Tageszeitung ermordet. Sofort gerät der Journalist und ehemalige Cop Tommy Smith ins Fadenkreuz der rassistischen Polizei. Um sich zu entlasten, muss Smith mehr über die Geschichte erfahren, an der Bishop gearbeitet hat. Die Mordermittlung seiner Ex-Partner Lucius Boggs und Sergeant Joe McInnis wird unterdessen von verschiedenen Seiten torpediert: durch sich einmischende FBI-Agenten, korrupte Detectives und kommunistische Aktivisten. Im Kampf um Gerechtigkeit tun sich Smith und seine ehemaligen Kollegen ein letztes Mal zusammen.