The Art of the Tale
Daniel Halpern
A compilation of short stories written since World War II by authors from Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa and North and South America.
Read Time: ~4.9 hr
A long stretch of blue
by Denis Gray (2015)
About this book
CRIME & MYSTERY. Arfel Booker is a great young blues musician in the 1940s South. One night, after playing a blues gig in a new town, a beautiful woman takes him back to her log cabin to make love. In the morning (after blacking out from too much liquor), he awakens to an unwelcome surprise. Instead of the woman, an unfamiliar white man is in the bed, and the man's throat has been slashed with Arfel's knife. Arfel knows he's been framed, so he makes a run for it and heads north by hopping trains. Once a safe distance from the southern town, Arfel makes the acquaintance of Lemontree Johnson, a fellow blues man who helps to reestablish Arfel's music and him. Despite this spot of good luck, Arfel's troubles are far from over. Lemontree is the only person who knows the truth about Arfel's run from the south and his current state as suspected murderer. All seems lost when a bounty hunter arrives looking for Arfel.
Setting / LocationGlobal
Story EraWWII Era
Protagonist / CoreA long stretch of blue Lead Character
Themes & Moods
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