Mystery

One-Shot Harry

One-Shot Harry

  • Downloads：1473
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-07-03 07:52:59
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Gary Phillips
  • ISBN：1641294191
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

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 running high on the eve of Martin Luther King’s Freedom Rally， Ingram risks becoming a victim at every crime scene he photographs。

When Ingram hears about a deadly automobile accident on his police scanner， he recognizes the vehicle described as belonging to his good friend and old army buddy， a white jazz trumpeter。 The LAPD declares the car crash an accident， but when Ingram develops his photos， he sees signs of foul play。 Ingram feels compelled to play detective， even if it means putting his own life on the line。 Armed with his wits， his camera， and occasionally his Colt 。45， “One-Shot” Harry plunges headfirst into the seamy underbelly of LA society， tangling with racists， leftists， gangsters， zealots， and lovers， all in the hope of finding something resembling justice for a friend。

Master storyteller and crime fiction legend Gary Phillips has filled the pages of One-Shot Harry with fascinating historical cameos， wise-cracks， tenderness， and an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride of a plot with consequences far beyond one dead body。

Download

Reviews

Susan Steinhauer ，

Disappointing

Elizabeth ，

Very interesting look at the early 1960s Los Angeles through the lens of an African American reporter/detective。 Intermix of politics， race， power etc。 Well done！

Dave ，

A great novel， introducing African American Korean War Veteran Harry Ingram。 Harry is a news photographer in 1963 Los Angeles。 When a war buddy dies unexpectedly， Harry suspects foul play and begins to investigates。 Great characters and a good look at the 1960s。 This story has a lot of plot points。 But be prepared， not all of them are resolved。 So I'm guessing this will be a new series。 I love that。 But I don't like all the dangling plot points。。。。 And I have one minor gripe。 Harry and a friend A great novel， introducing African American Korean War Veteran Harry Ingram。 Harry is a news photographer in 1963 Los Angeles。 When a war buddy dies unexpectedly， Harry suspects foul play and begins to investigates。 Great characters and a good look at the 1960s。 This story has a lot of plot points。 But be prepared， not all of them are resolved。 So I'm guessing this will be a new series。 I love that。 But I don't like all the dangling plot points。。。。 And I have one minor gripe。 Harry and a friend are talking about growing up。 The comic book Fantastic Four is mentioned。 That comic didn't come around until the 60s。 So they wouldn't have known of it growing up。。。。 。。。more

Rickey Mantley ，

Gary Phillips Pulls a Doozy Out of Hat I know the author personally so this review isn't unbiased。 But it's still a pleasure to read an author at the peak of his literary powers。 With One-Shot Harry， Gary Phillips has created a memorable， down-to-earth， resourceful， Korean War veteran and journeyman photographer who had me rooting for him every page。 What's remarkable about Harry Ingram is his tenacity and how quick-thinking， level-headed， and two-fisted he is。 He's the perfect protagonist for h Gary Phillips Pulls a Doozy Out of Hat I know the author personally so this review isn't unbiased。 But it's still a pleasure to read an author at the peak of his literary powers。 With One-Shot Harry， Gary Phillips has created a memorable， down-to-earth， resourceful， Korean War veteran and journeyman photographer who had me rooting for him every page。 What's remarkable about Harry Ingram is his tenacity and how quick-thinking， level-headed， and two-fisted he is。 He's the perfect protagonist for his life and times: Los Angeles during a tumultuous period when blacks were testing the waters and clamoring for personal freedom and equality like never before in the nation's history。 This book is a quick， absorbing read， eye-opening history lesson， and tidy murder mystery that leaves a few threads hanging， all in one。 Walter Moseley eat your heart out。 I highly recommend One-Shot Harry and other books in the author's oeuvre， including the numerous crime mystery anthologies he's helped edited and put together。 The virtues of Gary Phillips have yet to be extolled and appreciated by the reading public。 With One-Shot Harry hopefully Gary Phillips will get the growing audience he richly deserves。 More power to you， paisan。 。。。more

Richard Wagner ，

i thought this was well done。 i particularly liked the detailed description of LA in the early 60's and the fraught race relations in the city。 i'm hoping that Harry Ingram becomes a series。 he's great。 i thought this was well done。 i particularly liked the detailed description of LA in the early 60's and the fraught race relations in the city。 i'm hoping that Harry Ingram becomes a series。 he's great。 。。。more

Eliza Svihra ，

Honestly， I had such high hopes for this book and it completely disappointed。 I won it in a goodreads giveaway and started it almost immediately。 It started off good and strong with a great plot and great characters。 The telling was a bit muddy with multiple reused phrases and constant switching between calling characters by their first or last name， but it had a good story…。 Until midway through。 There was too many info-dumps that were insignificant or created too many questions that were never Honestly， I had such high hopes for this book and it completely disappointed。 I won it in a goodreads giveaway and started it almost immediately。 It started off good and strong with a great plot and great characters。 The telling was a bit muddy with multiple reused phrases and constant switching between calling characters by their first or last name， but it had a good story…。 Until midway through。 There was too many info-dumps that were insignificant or created too many questions that were never solved by the end。 In fact， the last chapter was literally just paragraphs for each unanswered question。 The way it ended， I am unsure of if there will be a second book， probably not， but if there is I wouldn’t read it anyways。 Not a favorite， for sure。 。。。more

Brian Kennedy ，

3 and a half really。 Certainly not a fast paced thriller but a nicely written slice of history with a great feel for time and place。

Dara Markowitz ，

The historical material was interesting but the plot didn’t quite hold together for me。 Also not really pleased with depiction of the female characters。 Just ok

Faith ，

This is a good historical crime novel with a lot of authentic period details。 In 1963， African American Korean War veteran Harry Ingram is a news photographer and sometime writer in Los Angeles。 When an army buddy dies in a car crash， Harry suspects that it wasn’t an accident。 With the help of a new girlfriend he begins to investigate。 The book links together Martin Luther King Jr。， civic corruption， prostitution， communist sympathizers， a series of bank robberies and pervasive racism。 There is This is a good historical crime novel with a lot of authentic period details。 In 1963， African American Korean War veteran Harry Ingram is a news photographer and sometime writer in Los Angeles。 When an army buddy dies in a car crash， Harry suspects that it wasn’t an accident。 With the help of a new girlfriend he begins to investigate。 The book links together Martin Luther King Jr。， civic corruption， prostitution， communist sympathizers， a series of bank robberies and pervasive racism。 There is a good bit of violence and a little sex。 Pretty much what you would expect from gritty detective fiction。 I liked Harry and his girlfriend， but this book introduces a lot of interesting characters。 The book had an extremely abrupt ending， leaving loose ends and causing a slightly unsatisfied feeling。 I assume that this is the start of a new series。 Since events and characters were not tidily linked up at the end of this book， maybe that will happen in the next one。 I listened to the audiobook narrated by Leon Nixon。 He had a lovely deep voice and did an excellent job with the narration。 I received free copies of the ebook and audio book from the publisher。 。。。more

Krystal ，

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest， unbiased opinion。When it comes to mysteries， I like when an author comes at it from an unusual angle or time period， which is why I jumped at the chance to listen to One-Shot Harry。 A mystery based in 1960s L。A。 with a black protagonist who's also a news photographer？！ Sign me up for that。 The author， Gary Phillips， does an excellent job portraying 1960s L。A。 with details and events that ac Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest， unbiased opinion。When it comes to mysteries， I like when an author comes at it from an unusual angle or time period， which is why I jumped at the chance to listen to One-Shot Harry。 A mystery based in 1960s L。A。 with a black protagonist who's also a news photographer？！ Sign me up for that。 The author， Gary Phillips， does an excellent job portraying 1960s L。A。 with details and events that actually happened。 Actually， maybe he did too good of a job with all the extra details - it often felt like the mystery took a backseat to the setting。 The time period details and the mystery weren't balanced to let each shine。 For the mystery itself， the reveal was great， but the lead-up to it was bogged down by a red herring that made no sense for the story。 Throughout much of the book I questioned why things were even happening。 The reveal， though， was so on-point for the story that I actually let out a long， surprised "Ohhhhhh！" I wish Phillips would have spent more time leaving the reader tidbits for that than the nonsensical red herring。 One area I was relatively pleased was Phillips writing of a photographer。 Authors often get this wrong or go too poetic about how a photographer gets a photo （coming from a photographer， it's more about angles and technical aspects than anything poetic）。 I really enjoyed seeing how Harry Ingram navigated this field of work。 When I first started listening to One-Shot Harry， I thought Leon Nixon had been the perfect choice for the time period。 But as it went along， I began to realize that it all felt a little off - not to mention that he hardly ever differentiated between the characters。 It became a struggle when multiple people were talking。 Overall， not a bad change of pace for a mystery， but maybe not something I'd immediately suggest to someone。 。。。more

Julianabadescu ，

3。5 - though not set in the 40s it has the feel of a Noir story， I could hear it in my head as such。 Good story line， interesting characters and so much background。 Maybe if it had been set in the 40s BUT it wasn’t， the horrifying way the African Americans are treated in the 60s reminds us that the injustices many would like to pretend either did not happen or happened “long ago” are still a work in progress we need to acknowledge in order to progress forward。 Really well done， good writing。

Patti ，

The sense of place， Los Angeles 1963， is amazing。 The characters are well done， but I felt like so much was where and when the book was taking place。 Excellent story， and a great protagonist。 Harry Ingram is a news photographer， which gets him into places and situations that might not normally be open to him。 I really like Harry， and his friends and I hope we get to see more of him soon。

Marci Williams ，

This book was well written and laid out and I liked the narrator but for some reason， I couldn't really get into it。 I did， not enjoy， but appreciate， I guess is the word， the real-life experiences of the flagrant， disgusting， and pervasive racism of the times。 I feel that those truths need to be told by those that have experienced them often， loudly， and honestly， so that those of us that have had the privilege to grow up w/out being a victim of it truly get a sense and feeling of how it harmed This book was well written and laid out and I liked the narrator but for some reason， I couldn't really get into it。 I did， not enjoy， but appreciate， I guess is the word， the real-life experiences of the flagrant， disgusting， and pervasive racism of the times。 I feel that those truths need to be told by those that have experienced them often， loudly， and honestly， so that those of us that have had the privilege to grow up w/out being a victim of it truly get a sense and feeling of how it harmed those affected。#OneShotHarry #NetGalley 。。。more

Joni ，

A good old fashioned crime story。 Very likable characters but it ended too soon。 Thank you Soho Press for the giveaway。

David C Ward ，

Very good start to a series about Harry Ingram， Black freelance news and crime photographer in early 60s LA。 A lot going on in this one as Ingram looks into the death of a friend， including white power brokers and the hoodlums they hire， the backwash of the Red Scare， police racism， PTSD from Korea， and Dr King is coming to town。 A nice texture to the narrative。Also: we had a 1962 Plymouth Belvedere too: one of the crappiest American cars ever made。

Yigal Zur ，

it have so much promise but。。。。a book without end it is based on a plot before Martin Luther King was murdered。 it is interesting but than toward the 3rd part it start to be jumpy。 not really connected from part to part。 yes we know history but we like a well build story and it is not the case。 sloppy。

Lawrence Maddox ，

Set in 1963 Los Angeles， One Shot Harry follows African American crime photographer （think Weegee but on the West Coast） Harry Ingram as he investigates the death of his friend， a white jazz musician he served with in the Korean War。 Harry's search is hampered by a racist LAPD， as well as by the emotional scars he carries from bloody combat overseas。 A budding romance with a left-wing political activist stokes Harry's suspicions that powerful political forces are behind the death of his friend， Set in 1963 Los Angeles， One Shot Harry follows African American crime photographer （think Weegee but on the West Coast） Harry Ingram as he investigates the death of his friend， a white jazz musician he served with in the Korean War。 Harry's search is hampered by a racist LAPD， as well as by the emotional scars he carries from bloody combat overseas。 A budding romance with a left-wing political activist stokes Harry's suspicions that powerful political forces are behind the death of his friend， and could have even darker purposes at an impending Martin Luther King rally。 One Shot Harry is an intriguing crime story that pulls you in deeper as Harry's investigation makes him the target。 Along the way， we meet real-life characters such as a young Tom Bradley （who would become LA's first African American mayor） to R&B legend Johnny Otis。 Peppering his crime story with real historical figures gave this reader the sense that Phillips's fiction is a way of deciphering history itself。 A fascinating read that I couldn't put down。 Looking forward to the sequel。 。。。more

Kathy Piselli ，

Fun book that will be even more fun if you are interested in 1960s LA， 1960s Black community， or just plain the 1960s， with the Avenues， Eastside Old Tap， the original Wrigley field， the J-Flats， Blatz beer and El Producto cigars。 There is a lot of this kind of detail and side story。 I wondered whether this One Shot Harry is supposed to be the real life Harry Adams？ And a Black news photographer in the 60s in LA who doesn't know where Temple No。 27 is doesn't seem right。 But all in all it was an Fun book that will be even more fun if you are interested in 1960s LA， 1960s Black community， or just plain the 1960s， with the Avenues， Eastside Old Tap， the original Wrigley field， the J-Flats， Blatz beer and El Producto cigars。 There is a lot of this kind of detail and side story。 I wondered whether this One Shot Harry is supposed to be the real life Harry Adams？ And a Black news photographer in the 60s in LA who doesn't know where Temple No。 27 is doesn't seem right。 But all in all it was an excellent portrait of living in LA in the sixties while Black （and also while Communist， through the lady friend's story）， with some tense and tingly adventures。 I had just one serious bone to pick really and that's Phillips' relationship with librarians。 Let's see， they occur 3 or so times， a female described as "aging and handsome" - what's that mean， that she looks like a man？ And Ingram's love interest wearing a dress that wouldn't have her mistaken for a librarian - ouch！ I guess that's just more of the sixties for you。 But the Dewey Decimal error early in the book proves that Phillips has never asked for help finding books on anatomy in a public library。 。。。more

David ，

One Shot Harry is a cleverly written time capsule into 1962。 The author does a wonderful job transporting the reader back to 1962 Los Angeles。 The reader is reminded of stores， bars， and brands that no longer exist。 The reader is reminded of radio stations （now gone） and disc jockeys that were popular in those days。 He is reminded of alcohol brands and old model cars。 The reader is also reminded of the double standards regarding race relations。 This brings the reader a sense of sadness and shame One Shot Harry is a cleverly written time capsule into 1962。 The author does a wonderful job transporting the reader back to 1962 Los Angeles。 The reader is reminded of stores， bars， and brands that no longer exist。 The reader is reminded of radio stations （now gone） and disc jockeys that were popular in those days。 He is reminded of alcohol brands and old model cars。 The reader is also reminded of the double standards regarding race relations。 This brings the reader a sense of sadness and shame about the way things were in those days。 The author mentions sundown towns-- where black men would be beaten and or killed if caught in those vicinities after sundown。 The Green book， a travel guide for black people， existed to tell these people places they could eat or stay when on the road and places to avoid。 Harry is a part-time news photographer who has a backup gig as a process server。 When his white friend in killed in a staged automobile accident-- Harry begins digging into his death。 Along the way， he is going to run into racist cops and leftist activists。 He even uncovers a plot against Dr。 Marin Luther King， Jr。 While the story is period-rich-- there is a one major error。 The author has Harry， a Korean War veteran， and his childhood friend portrayed as fans of the comic book heroes "The Fantastic Four" which was not created until 1961。 This was kind of annoying， as the author seemed to get everything else right。 This is a quality story-- and it sets up for a sequel。 The big bad guy tells Harry over the phone that their paths will cross again。 The murderer is exposed， but only confronted by Harry。。。 This book is worth reading for the period material， much more than the mystery and the action。 。。。more

Beth Morrill ，

One-Shot Harry is a compelling mystery that places you deep into the late 50's， early 60's。 Harry is a Korean War veteran， a photographer， and a journalist。 The mystery in the book kept me interested and I enjoyed spending time with the main character。 As I mentioned， the book takes you deep into the time period， particularly as it was experienced by African Americans。 The only drawback that I experienced was the constant "name dropping" of the historical era。 The author had obviously done exten One-Shot Harry is a compelling mystery that places you deep into the late 50's， early 60's。 Harry is a Korean War veteran， a photographer， and a journalist。 The mystery in the book kept me interested and I enjoyed spending time with the main character。 As I mentioned， the book takes you deep into the time period， particularly as it was experienced by African Americans。 The only drawback that I experienced was the constant "name dropping" of the historical era。 The author had obviously done extensive research but novel may have been more natural without the constant， specific references to the time period。 Despite that， I found the book to be an enjoyable foray into a time， place and experience that I knew little about。 。。。more

Jeff Macey ，

Good gritty historical mystery。 Seemed very similar to Walter Mosley， but not as good as his。 I liked the historical pictures painted and will continue the series as they come out。

Tess Shepherd ，

I really enjoyed One-Shot Harry！ The combination of the concise narration and era-true setting created a crime novel with a truly real feel。 Walter Mosley fans， this book’s for you！

Jane ，

It’s 1963 and African American Korean war vet， Harry Ingram， is living in Los Angeles and working as a news photographer and part-time process server。 It’s a volatile time， as racial tensions run high and the city anticipates a visit from Martin Luther King， Jr。 Meanwhile， when Harry learns that a friend and former army buddy has died in an automobile accident， he isn’t convinced that it was just an accident。 Soon Harry finds himself knee-deep in the seamier side of LA。One-Shot Harry is a book t It’s 1963 and African American Korean war vet， Harry Ingram， is living in Los Angeles and working as a news photographer and part-time process server。 It’s a volatile time， as racial tensions run high and the city anticipates a visit from Martin Luther King， Jr。 Meanwhile， when Harry learns that a friend and former army buddy has died in an automobile accident， he isn’t convinced that it was just an accident。 Soon Harry finds himself knee-deep in the seamier side of LA。One-Shot Harry is a book that has a lot going on。 There is a myriad of characters， each with his or her own story， and several different storylines。 The number of characters alone creates a somewhat uneven pace and it sometimes feels clumsy， as the story transitions from the backstories to the current timeline。 The mystery is well-developed， especially as it’s told from Harry’s viewpoint and how he tackles the various threads that eventually lead him to the book’s conclusion。 Some of the most interesting aspects of the book are the stories surrounding the city， culture， and people of Los Angeles。 The author provides a glimpse of the city in the early 1960s and this makes the book sparkle。 I suspect that Gary Phillips has more plans for Harry and I am looking forward to his future adventures。 Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review。 。。。more

Roberta ，

This was the first Gary Phillips novel I have read。 It cries out to be the first book in a series and I hope that it is because Harry Ingram deserves more than just one book。 Certainly， there was enough crime in Los Angeles in the 1960’s and later to support a series。 I was given an advance uncopyedited edition of the book to read （and review if I chose to） but it’s not necessarily a book that I would have picked up on my own so I was a little surprised that I enjoyed reading it as much as I di This was the first Gary Phillips novel I have read。 It cries out to be the first book in a series and I hope that it is because Harry Ingram deserves more than just one book。 Certainly， there was enough crime in Los Angeles in the 1960’s and later to support a series。 I was given an advance uncopyedited edition of the book to read （and review if I chose to） but it’s not necessarily a book that I would have picked up on my own so I was a little surprised that I enjoyed reading it as much as I did。 I remember the 1960’s but I didn’t live in California， much less Los Angeles， so the time period was familiar to me but the setting totally unfamiliar。 Actually， that’s not a bad combination。 Harry is a Korean War vet who is now working as a photographer and occasional process server。 Harry recognizes the car of his Army buddy， Ben Kingslow， on his scanner and races to the scene。 The LAPD is already there but don’t see him in time to prevent him from photographing the car that Kingslow died in。 The coroner calls it a “death by misadventure” and the LAPD obviously has no intention of doing any kind of an investigation。 Harry is pretty sure that Kingslow was murdered and he can’t let it go。 But Kingslow’s death is just the tip of the iceberg。 In addition to the fictional amateur detective （he is fictional， right？） the book holds a host of real-life characters including Communists， con men and women， leg breakers， Black Muslims， musicians， Mayor Tom Bradley， Malcolm X， Chief William Parker and Martin Luther King， Jr。 There is a lot of name-dropping to remind us of where and when Harry is; songs， and singers， musicians， comedians， and the newspapers and magazines that Harry sells photos to。 。。。more

Julie Butcher ，

Damn， that was a great read。 So very wonderfully old Los Angeles， accurate historic detail， the Thomas Brothers， and Frank Wilkerson。 Better I think than Ivan Monk， I hope Harry Ingram is the hero of a long series！

Paul ，

Not Gary Philips best， but still worth reading。 I would be surprised if this book doesn't mark the beginning of a new series。It bothered him his motives weren't pure， but more so that he hadn't recognised this himself。 He could look in the mirror and see a familiar face， yet those he knew saw his true self。"Shit" he muttered，。。。 4* Not Gary Philips best， but still worth reading。 I would be surprised if this book doesn't mark the beginning of a new series。It bothered him his motives weren't pure， but more so that he hadn't recognised this himself。 He could look in the mirror and see a familiar face， yet those he knew saw his true self。"Shit" he muttered，。。。 4* 。。。more

Star Gater ，

A good story， which I love。 I like the One-Shot reference title （no spoiling。 The story is set while MLK is alive and seeking no violence。 With respect to history， the US had a positive role model， and the author uses smart characters during this period to tell his story。 I was all-in。 The story provoked every emotion in me。 This is a smart mystery during a historical period not used as the backdrop。 Kudos to the author。 I do believe this will be a series。 If so， I hope narrator Leon Nixon is no A good story， which I love。 I like the One-Shot reference title （no spoiling。 The story is set while MLK is alive and seeking no violence。 With respect to history， the US had a positive role model， and the author uses smart characters during this period to tell his story。 I was all-in。 The story provoked every emotion in me。 This is a smart mystery during a historical period not used as the backdrop。 Kudos to the author。 I do believe this will be a series。 If so， I hope narrator Leon Nixon is not forgotten。 Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for accepting my request to read and review One-Shot Harry。 。。。more

Kimberly ，

I received this book through a Goodreads Giveaway。 Mr。 Phillips has recreated an era so thoroughly that its easy to imagine yourself there。 The story is layered and lush with issues relating to war， race， PTSD， and fear of the communist plague。 There are plenty of plot twists to keep you intrigued。 I had to smile when he mentioned green stamps！ Well done。

John Romanos ，

Harry Ingram is a solid protagonist。 This definitely feels like the start of a series。 Gritty story but the mystery aspect could of been more enthralling。 Overall some great character work and I will check out book 2 when it releases to see what Harry is up to。 Thanks to Netgalley and RB Media for sending me an audiobook arc of this title。

Paul Daly ，

Another ho-hum mystery that failed to catch my interest。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=One-Shot Harry

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=One-Shot Harry&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,One-Shot Harry&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0