Damo's Reviews > Leavin' Trunk Blues

Leavin' Trunk Blues is Ace Atkins' second book in his Nick Travers series following on from Crossroad Blues. Once again we are immersed in blues music lore, legend and attitude as we are taken to nightclubs, are fed lines from blues numbers and left to appreciate the depth of emotion that goes into the blues. At the same time, there are some pretty tense and violent moments as Travers investigates an old murder.

Nick Travers is a blues historian living in New Orleans who works at Tulane University while compiling the research necessary to write his biography of Eddie Jones, better known as Guitar Slim. As part of his all-encompassing interest in the blues he has been sending letters to Ruby Walker, a former blues singer, requesting an interview with her. Ruby is currently in prison and has so far served a 40 year sentence for the murder of her lover and manager, Billy Lyons. She has agreed to speak to Nick and this prompts him to leave New Orleans and head to Chicago. After talking to Ruby and later, when interviewing more old-time blues players around Chicago, Nick gets the impression that there is a strong possibility that she is innocent and has spent the last 40 years paying for a crime she didn't commit.

Nick begins tracking down the old blues artists around Chicago in a bid to find out what they remembered about the night Billy Lyons died. His presence and his line of questioning don't go unnoticed however and it's not long before Stagger Lee gets to hear of him. Stagger Lee is the ruler of Chicago's South Side projects, ruling through terror and an abundance of crack. He is ably assisted by a couple of prostitutes, Annie and Fannie, who are as deadly as they are alluring, a fact that is demonstrated to us a number of times. When Stagger Lee decides he wants Travers stopped, it's these two he sends to do the dirty work.

The story turns into a tense hunter/stalker scenario, with Travers playing the part of both the hunter and the hunted. While he hunts for information, contacting famous musicians and forgotten recording artists, he is unknowingly being stalked by a couple of killers with an impressive track record. Backing them up is the frighteningly imposing figure of Stagger Lee who, like his namesake of legend, is also a man to be feared.

I found that the actual identity of the murderer really becomes of secondary importance as the story progresses, particularly because it is made perfectly obvious who it is so very early on. Instead, it's the tension built into Travers' search that really dragged me in. The reason behind why Billy Lyons was killed dominates our attention too and is the source of a number of surprises along the way.

There are a lot of characters used throughout the book and they ranged from the crazy, off-beat Annie and Fannie who never really progressed beyond the role of killers who wanted to escape the life they led, to the wonderfully captured irreverence of Dirty Jimmy. Jimmy had the demeanor one would expect of an ex-musician who has already seen it all and the harp-blowing little man livened up every scene in which he was included. As for Nick Travers, he is a fine character with the tough background as an ex-NFL footballer with the New Orleans Saints offset by the music geek enthusiasm he displays when he meets the odd blues legend. He comes with just the right mix of strength and vulnerability.

Leavin' Trunk Blues is a dark, moody story that showcases Chicago's rich history of blues music while providing an enthralling thriller. With the lure of more Nick Travers mysteries to come, I'm sure to be diving into the blues scene courtesy of Ace Atkins in the future.