In Merle Temple’s (2018), A Ghostly Shade of Pale, the book tells the story of Temple’s career as an undercover Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agent during the 1970s at the height of the war on drugs. Although the names and some of the places have been changed to protect the identities of former agents and criminals, this book has a lot of strengths and weaknesses. Some of the most notable strengths are the settings or locations, because it is based in Mississippi, which for Mississippi natives, grabs their attention and allows them to relate more to the book. Another strength lies in Temple’s ability to use very vivid imagery in descriptions of places. For example, his description of Beale street (Temple, 2018, pg. 305) was spot on,
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A shifting wind whipped paper cups, food wrappers, and the usual urban debris down the dirty street.” (Temple, 2018, pg 305). This attention to detail makes the reader feel like they are on Beale Street with Michael.
He rolled out of bed, anxious to hear what the big man had to say after so long without contact. His heart rate was up. He was now wide awake, jumping into and out of a cold, quick shower. He dressed quickly, excited and filled with anticipation about Walker’s call.
He had his .357 Magnum, but to be safe, he added an ankle holster with a .32 automatic just inside his right boot. The sides change like the wind, and he didn’t want to walk into the Bottom of the Blues without a plan B. Thirty minutes or so after the call, he was dressed and on U.S. 78, headed north for Memphis. His wiper blades only smeared the bugs on his windshield in a light drizzle that passed quickly. He radioed Cliff and asked him to call Clay about six and tell him that he had the blues and was going to see Super Fly and to send the cavalry if he had not heard from him by nine.(Temple, 2018, pg. 304-305). This shows some of his attention to detail when recounting his
A shifting wind whipped paper cups, food wrappers, and the usual urban debris down the dirty street.” (Temple, 2018, pg 305). This attention to detail makes the reader feel like they are on Beale Street with Michael.
He rolled out of bed, anxious to hear what the big man had to say after so long without contact. His heart rate was up. He was now wide awake, jumping into and out of a cold, quick shower. He dressed quickly, excited and filled with anticipation about Walker’s call.
He had his .357 Magnum, but to be safe, he added an ankle holster with a .32 automatic just inside his right boot. The sides change like the wind, and he didn’t want to walk into the Bottom of the Blues without a plan B. Thirty minutes or so after the call, he was dressed and on U.S. 78, headed north for Memphis. His wiper blades only smeared the bugs on his windshield in a light drizzle that passed quickly. He radioed Cliff and asked him to call Clay about six and tell him that he had the blues and was going to see Super Fly and to send the cavalry if he had not heard from him by nine.(Temple, 2018, pg. 304-305). This shows some of his attention to detail when recounting his