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A Fine Dark Line

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A Fine Dark Line
First (limited) edition
AuthorJoe R. Lansdale
LanguageEnglish
GenreNovel
PublisherSubterranean Press, Mysterious Press
Publication date
1 June 2002
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardcover)(Trade Paperback)
Pages412
ISBN1-931081-66-2
OCLC51583529
Preceded byThe Bottoms (2000) 
Followed bySunset and Sawdust (2004) 

A Fine Dark Line is a 2002 novel by American writer Joe R. Lansdale. The story is set in Dumont, Texas, in 1958. This novel was issued as a limited edition by Subterranean Press and as a trade hardcover and a trade paperback by Mysterious Press. Both hardcover editions are now out of print. A trade paperback was published by Mysterious Press on October 1, 2003.[1]

Plot summary

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The story is told through the eyes of Stanley Mitchell, a thirteen-year-old boy, the younger of two children. The Mitchells are the owners and proprietors of the only drive-in theater in Dumont. Stanley discovers a tin box containing a collection of troubled love letters that ultimately lead him to a burned-out house, the mysterious deaths of two young women and various secrets that the Dumont leaders would prefer remain buried. Stanley's ally is Buster Smith, the projectionist at the drive-in theater, an elderly black man whose attempts to drown his demons in alcohol are doomed to failure, but who has a depth that only Stanley is aware of. In attempting to solve the mysteries of the deaths of the two women, Stanley exposes himself, his family and his friends, to danger.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Subterranean Press. "A Fine Dark Line by Joe R. Lansdale — Subterranean Press". Archived from the original on 2014-12-05. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  2. ^ Joe R. Lansdale. "A FINE DARK LINE". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
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