Book Review: The Legman
The Legman. Mike Kerr. Kindle Direct Publishing, March 10, 2019, Trade Paperback and E-book, 448 pages.
Reviewed by Janet Cole.
The Legman provides graphic accounts of violence resulting from integration attempts in a Chicago neighborhood in the late 1960s. The story unfolds with a group of one hundred black youths marching up the sidewalks of a Chicago neighborhood. Their organized intent was to intimidate and motivate the white residents to leave the area so that African Americans could move in. An older individual, well into his twenties, led the group of teenagers. An eyewitness to the event, a young white girl who lived in one of the houses along the march route, had the misfortune of making eye contact with the leader. He was close enough for her to see his features in detail, including the malice in his eyes and a distinctive tattoo on his neck—all of which terrified her. And, he was close enough to see her in detail and to note where she lived.
The march was just the first of many frightening and progressively more brutal acts. The church fire, clearly not an accident as declared by authorities, resulted in the death of the church’s minister and the loss of a small child’s eye. Several murders also occurred. The suspect was the march leader with the tattoo on his neck.
The cast of characters, including the inspired reporter, the artistically talented and successful widow of the minister burned in the church fire, a suspended police officer, a refined minister of another black church, and a physically powerful and loyal friend of the young reporter, join forces. They intend to stop the carnage by capturing and eliminating the instigator. During their investigations to discover his whereabouts, the group finds that the unlikely co-conspirators initiating this tragic series of events were the minister who was burned in the church fire and a decadent neighborhood realtor. One was motivated by greed, the other by "well-intentioned" aspirations for the Civil Rights movement. They also discover other complex relationships.
Events continue to escalate. The march leader that the conspirators hired turned out to be a madman obsessed with fire. His delusions lead him to kill innocent victims, including the girl who witnessed him at the march. The group’s investigations uncover the horrific childhood of the madman and his mother, perhaps the underlying cause for his violence. Their examination of archived documents reveals the relationship of the young reporter to a great uncle, who through violent and immoral actions, indirectly created the madman central to the violence.
Kerr’s book is expertly written and edited. His story creates a reality through which the reader can experience conflicts between whites and blacks, and demonstrates how they can successfully work together to confront issues. The book includes extensive and detailed narration of the unfolding events.
After reading and enjoying the book, I felt there were two areas for improvement. At times, I wished it was clearer which character was speaking through dialog. Also, I was puzzled by the lack of despair and anger one would expect from the young widow of the minister who was burned in the church fire. These two small suggestions do not impact the overall positive impression of the book.
Through its elaborate descriptions and colorful characters, The Legman effectively brings to life the Civil Rights movement and issues present in Chicago’s neighborhoods during the '60s.