A Negro and an Ofay

Praise for A Negro and an Ofay

“This is a stunning debut! A powerful combination of brilliant story-telling and a breathtaking grasp of dialog subtext that strongly reminds of Mamet. Danny Gardner is destined to become a big name in this writing game.”

—Les Edgerton, author of The Bitch, The Rapist, and The Genuine, Imitation, Plastic Kidnapping

“Elliot Caprice is a trouble magnet and that makes for a great character.”

—Simon Wood, author of The One That Got Away

“Immersive, poignant and utterly enthralling. Written from the middle of America’s great racial divide, it’s satirical, cool and irrevocably honest; imbued with an inherent nobility that rivals any modern-day hero.”

—Tom Avitabile, bestselling author of Give Us This Day

“A Negro and an Ofay is a smart, crisp, historically accurate, and unapologetically racial narrative that signals the arrival of a strong, necessary voice in crime fiction. Danny Gardner is a superb storyteller with a knack for dialogue and a fearless author who knows what he’s talking about. This is the best debut you’ll read in a long time.”

—Gabino Iglesias, author of Zero Saints

“Hard-boiled don’t get much harder than this. Danny Gardner hits all the right notes, but with enough swagger and voice to make it completely his own. Elliot Caprice is a fantastic character, stuck between worlds—black and white, good and bad—and I really hope to see more of him.”

—Rob W. Hart, author of New Yorked, City of Rose, and South Village  

“There’s a naturalness and ease about this book despite a complex and dense plot. It flows effortlessly, and the dialogue has a wonderful cadence to it. I feel like if Gardner told me a tale on the spot, it’d be surprising, dramatic, and entertaining. To me, that’s a born storyteller, and it comes through loud and clear in this electrifying debut.”

—Sarah M. Chen, author of Cleaning Up Finn

“One of the best items Gardner has in his toolbox when blending his themes and story elements is his sense of humanity. We feel for his characters because he always has something heartfelt to say about them. Every person Caprice encounters evokes some sort of memory or emotion. There’s a deeply rooted thought about each moment that Gardner digs out. In fact, Gardner seems to rely more on emotional response than descriptions when setting up his scenes, and it works. It’s what draws readers in and keeps us turning the page.”

—Scott Waldyn, Literary Orphans Journal

“This young author is not only the heir apparent to Chester Himes and Walter Mosley, but the subtle social commentary laced almost invisibly within the beautifully crafted saga of an African American police detective fighting the ramifications of a frame that derailed his career, along with routine racism in 1950s Chicago, shows the promise of a contemporary James Baldwin or Ralph Ellison.”

—Will Viharo, Digital Media Ghost

“…it manages to be smart, historical, and about identity/racial issues while retaining all the entertainment value that pulpy thrillers bring to the table. This is a book with a carefully crafted plot that touches on a lot of issues that were as relevant six decades ago as they are now, but it’s also a hell of a fun read packed with jazz, fights, sex, and the kind of dialogue that makes readers remember the name on the cover.”

—Out of the Gutter Review