Flipping Boxcars

Flipping Boxcars is an often gritty, well written, character driven caper by Cedric Kyles. Released 12th Sept 2023 by HarperCollins on their Amistad imprint, it's 336 pages, and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats; super useful for checking things easily in the text. 

This is an interesting and unvarnished tale set in the prosperity years after WWII. The main character, Babe, is an African American with all the racism and limitations that implies for the time. The author pulls no punches and it was sometimes an uncomfortable read in places. The style of the story is direct and action driven. I found the main character likeable and appealing in ways, he's certainly charismatic.. but difficult to really get behind because of his "shady" dealings and willingness to cut corners. (Full admissions, as a middle class white woman, from a place of unimaginable privilege, MC Babe and I don't have many shared life experiences). 

The honesty is compelling. The storytelling is detailed and rich. It ends on a cliffhanger, which is always annoying. 

Four stars. This would be a great selection for public or private library acquisition, as well as for book club selection.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.