Up Jumped the Devil Hardcover - 1997

From the publisher

In the bestselling tradition of Walter Mosley comes a riveting story of mystery and intrigue, introducing Darryl Billups, African-American reporter and reluctant investigator. Up Jumped The Devil is authentic and electrifying, heralding the arrival of a major new voice in suspense fiction.From its in-your-face, crude-talking cops to its ever-more-juvenile delinquents to its raging racial tensions, Baltimore is one tough town. And its best chronicler is cop reporter Darryl Billups, a man who doesn't want much except to be left alone to do his job the best way he knows how, without kissing any butt. He's not looking for fame and acclaim -- but they're definitely looking for him.With a new lady love and an antagonistic boss, Darryl's not eager to take on anyone else's problems. So when an anonymous voice mail message warns him about an impending wave of white supremacist violence, Darryl pays no attention. Then bombs start to go off all over the town, leaving a liberal philanthropist dead, a populace panicked and Billups as a believer.When the next warning comes, the target is the headquarters of the NAACP Suddenly the stakes are getting higher, deadlier and more personal, rocking Darryl's world in ways he never imagined possible. The city and his new family are under siege, and Darryl Billups is off and running -- chasing a deadly urban nightmare to its poisonous core.