A death in Harlem : a novel
Call Number
- MYSTERY HOLL (CEN)
Publication Information
Evanston, Illinois : TriQuarterly Books/Northwestern University Press, [2019]
Physical Description
x, 234 pages ; 23 cm
Summary
"In this Harlem Renaissance mystery, Weldon Haynie Thomas is Harlem's first 'colored' policeman, blessed with insight, humor, resourcefulness, and a deep intuition. (While Haynie is a fictional creation, the first African American policeman in NYC, Samuel Battle, also served during this time period, between 1911-1941.) 'A Death in Harlem' improvises and extends the plot of Nella Larsen's 'Passing' by asking 'what happened after the fall?' Officer Thomas investigates the light-enough-to-pass woman who jumped? fell? was pushed? from the Hotel Theresa during the Opportunity Magazine Awards Banquet. While A Death in Harlem is lively and conversational, it's also informed by a deep knowledge of African American culture and history -- which support pointed critiques of the relationships between Harlem's Sugar Hill colored folk, and the regular folk uptown, for instance"--Provided by publisher.