Lyrics of a Blackbird
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A sweeping tale of old loves and festering hatreds, this story will plunge you into the glittering world of Jazz Age Harlem, from the wealthy salons of its movers and shakers to the crowded tenements of its poor.
Years earlier, David McKay, an attorney from a prominent Strivers' Row family, mysteriously disappeared while on a covert mission in the South. Now, he's back, drawn home by the news of his sister's suicide. The deeper he probes into Lilian's death, the more he risks revelations of his own dark secret one that could destroy him or redeem him.
(Previously titled: Harlem Redux)
"A murder mystery set among the black bourgeoisie, it is also the heady tale of a bygone era … compelling family intrigue and a full, vibrant portrait of that storied era when Harlem's pulse was the rhythm of black America."
—The Boston Globe
"As much a story of lies, deceit and murder as it is a commentary on race and class..."
—Chicago Tribune
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Walker's highly competent murder mystery, set during the Harlem Renaissance, features exotic locales, an odd supporting cast, worthy subplots and a baffling set of clues. At the center of this carefully constructed tale of murder, deception and betrayal is a twisty whodunit based on the efforts of David McKay, a young black attorney from one of Harlem's most respected families, to find out how his level-headed sister Lilian really died. Why would Lilian, a reclusive, conservative, sensible young woman, hang out in dives, hobnob with gangsters and become pregnant before her suspicious suicide? Like a character in a Nero Wolfe caper, David visits Lilian's haunts and quizzes her new friends, unraveling a host of dark secrets about her while also learning about the Harlem art world and nightlife. Walker slyly taunts and teases readers with her shrewdly rendered characters: Gem, the twin sister with a heart of glass; Lilian's husband, Jameson Sweet, a conniving gigolo; Rachel, an old flame of David's; Neila Harding, the bestselling author with a yen for David; and mysterious crime boss Adrian Snyder. Although the ending could have packed a stronger punch, and the prose is overworked in places ("the sun hung low in the sky with a dull, metallic gleam, like a watch dangling from a banker's pocket"), it's entertaining to watch the various pieces of Walker's puzzle come together.
