Matson’s Case No. 1

"Zaragoza leads the reader through a horrific murder plot with both speed and efficiency. A good murder mystery but also a good social issues story."

New York City's Police Chief, Robert Matson, reflects on his first murder case when, as a newly discharged Korean War veteran, he returns home to Harlem to find a color line blocking his admission to the police academy. Matson takes interim work as a janitor, but his skills in the military police come to light when Bumpy Johnson, Harlem's unofficial mayor, pimp, and drug czar, seeks Matson's help tracking down the killer of his prostitutes, while city officials turn a blind eye.

Detective Harvey Smith joins his former military partner to unravel the mystery behind these heinous murders. In the process, they draw on some of the city's historical figures in crime fighting and forensics to find incriminating evidence in a non-tech era when dogged grunt work processes the bits and pieces that convict criminals. Matson uses his knowledge of psychology to profile the killer, and the search for him leads Smith and Matson to New Jersey and back again. Finally, in a dramatic set-up, they nab the killer.

To show his appreciation, Bumpy sends Matson a gift, a beautiful blonde named Sissy, and the mixed-race couple fall in love and marry, despite the social stigma of the 1950s.

The sub-plot reveals the discrimination Matson faces on a day-to-day basis, professionally and personally. Yet with his intelligence, skills, and hard work, he proves his worth that eventually sees him move up in the ranks, thanks in part to Smith who genuinely values Matson as a friend and partner.