Furniture store owner Ray Carney moved stolen goods on the side to get ahead on the often-dangerous streets of Harlem all throughout the 1960s. A decade later, Ray is now a landlord who has put fencing behind him, is living the clean life and is proud of himself and family’s accomplishments. When his teenage daughter May asks him to score Jackson 5 tickets, Ray makes a big mistake and nonchalantly attempts to call in favor to get them. He calls Munson, a dirty cop who agrees to help Ray, but instead draws him into a deadly night filled with stolen diamonds, a poker game robbery and murder. As Ray slips back into the criminal lifestyle, he partners up with longtime family friend Pepper. A violent career criminal, Pepper, like Ray, has lines he won’t cross, and others he is happy to rationalize stepping over. As the rules of the City begin to change around them, the two men question what keeps them in the game, as their misadventures continue in this series of vignettes, from 1971 through 1976.
Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead is his second book in a planned “Harlem” trilogy featuring Ray Carney. Like it’s prequel, Harlem Shuffle, Crook Manifesto is a darkly humorous crime caper with emotion and heart. This series drips with New York City atmosphere and the vernacular of the era, and buzzes with foreboding that Ray and Pepper have started down very dark paths indeed. This reader can’t wait to see how it all wraps up. Treat yourself and listen to the audio versions of Harlem Shuffle and Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead, both read by the magnificent Dion Graham. You can find digital versions to place on hold and download, as well as other books by Whitehead here.
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-Carol
Read it or Weep 