Customer Reviews

Harlem Redux: A Novel

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After serving in France during World War I, David McKay attends Howard Law School. Following graduation, David becomes a civil-rights attorney. His efforts mostly occur in the South, gaining David a reputation and many enemies. David avoids lynching by going underground. While he works in hiding, one of his sisters, Lilian commits suicide.

When David finally learns that his sibling is dead, he resurfaces in Harlem to find out what happened. He quickly realizes that life moved on while he toiled around saving the world. Feeling guilty, David makes inquiries into Lilian's life after he became a big shot attorney. He finds out that Lilian married attorney Jameson Sweet, who inherited most of the relatively large estate. David meets former lover Rachel, who informs him that she gave birth to his child after he went underground. His little girl, whom he had never seen, died from an illness. Now he must prove his innocence.

HARLEM REDUX is a powerful historical fiction focusing on the life of African-Americans in the 1920s. The mysteries take a sidebar to the vivid descriptions of the era through the price of active involvement in a good cause on one's personal life. David is a wonderful lead character and the insightful look at mid-twenties Harlem Renaissance is a delight. Though the Sweet homicide subplot adds little to the tale except an unnecessary coda, sub-genre fans have quite a treat and hopefully Persia Walker will furbish a sequel starring David and cronies living during the Depression.

Harriet Klausner

Lately I have had the pleasure of reading so many good mysteries that I have been in reader's heaven and I certainly count Harlem Redux among the best of them.

David McKay, the prodigal son, returns home after a 4 year self imposed exile. His sister Lillian is dead and the authorities are convinced it is suicide. David knows better and suspects foul play. So much has happened in his absence, his other sister, Lillian's twin, Gem, has disappeared; Lillian was living a life she never disclosed to him in their clandestine correspondences , and old friends have potentially devastating secrets.

Harlem Redux has so may twists, turns and elaborate subplots it reminds you of an old Alfred Hitchcock thriller. It is like a house of cards; each secret you unravel brings you one step closer to solving the mystery and bringing down the house.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the historical look at Harlem in the early twenties and thirties. When reading time pieces or historical accounts of the early 1900's I am always amazed at how little people and their attitudes change. Technology gets bigger and maybe better, our lives become complicated and more stressful but when you get right down to it, people really do not change a whole lot, and Harlem Redux reminds us of this. The very same ideas and beliefs that shape so many of the characters in this novel and cause their unraveling are very prevalent today and are just as destructive. Our ideas about love, acceptance and tolerance govern us and in many ways direct the path our lives take.

I strongly recommend this one even if you are not a big fan of Mysteries.

Reviewed by Ruby
APOOO Book Club

It is very rare that I read novels whose setting occurs before I was born in 1970; however, Harlem Redux was so well written that I wasn't conscious of the excellent history lessons I received as I enjoyed the novel. Persia Walker places our minds and imaginations into a Time Machine, where she uses her words, imagery, and mystery to transport us back into time. We land in Harlem circa the 1920s, where the black social elite inhabit Strivers Row. Safe, secluded, and tucked away from the mars of the black lower class.

An engaging and intoxicating mystery. David disappeared from his family's prominent home on Strivers Row. His sister, Lilian's, untimely and suspicious death prompted his return. David's suspicions about his sister's death has him remaining in Harlem longer than he anticipated. Not good. You see, David has a secret of his own that he doesn't want revealed.

Harlem Redux addresses disputes among African Americans and between African Americans and Caucasians. We get a history lesson and an eclectic view of Harlem in the 1920s. Inner-racial prejudice and racial division are skirted, but the big issue is WHO DID IT? You'll enjoy the ride as David pounds the pavement and browbeats everyone available. He is determined to get the truth about his sister's death.

Persia did an excellent job of having the novel set in history, but still making the story interesting. Her vibrant descriptions provide luscious scenery of historical Strivers Row. The characters were a splendid array of black aristocracy, peasants, elitist, and elite wanna bees. I love the way the story unfolds...you think you've figured everything out, only to be presented with more mystery on something else, utterly dispelling your previous hypothesis. Reviewed by KaTrina Love

David McKay returns to his family home, a neo-Renaissance mansion on Harlem's elite Strivers' Row, after a four year absence. He received a shocking telegram at his law office in Philadelphia informing him of his sister's death by suicide and summoning him to New York. The year is 1926 and David, a handsome, well dressed, well educated professional, reflects the breeding and refinement Harlem's elite society demands of members of its inner circle.

McKay discovers that his deceased sister Lilian, a writer and intellectual, had married a man she barely knew and, oddly, never confided her change in civil status to him, her own brother. The husband, James Sweet, also an attorney, now has claim to the family estate. After questioning the family's longtime housekeeper, Annie Williams, as well as Mr. Sweet, and many of Lilian's friends, David is not able to accept that his little sister killed herself. He knew her too well, and does not believe that such an extreme act of self destruction was in her nature - no matter what the evidence revealed. He is sure foul play is involved.

As he investigates the events leading up to Lilian's death, including the sudden return of her glamorous twin sister Gem from Paris, McKay discovers a dark world of secrets, lies and betrayal by those he trusted most. He cannot throw stones, however, as he himself is carrying the burden of a secret life, the consequence of a terrible tragedy which occurred four years before.

Although this page-turner has flaws, I must admit that I was riveted by the storyline and the mysterious figure of Lilian McKay Sweet. Persia Walker's meticulous research, her attention to historic detail, the fascinating period and setting she documents, 1920's Harlem, are compelling reasons to read "Harlem Redux," in and of themselves. I live in New York City, and learned an amazing amount about uptown in my hometown from the book. Ms. Walker incorporates anecdotes from places and celebrities like, Langston Hughes, W.E.B. Dubois, The Cotton Club, etc., and also adds commentary on important social issues of the day which enrich the plot considerably.

On the downside, I found the narrative to be extremely awkward at times, and very melodramatic. Although it suits the period, I occasionally felt I was reading the screenplay for "Perils of Pauline," the Hollywood silent film episodic serial. Apart from David, some of the characters seem stereotypical, especially Gem. Although the conclusion is startling, the novel's pace slows in the middle, but even though I was tempted to put the book down, I could not do so. I was hooked! I definitely think the author has talent and would certainly read more of her work.

Recommended!
JANA

Harlem Redux by Persia Walker could be described as a history lesson with a murder mystery thrown in for good measure or vice versa. Walker's portrayal of the affluent McKay family and other families on Harlem's Striver's Row during the 1920 era, is rich in detail as the mystery is superbly laid before our eyes.

David McKay, an attorney living in Philadelphia, returns to Harlem after a four-year hiatus to question his sister's suicide. What he finds is, "all is not as it seems" and he sets out to find the truth about his sister's death. As David investigates, several characters stand in his way of the truth. David thoughts constantly revert back to "all is not as it seems" as he stubbornly rushes into seedy joints and ruthless people who have something to hide. David too, has a secret that he would rather keep hidden because it could destroy the family name. But as David inches closer to the truth, the threat of his secret being revealed is probable at best. Harlem Redux is a complicated murder mystery and just when you believe you can name the culprit, Walker reveals other riveting details to further complicate matters. When all is said and done "all was not as it seemed."

Persia Walker has written an excellent murder mystery that provides necessary and vivid descriptions of Harlem and its people, both rich and poor, during a time when people were proud of their determinations. Harlem Redux will go down as one of my all-time favorite mysteries and one of my all-time favorite books......Reviewed by Dawn R. Reeves, APOOO BookClub

This book has it all--history lessons and atmosphere about a fascinating period; compelling characters with all kinds of complexes; suspense, lies, double-crosses, murder...what else could a reader possibly want? I got totally caught up in it, and was dying to find out the secrets and see the resolution. I'm just waiting for her next offering. Sister Walker is GOOD!

Harlem Redux has a great story line and a history lesson about Harlem in the 1920s

The McKay family is at the epicenter of a drama-filled plot of murder, intrigue, and animosity in Persia Walker's novel, Harlem Redux. David McKay becomes the sole heir to the McKay estate in Harlem's upper echelon Striver's Row neighborhood upon the untimely suicide death of one of his twin sisters, Lilian. This is uncharacteristic of Lilian as her devotedly Christian and demure personality doesn't "jive" with this type of action. True to her greedy, selfish nature, the other twin, Gem, wastes no time exiting New York for the safety of Europe immediately after Lilian's death. Or so it seems to the untrained eye.

David's return to Striver's Row from Philadelphia to attend Lilian's funeral is only the last straw in his façade of being the ideal upstanding black male of the Renaissance era. Two chapters into the novel, the reader is made aware of the fact that even he isn't what he appears to be. As I read further and began to get lost deeper and deeper in the dynamic characters of this work of fiction, I found myself propelled to figure out what caused the sudden change in Lilian's attitude during the last few months of her life and why did her husband treat her so unkindly in private?

One common element that seemed to run like a current through all of the characters was the flaw of secrecy. From Lilian's mysteriously dark and charismatic husband, Jameson Sweet, to the maid, Annie, and even on down to the people of "less consequence," like Rachel, who lived in squalor less than a block away from the McKay's massive house, keeping secrets from one another throughout the course of many years has taken its toll on the close circle of family and friends. Will David be able to get to root of all of these lies by omission in order to give his conscience a rest? A tale of what he is sure is murder leads David on a trail to the truth.

If you're a reader looking for a true novel, with excellent character development, complete with a Renaissance mystery twist, this book will be a perfect addition to your personal library. Kudos to Walker for creating a story that vibrates with the jazz, issues of intra-racism, and black artistic development in all arenas during this explosive time period in American history.

Anna

R.E.A.L. Reviewers

Persia Walker's Harlem Redux is an intriguing mystery novel, well crafted and detailed, skillfully creating fiction with a great collection of historical memories and places derived from the Harlem Renaissance.

How deep is Persia Walker? Let's just say you will fall on this trip of reality where there are "no honor amongst thieves." In this captivating novel, Persia Walker is totally unpredictable leaving all the facts and clues to you. Just when you thought you've figured it all out, more twists and turns force you to other conclusions. Poetically, Persia Walker has thoroughly developed and defined magnificence in her artistic writing of Harlem Redux and will take you back into time and reveal issues as they were. Persia Walker is a phenomenal writer and Harlem Redux is a must read. -JWJ

Gripping.........from the very first page I was engaged in this mystery. Oh, I must say this work is much more than a who-done-it.........take a trip down Strivers Row......circa 1920. An absolute must read!