Customer Reviews

If I Should Die

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

 

 

This book was my introduction to the Mali Anderson series, and I was impressed. The lead character is smart, tough and a loving daughter and aunt. Like Valerie Wesley Wilson's Tamara Hayle, Mali is also a former cop. But unlike Hayle, who is based in New Jersey, Anderson is not a formal PI. She's just trying to get some answers.

Set on the mean streets of Harlem, this is a fast-paced contemporary mystery that engages the reader. Anderson is a complex character who is fraught by all types of demons -- harassment stemming from a lawsuit against the NYPD, the brutal death of her only sister and its impact on her nephew, and her feelings for the gorgeous detective Tad Honeywell.

The bad guys are all delightfully vile, an array of drug dealers, petty thieves and thugs. As a native New Yorker, I got a kick out her descriptions of Mayor Giuliani (whom she doesn't mention by name) when he was the D.A. I remember when he lead a mob of police officers in a disrespectful rally outside Gracie Mansion when Dinkins was mayor.

Her description of "The Inferno" reminded me of that scene in Jungle Fever where Spike Lee recreated a crack house. It was graphic and palpable. My only gripe with the book is that the ending seems a little abrupt. Edwards did a good job with the build-up, dropping clues here and there, but the resolution seemed a little rushed.

Overall, I was satisfied with this book and plan to buy more of this series.

If I Should Die is a captivating and vividly written mystery. You get a multidimensional view of Mali Anderson's family, friends, and community. The story is full of twists and turns, and Mali is passionate and intelligent. I became very attached to her family and even her dog, Ruffin. Ms. Edwards' ties to Harlem and its history transport the reader there. Through her words I have been to Harlem and am looking forward to my next visit!

Among others, I read this book because of a Literary Retreat I am attending in Savannah, Georgia. I am an avid mystery reader of Patricia Cornwell and Sue Grafton. Kay Scarpetta and Kinsey Millhone are great heroines, but Mali Anderson is someone that I can identify with. Her fears and hopes are similar to mine. Her life is something that is identifiable in my family and neighborhood. I understand. I could feel where she was coming from. This novel was fun to read. I can't wait to read more Mali Anderson mysteries.

Unknowingly I have read this series of novels out of sequence, I thought "A toast before Dying" was the first one, but it doesn't matter because I love the series. Mali Anderson former cop now neighborhood "Protector" is a wonderful addition to the genre and Grace Edward's is a gifted writer and wordsmith.

I can only compare her style to that of Walter Mosely, which is the ultimate compliment because he is phenomenal. Edwards is able to convey a myraid of thoughts with just a few words but the feelings they evoke never miss their mark. This mystery starts with the attempted kidnapping of a member of the Harlem Chorus and the death of the director, who is an old friend of Mali's. She witnesses the incident and is able to save the child but arrives to late to help her old friend. Now she is determined not to rest until she finds out who is behind his senseless murder and enlists the help of her new boyfriend and hunk Detective Tad Honeywell. Well girl does not live my adventure alone and Honeywell is just what Mali needs and deserves. The police are investigating but Tad has been taken off the case and the new detective assigned is not very dedicated to getting results.

Mali has her work cut out for her on this one as clues point her to the seedy side of Harlem and to dealings with people we would rather believe did not exist.

So many things I appreciate about this book.

I appreciate the vivid landscape, the moods, the colors and the flavors Ms. Edwards paints of a world I use to visit frequently and often back in my youth.

I appreciate how she balances the good souls with the bad ones, and the unending sense of community and hope despite the bad things that can happen there and does.

Mostly, I appreciate the well formulated mystery and how the pieces never quite lead you to where you think they will go. I love Mali's strength and determination and the risks she takes.

Ms. Edwards fills the pages with song and mystery, a cool blend as forfilling as a jazz rift, that floats in the air long after the last note is played. Bravo Ms. Edwards, bravo...

Grace Edwares introduces us to Mali Anderson, ex-police officer, current student, and daughter to a local jazz celebrity,a citizsn of Harlem, New York,and woman trying to raise her late sisters son. Mali, then introduces us to some of the most unforgetable characters any reader gets to know.
She arrives seconds after a male friend she greatly admired is murdered. The reader is then and there taken on a fast paced journey through the best and worst of Harlem, in search of the murderer. We become awe struck spectators to murder, romance, sadness, and great friendships.

This was my introduction to Grace F. Edwards. I love way she develops the characters. Mali is a sister with attitude, compassion, strength, love for family, and just enough over-confidence to get herself into trouble. I enjoyed walking the streets of Harlem, visiting some places I used to know. I was captivated from the first page, and was kept guessing on to the end.

If I Should Die by Grace Edwards was a very suspensful book. You never knew what was going to happen next. There are some boring parts in the beginning, however. This book is about and ex-cop who witnesses a murder and tries to find out for herself who did it. I think an older audience, 20yrs and up, would enjoy this book. The vocabulary can be somewhat confusing.