If I Should Die (Mali Anderson Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

Grace F. Edwards (Author)

Book Description

Series: Mali Anderson Mystery | Publication Date: March 3, 1998

An ex-cop's habits die hard....

Savvy, streetwise former cop Mali Anderson left the NYPD with a lawsuit and a lot of bitterness. Now she's on her way to a master's in sociology, living with her jazz musician father and mothering her orphaned nephew, Alvin. As Mali walks past the stylish town houses of Harlem's Strivers Row to meet Alvin at his rehearsal with the Uptown Children's Chorus, she hears a child's panicked screams--and witnesses a struggle. Mali thwarts the child's abduction, but as the car roars away, she finds a body in the street. The dead man is her friend Erskin Harding, tour director of the Chorus.

The memory of her friend and the peril of her nephew drive Mali to track down the killer. It's a search that will take her from a gossip-filled beauty parlor to a dark, decaying crack house and--as anonymous warnings escalate into violence--could even lead her to her grave.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Mali Anderson used to be a cop, until she punched out a fellow officer for sexual slurs; now she's working toward a Ph.D. in social work, raising her orphaned nephew, and living with her jazz musician father on a street in Harlem nicknamed Strivers Row because of the black professionals who owned property there. She has a full, rich life--especially when you add a budding romance with a former colleague. But Mali puts it all at risk when she interrupts a kidnapping and finds a dead body outside the Uptown Children's Chorus building. The crimes are connected to both sides of Harlem: the aspirations of citizens like Mali and her father, and the more notorious elements of crack and police corruption. What links both sides is family, and in her first mystery, Edwards expertly creates characters who leap to instant, long-remembered life. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA. After her sister dies, Mall assumes the responsibility of raising her 11-year-old, orphaned nephew, Alvin. Protective of him, the woman and her Great Dane walk to Harlem's renowned Uptown Children's Chorus to meet the boy after his choral practice, only to hear a child screaming. Running to the rescue, Mall grabs the screaming child from a car but can do nothing to save the man lying in the street with a bullet hole in his forehead. As a former police officer, Mall puts her detecting skills to use to find the murderer of Alvin's chorus director. The depressingly blah, sepia-toned book jacket detracts from the fine mystery inside. Mall is a strong, likable character who combines common sense with humor; her African-American heritage might appeal to mystery readers who may not have identified with the heroines created by Sara Paretsky and Sue Grafton.?Pam Spencer, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (March 3, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553576313
• ISBN-13: 978-0553576313
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.9 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,673,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well Done, August 1, 2000

By 

MarvelousMarla "MarvyM" (Way down in Dixie) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: If I Should Die (Mali Anderson Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A vivid, passionate, mysterious trip to Harlem., June 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: If I Should Die (Hardcover)

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!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ms. Edwards is comparable to Patricia Cornwell &Sue Grafton, October 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: If I Should Die (Mali Anderson Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

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.