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Overview
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.
Synopsis
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.
Publishers Weekly
A working-class neighborhood in Harlem is brought vividly to life in Edwards's hard-hitting second novel (In the Shadow of the Peacock). Mali Anderson, who was fired from the NYPD after slugging a fellow officer who had insulted her, lives in her childhood home with her father and orphaned nephew. On her way to pick up her nephew from a rehearsal with the world-famous Uptown Children's Chorus, Mali thwarts an attempt to kidnap a young chorus member; but she is too late to save her friend, the Chorus's director, who is fatally shot in the incident. Although she feels the investigation of both the murder and the attempted abduction is in good hands with two cops she trusts (one of whom she would like to get to know much better), Mali picks up some information on her own. Her involvement intensifies after her best friend, Deborah, a librarian whom Mali had asked to probe the background of the Chorus's director of development, is attacked in her apartment. Spurred by Deborah's nearly fatal attack and undeterred by anonymous phone calls she is receiving, Mali solicits help from her cop friends, after which the phone calls become more threatening, her father is attacked and her house is ransacked. Edwards's Harlem, with its beauty parlors and jazz clubs, family homes and burned-out crack houses, offers a vibrant, varied backdrop for this gritty tale and its sharp-edged, appealing heroine. (May)
Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
A working-class neighborhood in Harlem is brought vividly to life in Edwards's hard-hitting second novel (In the Shadow of the Peacock). Mali Anderson, who was fired from the NYPD after slugging a fellow officer who had insulted her, lives in her childhood home with her father and orphaned nephew. On her way to pick up her nephew from a rehearsal with the world-famous Uptown Children's Chorus, Mali thwarts an attempt to kidnap a young chorus member; but she is too late to save her friend, the Chorus's director, who is fatally shot in the incident. Although she feels the investigation of both the murder and the attempted abduction is in good hands with two cops she trusts (one of whom she would like to get to know much better), Mali picks up some information on her own. Her involvement intensifies after her best friend, Deborah, a librarian whom Mali had asked to probe the background of the Chorus's director of development, is attacked in her apartment. Spurred by Deborah's nearly fatal attack and undeterred by anonymous phone calls she is receiving, Mali solicits help from her cop friends, after which the phone calls become more threatening, her father is attacked and her house is ransacked. Edwards's Harlem, with its beauty parlors and jazz clubs, family homes and burned-out crack houses, offers a vibrant, varied backdrop for this gritty tale and its sharp-edged, appealing heroine. (May)Library Journal
Mali Anderson interrupts a kidnapping while making her way through Harlem to collect her nephew from choir practice. She saves a young boy but discovers a murder victimthe choir's tour director and a good friend. Ex-cop Mali pounces on the case, searching for clues, collaborating with almost-boyfriend detective Tad, and disregarding the warnings of friends when a second, related murder occurs. Edwards offers a rich, fluid style compounded of Harlem history, jazz-musician highlights, and human earth-tones. A striking accomplishment from the author of In the Shadow of the Peacock (1988).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, VAKirkus Reviews
After debuting with In the Shadow of the Peacock (not reviewed), the author launches a series featuring 31-year-old Harlem ex-cop Mali Anderson, who was fired after only two years on the force. Sick of fellow officer Terry Keenan's lewd harassment, Mali had thrown a punch at him. Now, two years later, she's nearing a master's degree, living with her music-teacher father Jeffrey, a bassist who still plays the jazz clubs, and caring for her 11-year- old orphaned nephew Alvin. But Mali's quiet life erupts into chaos when she rescues Alvin's classmate Morris from kidnappers, who speed off in their limousine, leaving on the street the body of Erskin Harding, director of Harlem's world-famous Uptown Children's Chorus. Within days, the chorus's smooth, Wall Streetconnected fund-raiser Gary Mark is another murder victim. Mali is determined to find Harding's killer despite a raft of scary deterrents: threatening phone calls; concerned warnings from her new love, Police Detective Tad Honeywell; a near-fatal attack on her librarian friend Deborah, recruited to do research on Mark; a trashed apartment; an attack on Mali's father; and the disappearance of beautician Viv, a jilted girlfriend of Erskin's disreputable half-brother Johnnie. Meantime, corrupt cops and massive drug deals lurk behind the scene. But Mali, against all odds, survives and triumphs.A criss-cross of characters and incidents may muddy the plot, but the author's picture of Harlem's streets, institutions, language, and stress-ridden everyday life carries an unmistakable ring of authenticity. A gripping, raw, and suspenseful introduction to a resourceful heroine and the world she lives in.