Crook Manifesto

Harlem Shuffle introduced us to Ray Carney, who wants to be a respectable family man but can’t quite give up his life of petty crime in 1960s Harlem. (Though not essential, I recommend reading Harlem first.) When Crook opens in 1971, Ray has spent four years on the straight and narrow. But then his daughter asks for tickets to The Jackson 5, and the only way Ray can get them is to do a “favor” for a bent cop, who asks him to serve as a fence for stolen jewelry. Soon enough Ray is back in the game, and it feels more dangerous than ever. Pick up this immersive, darkly comic historical for the superb voice, palpable atmosphere, and astonishing period detail. I’m already itching to read the final installment of this trilogy: I can’t wait to see what Ray does next. For fans of James McBride’s Deacon King Kong and Sidik Fofana’s Stories from the Tenants Downstairs.