Humpty Dumpty Was Pushed

Blatte's inartful debut presents a murder investigation through the eyes of three characters: a traditional NYPD detective, Sal Messina (aka Black Sallie Blue Eyes); a young thug called Scholar, who manages Proof Positive, a hip-hop group; and Spahiu Congoli (aka Vooko), a refugee from Kosovo. When Vooko's cousin Pashko is gunned down in a Manhattan parking lot, Vooko vows revenge on those responsible. Black Sallie, who's developed an uncanny shit detector, pursues leads ranging from players in the music industry to Sheldon Kessler, an influential real estate mogul. What little insight Blatte, a Clio Award–winning songwriter and producer, offers into the music business doesn't compensate for mundane prose (“Four dudes emerged from the heat and flames and came to a swift halt once they saw several officers with drawn guns”) and a routine plot. (Mar.)