A Death in Harlem

Set in 1927, Holloway’s disquieting debut examines the seamy side of the Harlem Renaissance. During the Ninth Annual Opportunity Awards Banquet held at the Hotel Theresa, prominent socialite Olivia Frelon, an African-American woman who could pass for white, wins the short story award, but she fails to appear onstage. Instead, a hysterical woman announces that Olivia is lying dead in the street outside the hotel. Apparently, she fell from a high window. Was she pushed? The police arrest a close friend of Olivia, Vera Scott, who recently learned of an affair between Olivia and her husband. Vera’s maid, who believes she’s innocent, asks Weldon Haynie Thomas, Harlem’s first African-American policeman, to investigate, even though he lacks the authority to do so. Meanwhile, Hughes Wellington, a wealthy white entrepreneur fascinated with the black community, hires a PI to satisfy his own interests. The freewheeling ensemble narrative explores the shifting alliances among race and elite social circles. This spiritual successor to Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel, Passing, will keep historical mystery fans guessing. [em](Sept.) [/em]

Correction: An earlier version of this review misstated the race of one of the novel's characters.