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Nekesa Afia’s sophomore effort, HARLEM SUNSET (Berkley Prime Crime, 284 pp., paperback, $15.99), brings back Louise Lloyd after her unforgettable debut last year in “Dead Dead Girls.” It’s 1927, and Louise still haunts the Harlem speakeasies, managing one of them — the Dove — for the brother of her longtime partner, Rosa Maria.
She cannot live her life openly, true, but within the constraints of life as a queer Black woman, Louise is on the precipice of contentment. But then a woman named Nora, whom Louise met when they were both held captive a decade before, shows up at the club. The next morning she’s found stabbed to death, her blood drenching Rosa Maria, who’s asleep nearby. What follows is another strange trip for Louise as she sets about clearing her lover’s name, discovering the actual culprit and trying to hold in her most closely held secrets — of sexuality, of family, of that long-ago kidnapping. Ever the survivor, Louise bargains for a brighter future. --New York Times on HARLEM SUNSET
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NO GOOD DEED
Caught between her family back in Harlem and her glamorous new life, Louise Lloyd finds that her knack for solving crimes translates when she’s called to investigate un meurtre in Paris.
When a popular band leader is murdered, Louise Lloyd and her best friend, Rafael Moreno, are tasked with investigating. Going undercover, they now have access to the dark underbelly of Club Minuit, Paris’s hottest night club.
Falling back on her expertise as a former showgirl, Louise must compete with ambitious dancers and the club’s menacing manager while solving a murder. The charming Rafael is the club’s new piano player, and his involvement creates more problems than it solves for Louise.
As they untangle the many affairs and secrets of the crew of Club Minuit, Louise and Rafael realize that to catch a killer, they’ll have to outwit everyone around them or face the music.
When a popular band leader is murdered, Louise Lloyd and her best friend, Rafael Moreno, are tasked with investigating. Going undercover, they now have access to the dark underbelly of Club Minuit, Paris’s hottest night club.
Falling back on her expertise as a former showgirl, Louise must compete with ambitious dancers and the club’s menacing manager while solving a murder. The charming Rafael is the club’s new piano player, and his involvement creates more problems than it solves for Louise.
As they untangle the many affairs and secrets of the crew of Club Minuit, Louise and Rafael realize that to catch a killer, they’ll have to outwit everyone around them or face the music.
