HARLEM RENAISSANCE MYSTERIES
DEAD DEAD GIRLS: A Harlem Renaissance Mystery
June 1, 2021
1926.
Young Black girls like Louise Lloyd are ending up dead.
Following a harrowing kidnapping ordeal when she was in her teens, Louise is doing everything she can to maintain a normal life. She's succeeding, too. She spends her days working at Maggie's Café and her nights at the Zodiac, Manhattan's hottest speakeasy. Louise's friends might say she's running from her past and the notoriety that still stalks her, but don't tell her that.
When a girl turns up dead in front of the café, Louise is forced to confront something she's been trying to ignore--several local black girls have been murdered over the past few weeks. After an altercation with a local police officer gets her arrested, Louise is given an ultimatum: She can either help solve the case or let a judge make an example of her.
Louise has no choice but to take the case and soon finds herself toe-to-toe with a murderous mastermind. She'll have to tackle her own fears and the prejudices of New York City society if she wants to catch a killer and save her own life in the process.
Buy | Goodreads | Book Club Kit
June 1, 2021
1926.
Young Black girls like Louise Lloyd are ending up dead.
Following a harrowing kidnapping ordeal when she was in her teens, Louise is doing everything she can to maintain a normal life. She's succeeding, too. She spends her days working at Maggie's Café and her nights at the Zodiac, Manhattan's hottest speakeasy. Louise's friends might say she's running from her past and the notoriety that still stalks her, but don't tell her that.
When a girl turns up dead in front of the café, Louise is forced to confront something she's been trying to ignore--several local black girls have been murdered over the past few weeks. After an altercation with a local police officer gets her arrested, Louise is given an ultimatum: She can either help solve the case or let a judge make an example of her.
Louise has no choice but to take the case and soon finds herself toe-to-toe with a murderous mastermind. She'll have to tackle her own fears and the prejudices of New York City society if she wants to catch a killer and save her own life in the process.
Buy | Goodreads | Book Club Kit
HARLEM SUNSET: A Harlem Renaissance Mystery
June 28, 2022
Harlem, 1927
With the horrors of the summer and the Girl Killer behind her, Louise Lloyd is eager to usher in her 28th year with her girlfriend and best friend by her side.
When Nora Davies, one of the girls Louise was kidnapped with, reintroduces herself, Louise is wary to connect. By the next morning, Nora will be dead, Rosa Maria Moreno covered in her blood, and no one can remember what happened.
With Rosa Maria's freedom on the line, Louise must get to the bottom of Nora's death before time runs out.
Buy | Goodreads
A LETHAL LADY: A Harlem Renaissance Mystery
July 30, 2024
Paris, 1928
Louise Lloyd is finally living the quiet life she’d longed for, working in a parfumerie by day and spending time with her new friends every night at the Aquarius club in Paris. When a desperate mother asks for help locating her artist daughter, Louise initially refuses to keep her hard-won but fragile peace intact. But the woman comes with a letter of introduction from an old friend in Harlem, and Louise realizes she has no choice but to do what she can to find the missing young woman.
The woman’s daughter, Iris Wright, is part of an elite social circle. Louise soon finds herself drawn into a world of privilege and ice-cold ambition—a young group of artists who will do anything to get ahead—but would they murder one of their own? With the help of some friends from home, Louise must untangle a web of lies, jealousy, and betrayal to find out what really happened to Iris while fighting to keep her new life from crashing down around her.
Buy | Goodreads
NO GOOD DEED: A Harlem Renaissance Mystery
December 1, 2026
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.
Buy | Goodreads
December 1, 2026
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.
Buy | Goodreads
