To his customers and neighbours on 125th Street, Ray Carney is an upstanding salesman of reasonably priced furniture, making a decent life for himself and his family. Few people know he descends from a line of uptown hoods and crooks, and that his façade of normality has more than a few cracks in it.
Cash is tight, especially with all those installment-plan sofas, so if his cousin Freddie occasionally drops of the odd ring or necklace, Ray doesn't ask where it comes from. Then Freddie falls in with a …
To his customers and neighbours on 125th Street, Ray Carney is an upstanding salesman of reasonably priced furniture, making a decent life for himself and his family. Few people know he descends from a line of uptown hoods and crooks, and that his façade of normality has more than a few cracks in it.
Cash is tight, especially with all those installment-plan sofas, so if his cousin Freddie occasionally drops of the odd ring or necklace, Ray doesn't ask where it comes from. Then Freddie falls in with a crew who plan to rob the Hotel Theresa - the 'Waldorf of Harlem' - and volunteers Ray's services as the fence.
Can Ray avoid getting killed, save his cousin and grab his share of the big score, all while maintaining his reputation as the go-to source for all your quality home furniture needs?
Paperback, 538 pages
Published Sept. 14, 2021 by Random House Large Print.
Nyt on kunnollista! 1950–60-luvun Harlemissa ei ole helppoa elättää perhettä rehellisenä mustana miehenä, ja jos kohtalo sitten määrää, että ruumiista pitää päästä eroon, niin sitten siitä hankkiudutaan eroon. Kaikki ovat joka tapauksessa osana samaa ketkuilujen verkostoa, joka yltää ties minne. Näin vetävää juonenkuljetusta ja värikästä ympäristön kuvausta lukee mielellään.
I mean it was fine. What's there to say. Quite well written, don't get me wrong. But I found the three acts all lacking action, intrigue, and a consistent through line. None of the characters were memorable or distinct in a way that impacted the story, including the main character. They all seemed to serve as a backdrop for a story that was was not interesting enough to stand up on its own. It wasn't a bad read at all, just wholly unmemorable.
Eerder een verzameling samenhangende verhalen dan een roman, maar dat mag de pret niet drukken. Uitstekend vertaald door Harm Damsma!
