Grace F. Edwards - The Viaduct (2004)
For her sixth book, Brooklyn-based Grace F. Edwards has crafted a slim jewel of a crime novel. The Viaduct is a masterpiece of setting, a bleak and evocative tour through Harlem in 1972.
Marin Taylor has recently returned from a haunting hitch in Vietnam, still troubled by his nightmarish experiences in the jungle. When a near-fatal attack on the street leaves Marin hospitalized, life looks as if it can't get much worse for him and his wife, Margaret. The only thing keeping them going is the impending birth of their first child.
That moment of joy, though, is horrifyingly brief, as the newborn is kidnapped from the hospital by an unknown woman with a grudge. Marin becomes consumed with the frantic hunt to bring his daughter home and save his wife's sanity.
If a few of the characters aren't as filled out as they could be, and the ending is a little flat, Edward's sharp prose and crackling dialogue delights. In the best tradition of Chester Himes and Walter Mosley, Edwards has crafted a stunning work of African-American life on the edge.
Posted by David J. Montgomery in Book Reviews | Permalink
