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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
The story opens with Clyde "Viper" Morton having killed his third person, and waiting to be picked up by police. He reflects on his violent life from eager young man arriving in Harlem to the current moment, and all the choices, good and bad, that brought him here.
Clyde Morton arrives in New York City from Alabama with the dream of making it as the next Louis Armstrong. That dream goes down in flames almost immediately, and Clyde's life takes a left turn into something more nefarious when he's convinced to work for a small time drug dealer.
The dealer's boss, Mister O, a wealthy Jewish man with multiple business interests, quickly takes notice of Clyde, and makes him his henchman. Along the way, Clyde secures his name, "Viper", for his increasingly dangerous reputation, and for his first kill: a rival businessman bringing heroine into Harlem. Mister O, and consequently Viper, are strongly opposed to dealing or using heroine, despite its growing popularity amongst the various genius jazz musicians making names for themselves in Harlem.
Viper also falls for Mister O's maid Yolanda, a woman eager to make her name as a singer. Their lives become inextricably tied together and keep intersecting over the years as Viper becomes obsessed with Yolanda, to his detriment.
Author Jake Lamar charts the changing times in Harlem from the 1930s to the 1960s, and while different from Colson Whitehead's "Harlem Shuffle", I can almost imagine Viper's life happening in parallel to Ray Carney's dad's. We see the way various influences on Harlem, from its jazz scene, its real estate, fashion, and to its crime, shape that part of New York City, as well as Viper's, whose life in Harlem is transformed from one of hope (at his arrival) to a trajectory of crime, wealth, violence and disillusionment.
The novel is fast-paced, full of atmosphere, and great dialogue. I was a little less happy with the twist that is revealed most of the way through the book, but I could appreciate it was an attempt to show how Viper needed to confront his much younger self's past. That said, I liked this book, and particularly liked that open ending, where one is left to wonder what choice will Viper make next in his life.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.
Clyde Morton arrives in New York City from Alabama with the dream of making it as the next Louis Armstrong. That dream goes down in flames almost immediately, and Clyde's life takes a left turn into something more nefarious when he's convinced to work for a small time drug dealer.
The dealer's boss, Mister O, a wealthy Jewish man with multiple business interests, quickly takes notice of Clyde, and makes him his henchman. Along the way, Clyde secures his name, "Viper", for his increasingly dangerous reputation, and for his first kill: a rival businessman bringing heroine into Harlem. Mister O, and consequently Viper, are strongly opposed to dealing or using heroine, despite its growing popularity amongst the various genius jazz musicians making names for themselves in Harlem.
Viper also falls for Mister O's maid Yolanda, a woman eager to make her name as a singer. Their lives become inextricably tied together and keep intersecting over the years as Viper becomes obsessed with Yolanda, to his detriment.
Author Jake Lamar charts the changing times in Harlem from the 1930s to the 1960s, and while different from Colson Whitehead's "Harlem Shuffle", I can almost imagine Viper's life happening in parallel to Ray Carney's dad's. We see the way various influences on Harlem, from its jazz scene, its real estate, fashion, and to its crime, shape that part of New York City, as well as Viper's, whose life in Harlem is transformed from one of hope (at his arrival) to a trajectory of crime, wealth, violence and disillusionment.
The novel is fast-paced, full of atmosphere, and great dialogue. I was a little less happy with the twist that is revealed most of the way through the book, but I could appreciate it was an attempt to show how Viper needed to confront his much younger self's past. That said, I liked this book, and particularly liked that open ending, where one is left to wonder what choice will Viper make next in his life.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An enjoyable fast-paced read, there were moments where it felt like you were watching a noir film and I loved the nods to jazz legends of the time. A book to easily zip through which is both a good and bad thing.
Where it lost me was I felt that so many of the characters were a bit two-dimensional. Viper as a protagonist leads the story but there were moments where I struggled to feel invested in him as a character. The female characters at times felt a bit flat, even Yolanda who is probably the one character you root for felt at times not entirely real, though I get that you really only see her through Viper’s point of view.
The twist at the end wasn’t entirely convincing.
Where it lost me was I felt that so many of the characters were a bit two-dimensional. Viper as a protagonist leads the story but there were moments where I struggled to feel invested in him as a character. The female characters at times felt a bit flat, even Yolanda who is probably the one character you root for felt at times not entirely real, though I get that you really only see her through Viper’s point of view.
The twist at the end wasn’t entirely convincing.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
the major strength of this book is the setting and how it takes you through the NY jazz scene over the course of a few decades. Very cool atmosphere
I wish the characters had more depth, maybe a longer book would have given them more time to develop
I wish the characters had more depth, maybe a longer book would have given them more time to develop
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
This historical novel was well written and painted an interesting picture of mid 20th-century Harlem. I enjoyed hearing about the famous musicians of the time. The narrator of the audiobook did a great job. The content was a bit too "gritty" for me at times, though
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I won't say anything mean, just recommend reading The Big Nowhere for a jazzy noir instead
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Audiobook: 5✨(Narrated by: Leon Nixon)