Book Review: “Dead Dead Girls” (Harlem Renaissance Mystery #1) by Nekesa Afia
“Dead Dead Girls” (Harlem Renaissance Mystery #1) by Nekesa Afia (2021)
Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction
Page Length: 336 pages (paperback edition)
Synopsis:
Harlem, 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.
Review:
As someone who loves to read novels set in the 1920s my interest was piqued by the Harlem Renaissance setting of Dead Dead Girls. Readers follow the story of the main character Louise, as she gets roped into finding the dark truth behind missing Black girls who end up dead in her neighborhood. Will she be able to find the killer before he strikes again?
While mainly a murder mystery I loved how it has a Black amateur sleuth (Louise) at the helm of the story. The novel has a diverse cast at the helm of the narrative and LGBTQ representation as well. Louise deals with the trauma from her past of being Harlem’s Hero and how her father used her story of survival in order to gain fame. It haunts her every day and it’s one of the main reasons she becomes so fired up about solving this case even if it means putting her life on the line. Louise is a charming, quick-witted, and clever woman making her detective skills even sharper. She uses her resources to find clues and her character is one that readers will want to root for.
While this novel is highly immersive and showcases the glitz and glamor of the Jazz Age it also discusses topics of racism, prejudice, and segregation of that era. Some of the various conversations between Louise and her family, friends, and acquaintances tie into today’s society and the parallel between the 1920s to today is striking! As for the mystery aspect, it was very suspenseful, but I do think a few of the clues were given away too early in the plot.
A promising start to a brand new series! I can’t wait to pick up the next installment!
*TW: Death, Violence, Racism
Final Verdict:
