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Another Landlord's
Tale:
Down and Dirty
Dafina trade paperback
Kensington
ISBN 0-7582-0895-2
U.S. $15.00
Can. $21.00 |
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In this powerful novel,
Gammy L. Singer continues the tale of Amos Brown, reformed numbers
runner turned landlord in legendary Harlem, New York. It’s
a bittersweet world where money may be tight, but there’s
no shortage of excitement—or mystery…
Landlord Amos Brown hasn’t been nicknamed the Harlem Don for
nothing. Ever since he inherited two brownstones from his estranged
father, he’s taken on the weight of his neighbors’ problems,
a wrenching habit that makes for sleepless—not to mention
solitary—nights. From a dying tenant to a drug addicted single
mom to an abandoned child, Amos’s gut twists as he sees first
hand the ravages of desperation, disease, and poverty in his slice
of Harlem. No wonder his last girlfriend broke up with him.
Still, now he can make a difference, instead of being part of the
problem. In fact, Amos is finally feeling settled into life as a
landlord and finished with a life of crime, when his old friend
and mentor, Deacon Steadwell, is accused of murder. Amos is compelled
to help the eighty-three-old, who is in jail and ailing. He doesn’t
have the money to put up bail—but Amos does have his brownstones.
Just his luck, no sooner has he secured Deacon’s release than
the old man suddenly recovers and disappears—leaving Amos
and his property in some serious jeopardy. Amos has no choice but
to search for Deacon. It’s a journey that nearly gets Amos
killed, though he doesn’t know why or by whom. To find the
answers, he will have to return to the streets and the life he’d
left behind, among prostitutes and players, pimps and dealers. And
when someone else is murdered, Amos discovers that he is only one
part of a much bigger picture—and only one target of a surprising
foe that threatens the Harlem he loves. Will he be able to protect
it? |