Crook Manifesto

Two-time Pulitzer Prize winning Colson Whitehead continues his Harlem saga in a powerful and hugely-entertaining novel that summons 1970s New York in all its seedy glory. ItΓÇÖs 1971. Trash piles up on the streets,crime is at an all-time highthe city is careening towards bankruptcyand a shooting war has broken out between the NYPD and the Black Liberation Army. Amidst this collective nervous breakdown furniture store owner and ex-fence Ray Carney tries to keep his head down and his business thriving. His days moving stolen goods around the city are over. ItΓÇÖs strictly the straight-and-narrow for him ΓÇö until he needs Jackson 5 tickets for his daughter May and he decides to hit up his old police contact Munsonfixer extraordinaire. But Munson has his own favors to ask of Carney and staying out of the game gets a lot more complicated ΓÇô and deadly. 1973. The counter-culture has created a new generationthe old ways are being overthrownbut there is one constantPepperCarneyΓÇÖs endearingly violent partner in crime. ItΓÇÖs getting harder to put together a reliable crew for hijackingsheistsand assorted feloniesso Pepper takes on a side gig doing security on a Blaxploitation shoot in Harlem. He finds himself in a freaky world of Hollywood starsup-and-coming comediansand celebrity drug dealersin addition to the usual cast of hustlersmobstersand hit men. These adversaries underestimate the seasoned crook ΓÇô to their regret. 1976. Harlem is burningblock by blockwhile the whole county is gearing up for Bicentennial celebrations. Carney is trying to come up with a July 4th ad he can live with. (\