Reviewed by Mary V. Welk
New York, 1936. Caught in the strangled-hold of the Great
Depression, the city plays host to a surprising event in Harlem: a WPA-sponsored all-black
production of the immortal play, Macbeth. Inside the borough's Lafayette Theater, a
young Orson Welles works feverishly to whip a motley group of out-of-work housemaids,
laundry workers, seamstresses, and porters into a company of accomplished actors. Outside
the auditorium, protesters picket on a daily basis after local Communist party leaders
decry the play as nothing more than "minstrel Shakespeare." Tensions escalate
when the picketing leads to a confrontation between protesters and members of the cast. As
if a fist fight isn't enough, several letters arrive at the theater threatening Welles'
life. Determined to go on with the play, Orson hires a bodyguard.
Enter Sassafras Winters, a retired Chicago Cubs pitcher and novice
private investigator. Recommended by his old friend, aspiring actor Canada Lee, Winters
travels to New York to oversee Welles' safety. He is joined there by a mysterious
character named Chinaman, a man devoted to serving Winters' every whim as a personal
valet. Within days of their arrival a white man disappears outside the apartment of black
actress Rose Ramsey. Although Norton Denbrough's body is never found, cast member Ben
Kanter is charged with the man's murder. Welles persuades Sassafras to investigate the
case, but saving Kanter is no easy chore. The fledgling detective must battle not only the
prejudice of the New York Police Department, but also the scheming of one Andre De
Shields, a P.I. hired by Denbrough's mother.
There are complications galore in this first novel by Steven Philip
Jones. People are generally not what they seem to be, and even when they are, they're not
always telling the truth. The inclusion of an actual event -- the production of Voodoo
Macbeth (as it was called by the press) with Orson Welles as director -- provides a
rich background for Jones' plot and characters. For the most part, the dialogue is snappy,
moving the story along in straightforward fashion. The action scenes are believable given
the time period, especially those dealing with the role of the police in the
investigation.
KING OF HARLEM is an entertaining read, both as a mystery and as a
historical novel. Jones' research into the Harlem Theater Unit and the role of the WPA
during the Depression is clearly evident in his accurate descriptions of Welles'
production. I have only two problems with this book. One involves the lack of editing. The
constant repetition of certain words and the abundance of typos distracted this reader,
and may annoy others even more than it did me. My second objection deals with the fleshing
out of characters. While Jones succeeds quite well in bringing to life his main
protagonist, he throws out only tidbits of information concerning Chinaman, Winter's
supposed partner in detection. The self-appointed valet remains a mystery throughout the
book, more the ghost of a character than a real person. Similarly, a reason is never given
for Canada Lee's unusual habit of speaking in the royal plural. Despite these
shortcomings, there's much to be enjoyed in this book, especially if one relishes a dash
of history in their mystery.
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