Sins of survivors A Carter brothers novel

The Carter brothers are the powerhouse behind Detroit's Black Bottoms neighborhood, a bustling Great Migration haven run on Jasper's cunning strategy and Ben's diplomacy. In 1937, Black Bottoms is caught up in a swirl of change: rumors of a strike among Ford's Black workers, the shake-up of the Purple Gang's booze-running operations, and the glimmer of Black political influence. Ben's son, Charles, runs their crown jewel, Geraldine's nightclub, where Billie Holiday performs and booths host deal-brokers. But unbeknownst to Ben, Charles has been making deals with the loose cannon son of a Purple Gang boss, and they're in over their heads when the Feds start investigating the disappearances of a politician who challenged the Carters' pick and an undercover agent who was planted in their booze-running operation. Ben scrambles to hold everything together, but the only way out will blow holes in the Carter family and their empire. Veteran screenwriter McClean settles readers into Black Bottoms' rhythms before driving the plot, creating a small world of fully realized characters before casting intrigue at breakneck speed. This debut tightens its hold by yanking heartstrings, sparking outrage, and twisting expectations; it's a must-read for fans of Walter Mosley, George Pelecanos, and Attica Locke.

Actor Underwood and filmmaker McClean debut with a satisfying and gritty crime saga set in 1930s Detroit. Black brothers Jasper and Ben Carter first moved to Motor City in 1908 after Ben angered their white neighbors by using a "whites only" water fountain in Alabama. Now in their 40s, the Carters have become power players in Black Bottom, "an all-Black community capable of running every aspect of its own society." During Prohibition, the brothers made a living as bootleggers, giving them direct access to Detroit's most influential power brokers. They face a crisis when Ben's son, Charles, is charged with murdering white politician Joseph Frolovski. Sure of Charles's innocence, but unsure Detroit police will extend him any grace, Jasper and Ben tap into their network of political hotshots to try and clear Charles's name. Underwood and McClean seamlessly weave rattling depictions of Northern racism and well-rounded portraits of Black Bottom's citizens into a down and dirty noir story. It's a promising first effort. (May)