Black Voices in Mystery, Crime, & Noir

This February, HCPL is highlighting Black Voices. And with next month’s All Henrico Reads event on the horizon—an evening with author Walter Mosley and his latest novel, Gray Dawn—we thought what better time is there to feature Black mystery writers from our collection. So, if you’re searching for your next detective Easy Rawlins, here’s a selection of mystery, crime, and noir titles to add to your TBR (to-be-read) list.

• August Snow by Stephen Mack Jones – August Snow is a former Detroit police detective who made some enemies on the force. He thinks his days of crime solving are behind him when a wealthy acquaintance turns up dead, and Snow gets pulled into an investigation in Detroit’s criminal underworld.

• Black Noir: Mystery, Crime, and Suspense Stories by African-American Writers edited by Otto Penzler – A collection of short fiction by Black authors, including Walter Mosley.

• Blanche on the Lam by Barbara Neely – Blanche White, a Black housekeeper in North Carolina, becomes the prime suspect in a murder in this witty cozy mystery.

• Bluebird, Bluebird: A Novel by Attica Locke (also available on Hoopla) – When Darren Matthews, a Black Texas Ranger, investigates two murders in a tiny Texas town, old hatreds and deep-rooted prejudices threaten to bring the community crashing down.

• Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead – Harlem furniture store owner Ray Carney is mostly on the up and up, but when money gets tight, he’s not above dealing in items of dubious origin. Heists go awry, Carney’s marriage is tested, and the reader gets a rollicking tour of Harlem in the 1960s.

• Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett (also available on Hoopla) – Dayna Anderson is a not-so-famous actress, and all she wants is to raise enough money to help her parents keep their home. When she witnesses a fatal hit-and-run, she tries to collect on a big reward. Things take a turn when someone tries to kill her.

• Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby – A gay couple is murdered and their grieving fathers, both ex-cons with criminal contacts, seek the truth… and vengeance.

• The Red Queen Dies by Frankie Y. Bailey (also available on Hoopla) – Detective Hannah McCabe races to catch a serial murderer in this twisted mystery full of literary clues.

• Three-Fifths by John Vercher – Bobby Saraceno, the son of a Black father and a white mother, has always passed for white, keeping his heritage a secret. But when he gets caught up in a hate-crime investigation, his world threatens to come crashing down.

• While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams – Supreme Court clerk Avery Keene gets caught up in matters far above her paygrade in the twisty political thriller from author and community leader Stacey Abrams.

And if you enjoy these, be sure to also check out:

• As the Wicked Watchby Tamron Hall
• Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby
• History Lessonsby Zoe B. Wallbrook
• Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimesby Sandra Jackson-Opoku
• The Violin Conspiracyby Brendan Slocum