If I Should Die

Mali Anderson #1

by Grace F. Edwards

On her way to pick up her orphaned nephew Alvin at the world-renowned Uptown Children's Chorus, ex-cop Mali Anderson hears the screams of a terrified child. As she and her Great Dane Ruffin race to the rescue, a car speeds away, leaving a young boy dazed on the sidewalk and a man lying in the street with a bullet in his forehead. The victim is her friend, Erskin Harding, tour director of the Chorus and a man without an enemy in the world. Could he have been the target, or was he an innocent bystander gunned down as he tried to prevent the kidnapping of young Morris Johnson? Starring a stunning and savvy ex-cop who's tough and compassionate, this new series takes the readers into the heart of Harlem, from the stylish townhouses of Strivers Row to the clubs where jazz immortals jam the night away to the vicious crack houses of New York. It's the debut of a heroine who's sure to take her place in the bestselling company of V.I. Warshawski and Kinsey Millhone."

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Thriller, African American, Historical Fiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Monica **can't read fast enough** · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I Should Die is a good first book to the series. Edward does a really good job with atmosphere and details. I could clearly picture the neighborhood and characters described. The story is a little gritty which I thought was a good twist since the protagonist is an African American woman and not a man. Mali Anderson is a complicated character that has relatable anxieties and concerns when it comes to moving on with her life after experiencing some real discrimination and unfairness as a police officer. I believe that there are four books in this series and I'm looking forward to moving on to the next book.

If you enjoy authors like Judith Smith-Levin and Rachel Howzell Hall, I recommend picking this one up!

Where you can find me:
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[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grace F. Edwards died last week, and when I was reading her obituary in the New York Times, it mentioned that she had begun writing a mystery series when she got older that was groundbreaking in the way that it captured the lives of everyday people living in Harlem and their relationships not just with society at large, but with the police. So I decided to give this book a try.

The book takes place in the late 1990s, in Harlem, when the crack epidemic is in full force. Mali Anderson is a former cop who is pursuing a Ph.D. in social work, and has spent her entire life in Harlem. Her father is a well-known jazz musician and she lives with him and her nephew Alvin, who was orphaned when Mali's sister and her husband died in a climbing accident in Europe.

Mali left the police force when she filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against a fellow officer. One day when she is walking to pick up Alvin from choir practice, she happens upon what seems to be an attempted child abduction. She manages to scare away the kidnapper, but realizes that the choir director is lying in the street dead, after he was shot while also trying to foil the kidnapping. Her instincts from years of being a police officer kick in, and she starts to try and find out what is going on. Some of her old department contacts are assigned to investigate, but they don't seem to be following procedure as she knows it. When a former colleague reaches out, and they become romantically involved, she is able to learn a bit more.

But as other murders happen, and an attempt on the life of Mali's dear friend happens, it seems there is a whole lot more going on than originally seemed to be the case. Things start to get really dangerous, really quick.

The murder mystery is interesting, but the best part of this book is the historical information about Harlem and its people, as well as its depiction of families and family life. If you didn't know they were black, you would be appalled at some of the things that they have to endure. But since you know that they are, it just reinforces the fact that though they lives lives similar to everyone else, there is an undercurrent of fear, prejudice, and the feeling that society sees them as the "other."

I liked this book and plan to continue with the series.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadly I stumbled upon this series because its author, Grace F. Edwards, died and there was a write up about her in the NYT. This book is the first of four books in the Mali Anderson mystery series. This was published in 1997 and has some of the same fun out dated pre-internet crime solving devices as Sue Grafton books: pay phones, using librarians to do background on suspects, cassette tapes, and notebooks. This book is set in Harlem, and Edwards, born and raised in Harlem, uses her upbringing to establish the neighborhood as a character in and of itself: restaurants, schools, street names, and jazz clubs. Her protagonist, Mali, is an ex-cop (who was fired for punching a racist colleague)) and is now working to earn a PhD in social work. The mystery to be solved follows the formula of the genre, but does so through solid character development and good sleight of hand with the plot. Looking forward to book two.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the descriptions of Harlem and some of the characters were interesting. The mystery itself, though, was kind of mediocre. This is the first book in a series, so maybe the writing improves.

[Denise Billings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grace F. Edwards, who died in April, was Valerie Wilson Wesley's mentor. Because of that I knew I would love this book. I was caught up after reading the first short chapter. She is Walter Mosley good, or should I say, he is Grace Edwards good.

It's a murder mystery that Mali Anderson is pressed into solving. She is a strikingly beautiful Black woman who lives in Harlem. Her dad is a jazz musician. Harlem and jazz are two of the story's main characters. I can already see Rick Fox playing the role of her boyfriend, Tad Honeywell. Don't hold his name against him.

I truly enjoyed the many cultural references used in the story. Young girls jumping double dutch to "Mary Mack", and spending hours in the beauty salon and not just to get your hair done.

I plan to read everything she's written, I'm OCD like that. I can't wait to read more. It's a page turner for sure. I so want to tell you how it ends, but I won't.

[Harper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Looking at other reviews, I see a trend I'd agree with: higher star reviews liked the setting and characters, which I did too. But I really didn't care for this mystery. I thought the big reveal was way too obvious, and I struggled to keep track of the other suspects and minor characters.

[Martha Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Mali Anderson and will look for more books about her.

[Jaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the characters and the setting of Harlem in the 90s. The descriptions of everyday life was both beautiful and sad. The remembrances of Jazz-era Harlem were interesting as well. I loved meeting the entire cast of characters (even the unlikeable ones) and look forward to continuing the series. Most of the low-ratings I read, were due to the simplicity of the mystery element. Since I was reading for the characters and the setting, I was fine with the mystery just being realistic.

[Kw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edwards' caring and nuanced depiction of Harlem is the best part of If I Should Die. The (justifiably) emotional Mali is not a very proactive or insightful sleuth, which made the plot drag; and love interest Tad had some disconcertingly violent tendencies.

[Cicely · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok. She spent a lot of time describing Harlem. Overall it kept my interest.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll keep reading the series, but I’m hopeful it improves overall.

[Sarvenaz Pahlavi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Grace

You go, girl! What a wonderful way to learn about Harlem, it’s residents and it’s history. And what a gritty heroine.

[Audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was such a disappointment. The mystery wasn't good, the killer was too obvious (with the other books where I had discovered the culprit before the main character, I was still surprised in some kind of way). There were too many descriptions of the neighborhood and I couldn't care less about Mali and Tad's relationship.

I might read the second book only because Clarence might be more present.

[Kathy Piselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to read something by Edwards, who died earlier this year after supporting African-American writers as director of the Harlem Writers Guild for many years. Her love of Harlem fills this story, set in the late 1990s, with its jazz clubs, street life, and ordinary people. One time ex-cop protagonist Mali is walking home at 5 am after spending the evening at her father's jazz club: "a small pink rim was enlarging in the downtown sky and transforming anonymous silhouettes into real buildings with windows and drawn shades and people sleeping behind the shades". Not much fazes Mali who makes this walk barefoot because her shoes are too tight, even "with dog gifts and other debris to contend with", and deals with a death threat on the phone by turning the volume down until it "took on the insubstantial quality of a small, squeaking rodent".

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good mystery and enjoyable for me as an ex-New Yorker - Harlem setting made it informative as well and my interest in jazz aligned with the main character's father's being a jazz bassist - hard-edged topic (8-9 year old girls "servicing" men in a 90's version of the shooting galleries of the 70's - grim.

There are 3 more books in this series - this one was hard to come by, so hoping interlibrary loan will yield the others!

[Linda Hodges · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lot's of suspense and even a little romance. Mali Anderson makes a great character - strong, righteous, and caring, yet a bit uncertain and vulnerable. It gives those of us who have never been to New York and/or Harlem a look at this area and it's residents that is very different from that which is usually seen on television. Makes one want to go spend some time there.

[Sarah Tilatitsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells "like it is." It's true. There is no "racial" stuff, becuase deep down, it's true. Read it, but don't let it stop you from going into Harlem. ☺ You will love the suspense and mystery.

[Missy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book #48 read in 2006

I found this a little hard to get into at first, but eventually it picked up. It was an okay book. I'll probably try another in the series before I give up.

[Crystal Belle · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the WORST mysteries I have ever embarked on. Overly simplistic and a plot lacking suspense! What a waste :-(

[Susan Grimes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I returned it to the library quickly. I did not enjoy this book.

[Sonya Sherow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just one of my favorites from an African American Female "who done it" authors. Keep Reading B-)

[Toni Kania]

Black ex-cop living in Harlem with a chip on her shoulders -- interesting concept but boring, boring, boring...

[Toesnorth's mom]

good