The Big Mango

Rating:
Summary: Why in the world did Akashic publish this junk?
Review: Akashic once seemed a promising publishing company, with the mission of publishing adventurous stuff that mainstream publishers might be afraid to touch. But lately it definitely seems to have lost its edge. This is the absolute bottom of the barrel. Why anyone, independent or mainstream, would want to publish Norman Kelley's junk is beyond me. And apparently Akashic is publishing something else by this guy, and HarperCollins too. Have standards sunk so low? This book is barely literate.

Rating:
Summary: did not put it down
Review: I did not put this book down when I started reading it. I was glad that Nina realized that she had to let the past go and move on with her life. I was especially glad that Anna survived that ordeal. I really like Anna and Nina. I like how honest they are with each other and other people. I really like Ninas' moxy. I hope to see more Nina Halligan novels in the future.

Rating:
Summary: did not put it down
Review: I did not put this book down when I started reading it. I was glad that Nina realized that she had to let the past go and move on with her life. I was especially glad that Anna survived that ordeal. I really like Anna and Nina. I like how honest they are with each other and other people. I really like Ninas' moxy. I hope to see more Nina Halligan novels in the future.

Rating:
Summary: Maybe not a mango, but it certainly is juicy!!
Review: If you're looking for a strong, independent and savvy black female detective, Nina Halligan is The One! Norman Kelley has something to say about politics in the good ole US of A and his protagonist, Nina Halligan, is the right vessel through which to make his points. The novel is well written and the characters are believable. Kelley's ability to blend present day government corruption and fantasy raises the phrase "life is truer than fiction" to an art form. The only reason this didn't get a 5-star rating from me concerns the rather inconsistent ending. A little too heavy on the mystical when it really wasn't necessary. Nevertheless, I look forward to the next installment.

Rating:
Summary: Why in the world did Akashic publish this junk?
Review: This second Nina Halligan thriller finds the African-American private investigator trying to find who killed and slandered a friend's husband, who was a White House aide. As the investigation becomes more personal, Nina follows the trail to the tiny Caribbean island nation of Misericordia, where apparently the man who killed Nina's husband and children is living under an alias. With her lesbian best friend Anna, Nina travels to Misericordia, where the two find themselves in the middle of a civil war. Kelley's writing is highly compelling and draws the reader quickly into the story with sharp and feisty characters. The ending is a bit of a reach though. And his politics are rather heavily slathered over the story, and sometimes his characters seem to lack depth, but overall I feel this is an excellent political mystery thriller with a great, progressive political slant. It's highly feminist, which is always a refreshing discovery.