Rating: 
Summary: A WORK FIT FOR THE LARGE OR SMALL SCREEN
Review: I MUST ADMIT, I ENJOYED THIS BOOK. IT HAD ME GUESSING ALL THE WAY TO THE END. THE DESCRIPTION WAS JUST A LITTLE, TEENY, TINY, BIT WORDY, BUT IT WAS VERY NECESSARY TO THE STORY TO PICTURE NEW YORK AND HARLEM DURING THAT TIME OF THE CENTURY. IT SHOWS DETERRENCE AND HARDSHIPS THAT DIVIDED A PEOPLE BASED ON SOMETHING SIMPLE AS THE SHADE OF SKIN COLOR. DETAIL WAS IMPECCCABLE, AND THE STORYLINE WONDERFUL. I CAN EASILY SEE THIS STORY AS A FULL-FEATURE MOVIE, OR AN HBO OR SHOWTIME ORIGINAL. MISS WALKER, MY HAT OFF TO YOU, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO MORE, AND EVEN MORE IN THE FUTURE. DEFINITELY AN EYE-OPENER IN MORE WAYS THAN JUST A WHODUNIT.
Rating: 
Summary: A page turner
Review: I really had a hard time putting this novel down after I started it. If you want a real page turner this is it! In addition to the tangled murder plot I enjoyed the interwoven history of harlem and the persecution that african americans faced in this country. This is not a one dimensional murder mystery!
Rating:
Summary: Pleasantly Surprised
Review: If you are looking for a great murder mystery this is definitely it. This book keeps you guessing until the end. Walker does an excellent job of capturing the era of the Harlem Renaissance and the issues that African-Americans faced during this time. This book was definitely a page-turner, I am looking forward to more intriguing novels such as this one from Walker.
Rating:
Summary: A Very Elegantly told Mystery
Review: It is very rare that I read novels whose setting occurs before I was born in 1970; however, Harlem Redux was so well written that I wasn't conscious of the excellent history lessons I received as I enjoyed the novel. Persia Walker places our minds and imaginations into a Time Machine, where she uses her words, imagery, and mystery to transport us back into time. We land in Harlem circa the 1920s, where the black social elite inhabit Strivers Row. Safe, secluded, and tucked away from the mars of the black lower class.An engaging and intoxicating mystery. David disappeared from his family's prominent home on Strivers Row. His sister, Lilian's, untimely and suspicious death prompted his return. David's suspicions about his sister's death has him remaining in Harlem longer than he anticipated. Not good. You see, David has a secret of his own that he doesn't want revealed. Harlem Redux addresses disputes among African Americans and between African Americans and Caucasians. We get a history lesson and an eclectic view of Harlem in the 1920s. Inner-racial prejudice and racial division are skirted, but the big issue is WHO DID IT? You'll enjoy the ride as David pounds the pavement and browbeats everyone available. He is determined to get the truth about his sister's death. Persia did an excellent job of having the novel set in history, but still making the story interesting. Her vibrant descriptions provide luscious scenery of historical Strivers Row. The characters were a splendid array of black aristocracy, peasants, elitist, and elite wanna bees. I love the way the story unfolds...you think you've figured everything out, only to be presented with more mystery on something else, utterly dispelling your previous hypothesis. Reviewed by KaTrina Love
Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ!
Review: Lately I have had the pleasure of reading so many good mysteries that I have been in reader's heaven and I certainly count Harlem Redux among the best of them. David McKay, the prodigal son, returns home after a 4 year self imposed exile. His sister Lillian is dead and the authorities are convinced it is suicide. David knows better and suspects foul play. So much has happened in his absence, his other sister, Lillian's twin, Gem, has disappeared; Lillian was living a life she never disclosed to him in their clandestine correspondences , and old friends have potentially devastating secrets. Harlem Redux has so may twists, turns and elaborate subplots it reminds you of an old Alfred Hitchcock thriller. It is like a house of cards; each secret you unravel brings you one step closer to solving the mystery and bringing down the house. I also thoroughly enjoyed the historical look at Harlem in the early twenties and thirties. When reading time pieces or historical accounts of the early 1900's I am always amazed at how little people and their attitudes change. Technology gets bigger and maybe better, our lives become complicated and more stressful but when you get right down to it, people really do not change a whole lot, and Harlem Redux reminds us of this. The very same ideas and beliefs that shape so many of the characters in this novel and cause their unraveling are very prevalent today and are just as destructive. Our ideas about love, acceptance and tolerance govern us and in many ways direct the path our lives take. I strongly recommend this one even if you are not a big fan of Mysteries. Reviewed by Ruby
APOOO Book Club
Rating:
Summary: ...a must read...
Review: Persia Walker's Harlem Redux is an intriguing mystery novel, well crafted and detailed, skillfully creating fiction with a great collection of historical memories and places derived from the Harlem Renaissance. How deep is Persia Walker? Let's just say you will fall on this trip of reality where there are "no honor amongst thieves." In this captivating novel, Persia Walker is totally unpredictable leaving all the facts and clues to you. Just when you thought you've figured it all out, more twists and turns force you to other conclusions. Poetically, Persia Walker has thoroughly developed and defined magnificence in her artistic writing of Harlem Redux and will take you back into time and reveal issues as they were. Persia Walker is a phenomenal writer and Harlem Redux is a must read. -JWJ
Rating:
Summary: Harlem Redux
Review: The best thing I've read in a very long time. This book at it's very first page was well written, enticing and I couldn't put it down.
The histroical aspects were fantastic. The highs and lows kept
me totally in awe. Excellent discriptives.
(I was raised in Harlem (131st St and 8th Ave) so the familiarity was sooo wonderful.)
The characters, the good guys and the bad guys (once I began to discern who they were) were all incredible.
I keep thinking (I hope you don't mind) that I would love to see these beautiful places and beautiful black faces
in a movie by the same name.
Rating:
Summary: Secrets, whispers, and lies
Review: The McKay family is at the epicenter of a drama-filled plot of murder, intrigue, and animosity in Persia Walker's novel, Harlem Redux. David McKay becomes the sole heir to the McKay estate in Harlem's upper echelon Striver's Row neighborhood upon the untimely suicide death of one of his twin sisters, Lilian. This is uncharacteristic of Lilian as her devotedly Christian and demure personality doesn't "jive" with this type of action. True to her greedy, selfish nature, the other twin, Gem, wastes no time exiting New York for the safety of Europe immediately after Lilian's death. Or so it seems to the untrained eye. David's return to Striver's Row from Philadelphia to attend Lilian's funeral is only the last straw in his façade of being the ideal upstanding black male of the Renaissance era. Two chapters into the novel, the reader is made aware of the fact that even he isn't what he appears to be. As I read further and began to get lost deeper and deeper in the dynamic characters of this work of fiction, I found myself propelled to figure out what caused the sudden change in Lilian's attitude during the last few months of her life and why did her husband treat her so unkindly in private? One common element that seemed to run like a current through all of the characters was the flaw of secrecy. From Lilian's mysteriously dark and charismatic husband, Jameson Sweet, to the maid, Annie, and even on down to the people of "less consequence," like Rachel, who lived in squalor less than a block away from the McKay's massive house, keeping secrets from one another throughout the course of many years has taken its toll on the close circle of family and friends. Will David be able to get to root of all of these lies by omission in order to give his conscience a rest? A tale of what he is sure is murder leads David on a trail to the truth. If you're a reader looking for a true novel, with excellent character development, complete with a Renaissance mystery twist, this book will be a perfect addition to your personal library. Kudos to Walker for creating a story that vibrates with the jazz, issues of intra-racism, and black artistic development in all arenas during this explosive time period in American history. Anna R.E.A.L. Reviewers
Rating:
Summary: Great read!
Review: This book has it all--history lessons and atmosphere about a fascinating period; compelling characters with all kinds of complexes; suspense, lies, double-crosses, murder...what else could a reader possibly want? I got totally caught up in it, and was dying to find out the secrets and see the resolution. I'm just waiting for her next offering. Sister Walker is GOOD!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book is a wonderful debut for Persia Walker. After reading an excerpt,I had to grab it immediately. This is a historical murder mystery set in the 1920's Harlem. David McKay comes back to Harlem to find his sister dead. But was it suicide or not? Read the book to find out! Ms. Walker does a wonderful job of storytelling that reminds me of Bernice Mcfadden(Sugar, This Bitter Earth,Warmest December). You can tell she really did her homework and research by the 1920's Harlem backdrop and David's civil rights activites. Please run, don't walk, to your local bookstore and get this novel.
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