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Rating: 
Summary: Perplexed
Review: Charlotte Carter's mystery novel, Jackson Park, is set in 1968 Chi-town, right after Martin Luther King, Jr.'s death. Cassandra, a twenty-something, black co-ed who is trying to come to terms with her own adulthood, femininity and identity, finds herself caught in the mix when a neighborhood girl, Lavelle Jackson dissappears. In an attempt to help her guardians,Uncle Woody and Aunt Ivy find Lavelle Charlotte uncovers some truths about her friends, her uncle and the world at large. I wanted so much for this book to leap off the page, because it was packed with so many themes - civil rights, loss, direction, security - but it never floated to the top for me. The clues were too vague to see and the twists were so few and far between that I became frustrated with the mystery. The striking thing about this book is that Charlotte Carter can write wonderful prose. She uses words in a way that is reminiscent of the Harlem Renaissance: "He had no wife, no children, no lovers, no friends that we knew of. So where did all the mourners come from? I guess black people just gravitate to funerals." Wonderful character description! I wished the entire book could follow with the same spirit and truth as those words above. Therefore, Jackson Park... receives 3 pens because it falls short of what it could become. If Charlotte Carter hadn't shown me that she could weave intrigue into text with such precision then I would've chalked her undeveloped plot up to being a novice writer. But she showed me that she's a master at writing, so it is hard for me to accept that this version of Jackson Park is the best that she could have produced. This book is great for history buffs, mystery mavens, and young adults. Dee Y. Stewart
R.E.A.L. Reviewers
Rating: 
Summary: A Family Mystery...
Review: Charlotte Carter�s mystery, Jackson Park, occurs in the midst of Chicago in the aftermath of the MLK assassination where Black people are still angry and disillusioned, politicians are very nervous, and the city is still smoldering from the riots. Carter�s unlikely �shero� is Cassandra, a college coed; a witty, hippi-ish misfit who is raised by her great-aunt and uncle. Despite the volatile atmosphere, she clings to optimism and hope so when a request to assist a family friend presents itself, she jumps at the opportunity to help. Danger befalls Cassandra and her family as the seemingly harmless appeal to find a missing girl leads to a decades old murder of a white schoolteacher by a black mentally challenged boy. While on this adventure, she discovers the boy was wrongly accused, learns of her uncle�s shady past, and matures on many levels. We follow a trail that leads to a Black vigilante group (The Roots), dirty politicians, police brutality/corruption and are reminded that as much things change, some things remain the same. I enjoyed the way in which Carter intermingled the old with the new throughout the novel. She paired the young, idealistic, energetic Black youth with the older, cautious, realistic generation to teach the lessons of discretion and patience. Through Cassandra�s eyes and ears, we heard the music of Marvin and Aretha; we saw glimpses of war protesters, civil rights activists, and the emerging women�s liberation movement. In as much as this was a walk down memory lane, it was an amusing and suspenseful story that was entertaining and easy to read. Reviewed by Phyllis
APOOO Book Club, The Nubian Circle Book Club
Rating: 
Summary: first installment in what looks to be a great new series
Review: Her mother abandoned Cassandra to her grandmother, who did her duty but had no love to give to the young child. When her grandmother died, her great-uncle Woody and his wife Ivy took her in and treated her like the child they wanted but could never have. The Isle's took Cassandra out of the ghetto that was Forest Street and moved her into their upscale apartment hotel in Cook County Hyde Park. During a family reunion, a man who lives on Forest Street drops by to beg Woody who has a lot of political and criminal connections to help him find his missing granddaughter who was last seen at a local grocery store. When Woody and Ivy go to the store where the granddaughter was last seen, the owner gives them a ring she left behind. That piece of jewelry is tied to a murder case that took place years ago, one in which many people felt the wrong man was convicted. As Woody, Ivy, and Cassandra delve further into the two cases, somebody is out to keep them quiet at any cost. The protagonists are black, the year is 1965 eight days after the assassination of Martin Luther King. Riots have erupted in Chicago and the national guard is called in to restore order. Charlotte Carter gives her readers a fine sense of place and time through a strong descriptive story that seems common for that era. Told from the perspective of a twenty-year-old college student, the audience learns how blacks felt about their position in society back them. JACKSON PARK is the Her mother abandoned Cassandra to her grandmother, who did her duty but had no love to give to the young child. When her grandmother died, her great-uncle Woody and his wife Ivy took her in and treated her like the child they wanted but could never have. The Isle's took Cassandra out of the ghetto that was Forest Street and moved her into their upscale apartment hotel in Cook County Hyde Park. During a family reunion, a man who lives on Forest Street drops by to beg Woody who has a lot of political and criminal connections to help him find his missing granddaughter who was last seen at a local grocery store. When Woody and Ivy go to the store where the granddaughter was last seen, the owner gives them a ring she left behind. That piece of jewelry is tied to a murder case that took place years ago, one in which many people felt the wrong man was convicted. As Woody, Ivy, and Cassandra delve further into the two cases, somebody is out to keep them quiet at any cost. The protagonists are black, the year is 1965 eight days after the assassination of Martin Luther King. Riots have erupted in Chicago and the national guard is called in to restore order. Charlotte Carter gives her readers a fine sense of place and time through a strong descriptive story that seems common for that era. Told from the perspective of a twenty-year-old college student, the audience learns how blacks felt about their position in society back them. JACKSON PARK is the first installment in what looks to be a great new series. Harriet Klausner
. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: first installment in what looks to be a great new series
Review: Her mother abandoned Cassandra to her grandmother, who did her duty but had no love to give to the young child. When her grandmother died, her great-uncle Woody and his wife Ivy took her in and treated her like the child they wanted but could never have. The Isle's took Cassandra out of the ghetto that was Forest Street and moved her into their upscale apartment hotel in Cook County Hyde Park. During a family reunion, a man who lives on Forest Street drops by to beg Woody who has a lot of political and criminal connections to help him find his missing granddaughter who was last seen at a local grocery store. When Woody and Ivy go to the store where the granddaughter was last seen, the owner gives them a ring she left behind. That piece of jewelry is tied to a murder case that took place years ago, one in which many people felt the wrong man was convicted. As Woody, Ivy, and Cassandra delve further into the two cases, somebody is out to keep them quiet at any cost. The protagonists are black, the year is 1965 eight days after the assassination of Martin Luther King. Riots have erupted in Chicago and the national guard is called in to restore order. Charlotte Carter gives her readers a fine sense of place and time through a strong descriptive story that seems common for that era. Told from the perspective of a twenty-year-old college student, the audience learns how blacks felt about their position in society back them. JACKSON PARK is the Her mother abandoned Cassandra to her grandmother, who did her duty but had no love to give to the young child. When her grandmother died, her great-uncle Woody and his wife Ivy took her in and treated her like the child they wanted but could never have. The Isle's took Cassandra out of the ghetto that was Forest Street and moved her into their upscale apartment hotel in Cook County Hyde Park. During a family reunion, a man who lives on Forest Street drops by to beg Woody who has a lot of political and criminal connections to help him find his missing granddaughter who was last seen at a local grocery store. When Woody and Ivy go to the store where the granddaughter was last seen, the owner gives them a ring she left behind. That piece of jewelry is tied to a murder case that took place years ago, one in which many people felt the wrong man was convicted. As Woody, Ivy, and Cassandra delve further into the two cases, somebody is out to keep them quiet at any cost. The protagonists are black, the year is 1965 eight days after the assassination of Martin Luther King. Riots have erupted in Chicago and the national guard is called in to restore order. Charlotte Carter gives her readers a fine sense of place and time through a strong descriptive story that seems common for that era. Told from the perspective of a twenty-year-old college student, the audience learns how blacks felt about their position in society back them. JACKSON PARK is the first installment in what looks to be a great new series. Harriet Klausner
. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: An Exciting, Enthralling Mystery
Review: There's an immediacy, a you-are-there quality to JACKSON PARK that makes it a truly extraordinary reading adventure. Far more than just another 'mean-streets' narrative, this hard-hitting thriller captures the violence and tensions of post-King-assassination Chicago in stunningly realistic detail through dialogue that literally crackles with authenticity. Its plot centers around middle-aged Woodson "Woody" and Ivy Lisle who are currently living comfortably in Hyde Park, one of Chicago's oldest integrated areas, and enjoying the company of their twenty-year-old grandniece (the story's narrator) Cassandra whom they've raised from early childhood and who is presently a student at Debs College in the Loop where she has become peripherally involved with a black militant group. After a somewhat checkered past, Woody has achieved a solid position...almost Godfather status...in the black community while still maintaining his ties with the white political establishment. When Clay Jackson from their old neighborhood comes to him for help after his granddaughter, Lavelle, has apparently been arrested and subsequently vanished, he agrees to make some inquiries. On the surface, there seems to be little more to the matter than a part-time hooker who fell victim to her lifestyle until Ivy and Cassandra follow a lead of their own which uncovers a ring that somehow connects Lavelle to a decade-old murder of a white teacher by a black man. Because the past is now no longer safely buried, the present suddenly explodes in violence. Ivy is shot and Woody and Cassandra are attacked, costing Woody's nephew, Hero, his life. No more Mr. Nice Guy! Hot on the trail, Woody finds himself hamstrung by Chicago's long history of racism, venery and corruption until fate takes a hand in a clever twist of the plot that allows him to right old wrongs, put paid to some old scores and give Cassandra a new vision of her life and future. Do you have to be a Chicagoan to fully appreciate all the nuances of this compelling novel? No! It stands alone beautifully on its own considerable merits as an exciting, enthralling mystery. But speaking from the POV of both having lived in Hyde Park and taught in the inner city during the Sixties, I was completely blown away by Ms. Carter's knowledgeable recreation of the people...the place...and the period. It held me spellbound, brought back so many memories, and made me eager to read more about the lives of the Lisles.
Rating:
Summary: An Exciting, Enthralling Mystery
Review: There's an immediacy, a you-are-there quality to JACKSON PARK that makes it a truly extraordinary reading adventure. Far more than just another 'mean-streets' narrative, this hard-hitting thriller captures the violence and tensions of post-King-assassination Chicago in stunningly realistic detail through dialogue that literally crackles with authenticity. Its plot centers around middle-aged Woodson "Woody" and Ivy Lisle who are currently living comfortably in Hyde Park, one of Chicago's oldest integrated areas, and enjoying the company of their twenty-year-old grandniece (the story's narrator) Cassandra whom they've raised from early childhood and who is presently a student at Debs College in the Loop where she has become peripherally involved with a black militant group. After a somewhat checkered past, Woody has achieved a solid position...almost Godfather status...in the black community while still maintaining his ties with the white political establishment. When Clay Jackson from their old neighborhood comes to him for help after his granddaughter, Lavelle, has apparently been arrested and subsequently vanished, he agrees to make some inquiries. On the surface, there seems to be little more to the matter than a part-time hooker who fell victim to her lifestyle until Ivy and Cassandra follow a lead of their own which uncovers a ring that somehow connects Lavelle to a decade-old murder of a white teacher by a black man. Because the past is now no longer safely buried, the present suddenly explodes in violence. Ivy is shot and Woody and Cassandra are attacked, costing Woody's nephew, Hero, his life. No more Mr. Nice Guy! Hot on the trail, Woody finds himself hamstrung by Chicago's long history of racism, venery and corruption until fate takes a hand in a clever twist of the plot that allows him to right old wrongs, put paid to some old scores and give Cassandra a new vision of her life and future. Do you have to be a Chicagoan to fully appreciate all the nuances of this compelling novel? No! It stands alone beautifully on its own considerable merits as an exciting, enthralling mystery. But speaking from the POV of both having lived in Hyde Park and taught in the inner city during the Sixties, I was completely blown away by Ms. Carter's knowledgeable recreation of the people...the place...and the period. It held me spellbound, brought back so many memories, and made me eager to read more about the lives of the Lisles.
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