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Crook Manifesto

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Crook Manifesto

By: Colson Whitehead
Narrated by: Dion Graham
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About this listen

 'Glorious' New York Times Book Review

'The compelling energy of a crime thriller and the sharp wit of social satire' Guardian

'Whitehead's crime series is one of the most enjoyable streaks in recent fiction' Telegraph

'This novel has it all' Mail on Sunday

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER: a powerful and hugely-entertaining novel that summons 1970s New York in all its seedy glory.

1971, New York City. Trash piles up on the streets, crime is at an all-time high, the city is going bankrupt, and a shooting war has broken out between the NYPD and the Black Liberation Army. Furniture store owner and ex-fence Ray Carney is trying to keep his head down, his business up and his life straight. But then he needs Jackson 5 tickets for his daughter May and he decides to hit up an old police contact, who wants favours in return. For Ray, staying out of the game gets a lot more complicated - and deadly.

1973. The old ways are being overthrown by the thriving counterculture, but Pepper, Carney's enduringly violent partner in crime, is a constant. In these difficult times, Pepper takes on a side gig doing security on a Blaxploitation shoot in Harlem, finding himself in a world of Hollywood stars and celebrity drug dealers, in addition to the usual cast of hustlers, mobsters and hit men. These adversaries underestimate the seasoned crook - to their regret.

1976. Harlem is burning, while the country gears up for the Bicentennial. Carney is trying to come up with a celebratory July 4th advertisement he can actually live with, while his wife Elizabeth is campaigning for her childhood friend, rising politician Alexander Oakes. When a fire seriously injures one of Carney's tenants, he enlists Pepper to look into who may be behind it, navigating a crumbling metropolis run by the shady, the violent and the utterly corrupt.

'Fast, fun, ribald... with a touch of Quentin Tarantino' Sunday Times

'A delight' Financial Times

'Hugely enticing' Independent©2023 Colson Whitehead (P)2023 Hachette Audio UK Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Fiction Emotionally Gripping

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All stars
Most relevant  
A fine sequel to Harlem Shuffle with the city once again one of the main characters.

Entertaining and moving

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Great to see more of the characters from Gsrkrm Shuffle -including NYC in the mid 1970’s

Enjoyable sequel

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I'm a fan of both books, if you like it real, you'll like the Ray Carney story...

Great writing, Excellent narration

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Coulson Whitehead has produced another great novel. Gripping from beginning to end. Can't wait to see what he writes next

another amazing novel

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This is an absolute gem. Harlem Shuffle was excellent, but this second novel is maybe even better. A true love letter to Harlem of 1970’s, full of beautifully three-dimensional characters, rendered with edge, wit and charm. Don’t miss it as an audiobook - Dion Graham’s narration adds real flavour to the mix. Deeply hoping there’s more Carney to come.

Superior crime novel

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Maybe this book works better in print, but this rendition is so badly done, I will work my way through a pile of junk mail selling double-glazing before I try. In terms of character, this doesn’t seem to be the Ray Carney of the previous book, and this time, the voice actor seems to be under direction to get the text read as quickly as possible while throwing in (to my ear) random modulations in tone that don’t really match up to the emotion of the passage being read - perhaps in an effort to distract the listener from realising that the story has all the grip of Teflon.

As a huge fan of “Harlem Shuffle” (on audiobook), I can’t believe how astoundingly boring and badly-read this is

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