The Last Days Murder List

Alice Holman

4/5/2000

This review is by Molly.

This novel published by Highbridge Press is a pleasant departure from the wave of African American novels which focus solely on the "relationship" issue. Ms. Holman has crafted a murder mystery caper, set in the small African American community of Denver Colorado, where everyone thinks they know everyone else's business. But there's a secret hidden in their midst.

When BillieMae Waller, a down and out waitress at Mama LaVerne's Supper Club, accidently knocks her friend, Ameila, off a chair while they enjoy a glass of wine one afternoon, a panic-stricken Billiemae runs from her friend's apartment, believing that she has killed Ameila. However, someone else actually murders Ameila after BillieMae has left the apartment.

Fearful that she will be arrested based on circumstantial evidence, BillieMae enlists the aid of her friend and former lover, Pharaoh Blue, to assist her as amateur detective. What they discover about Ameila and the unsavory activities of some of the citizens of Denver is astonishing to both BillieMae and Pharaoh, who think they know their neighbors and friends so well.

This page turner mystery is filled with colorful characters and intrigue. I really enjoyed the ease in which Ms. Holman is able to take the reader into the heart of the black community, graphically describing the sounds and smells of supper club, describing characters that I think I've seen in places other than Denver. She left me hoping that Billiemae and Pharaoh will work together again in a sequel.

I read a review copy. The book will be available in May 2000. The Last Days Murder List can be found on the web at Highbridge Press.