Go "Uptown" for an Entertaining Read

I'm always a little nervous reading books with black characters.

Ah, but that's crazy, you say?  Why would you ever think that way?

Well because I've been burned one too many times by writers, black and white who perpetuate stereotypes without batting an eye.  Good stereotypes, bad stereotypes and everything in between.

However, I'm happy to say that "Uptown," by Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant, is a novel that doesn't do that in any way.

It's a novel that beautifully captures a time and place while introducing us to characters that remain in your head, long after you turn the last page.

The main character, Avery Lyons, is a woman who's been literally running from her past for years.  That is until a family tragedy forces her to return home to Harlem and face her demons head on.

A sudden inheritance of real estate thrusts Avery into the middle of a big time property development deal and re-ignites family tensions, and memories of betrayal.  Add to that, an attractive newspaper reporter who's covering the real estate deal and Avery has her hands full.

"Uptown" is set in the ever changing world that is Harlem, USA.  It's hip, it's brash, it's got its hustlers and its upper crust.  Its got its working class and its old money, and they all collide in a vibrant collage that goes much deeper than just skin color.

An entertaining read from beginning to end.