3.5 Stars

This is book two of A Harlem Renaissance Mystery series.

It’s 1927 in Harlem and Louise Lloyd has to solve the murder of Nora Davies. On the night of her birthday Louise spends in the night at Dove, a jazz night club, chatting with her friends and her girlfriend, Rosa Maria. The next morning Nora is found dead and Rosa Maria is covered in the victim’s blood. Did Rosa Maria kill Nora or did someone frame her?

This was an enjoyable read. I loved that it took place in Harlem in the 1920’s, one of my favorite time periods to read about. The author did an amazing job developing the characters and the setting – specifically the night clubs, the dancing and clothes. It was a fast read filled with great supporting characters and suspense. If you enjoy historical fiction with a murder mystery then this one is for you.

A huge thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an advaned copy in exchange for my honest review.

ekesa Afia's Harlem Sunset, which is set in the 1920s, vividly captures the city's pulsating nightlife, jazz music, dancing, and cultural consciousness. This is not simply a historical mystery; it's also the story of main character Louise Lloyd's inward struggle to discover who she really is.

Louise's new boyfriend, Rafael Moreno, is the brother of her current lover, Rosa Maria. In preparation for Louise's birthday party, Nora Davies shows up. Some of the kidnapped females ten years ago included Nora and Louise. After a night of drinking and chatting, Louise, Rafael, Rosa Maria, Nora, and Eugene (Rafael's lover) all retire to bed. Rosa Maria is drenched in blood, and Nora is dead when they wake up. Is it possible that Rosa Maria was framed for Nora's murder?

Excellent character development is provided by Afia, who does more than merely describe the characters' appearances. As a character, Louise is endearing despite her flaws. She has PTSD from her captivity and other traumatic experiences, a need to know the truth, a tendency to joke when she shouldn't, and an easygoing demeanor. Additionally, she played a crucial role in raising her three younger sisters. Louise is an evolving and fascinating protagonist. All of the secondary characters were well-developed in their own unique ways.

Just reading the prologue hooked me on this narrative. Afia did a fantastic job of evoking the atmosphere and culture of the period and location, and the characters seemed real. Story progresses through a series of twists and turns driven by the many conflicts.

It's clear the Afia put a lot of effort into creating this environment. I had no trouble imagining the places, the people, the clothes, or the dwellings described. An authentic feeling of time and location was achieved through the appropriately period-appropriate ambience. She skillfully incorporated discussions of domestic violence, loss, and murder within the story's larger framework of family, friendship, and lifestyle. My one and only criticism is that the tale dragged in a few spots.

This novel was a fascinating and exciting character study set against a fascinating historical backdrop. Even though this is the second book in a series, you may read it on its own and enjoy it. But the overall quality of the reading experience would improve if you started with the first book and worked your way through the series. This series is a good choice for fans of historical mysteries with strong and unforgettable characters.

The second in the series after Louise Lloyd helps solve a case of a murdered girl and some crazy stuff happens in the first book.

She's getting her life back with a new job and her best friend who she lives with (girlfriend).

When they bump into an acquaintance from a long time ago while they are drinking then wake up to a murder.

To clear her and her girlfriends names she must solve the case. Having to deal with misogyny, racism and homophobia in the 20's. But Louise is a very strong person and is not taking anyone's shit.


Thank you berkleypub and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

I was excited to see a sequel to this series! Louis Lloyd is working as a manager at the Dove, a club owned by her friend, Rafael. Louise meets Nora, a girl who was kidnapped 10 years ago. The girls with Rosa and Rafael spend the night drinking and talking at the Dove; Rosa wakes up the next day with blood all over her with no recollection of the evening. Nora is dead.

Louise knows her Rosa couldn't have killed Nora, but the police do not believe it. Louise investigates to clear the name of Rosa.

Harlem Sunset
by Nekesa Afia
Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley

Black speakeasy manager Louise Lloyd investigates a murder too close to home in 1927. An OwnVoices histfic gem, with beautifully developed characters and a plot that won't let you go. Named a People Magazine best book of summer 2022.

#HarlemSunset #NekesaAfia #histficmystery #1927novel #ownvoicesbooks
#berkleypublishing #NetGalley #bookstagramcommunity

Louise Lloyd is back with another mystery to solve - this time it’s a young woman found dead and her best friend is the main suspect.

I had enjoyed Dead Dead Girls, the first book in this series (the author’s debut novel), and found Harlem Sunset, its sequel, stronger and with a better flow to the storytelling. I found there were some interesting supporting characters and a good mystery that did keep me guessing for a bit, and had elements of it surprise me how it played out.

I also love how Afia’s love of dancing and sewing comes through in her writing all throughout the book with the deliberate intention of including descriptions of Louise’s outfits, and all the dancing the characters do. (I almost want to hazard a guess that emerald green is one of the author’s favourite colours! It’s a very specific shade to note on several different occasions!)

Overall enjoyed it and looking forward to seeing what Louise Lloyd gets up to in book 3 :)

I didn’t realize that this was a sequel when I requested it on NetGalley, so that made the beginning a bit confusing for me. But after figuring it out, I really enjoyed this book! After suffering through a traumatic violent encounter in Book 1, Louisa is just trying to enjoy a quiet life. She is about to start a new job at a new club in town but before she even starts, Louisa and her girlfriend wake up in the club after a night of drinking with the dead body of someone they just met. Immediately police suspect Louisa’s girlfriend and her life is splashed all over the papers again. You won’t want to put this one down until you finally figure out “who done it?”!

Definitely a highly anticipated story and for good reason ! Really interesting characters but I was a little lost since this was the second book in the series. It was not hard to follow just wish I had read the first one before this

Louise Lloyd killed a man. Though that man murdered several young black women, including her own younger sister, she still feels guilty. Now, almost a year later, she and her loved ones are being terrorized buy a threat that seems far too familiar. How is she supposed to let go of the past if the dead keep trying to take her with them?

Continuing the summer after the events in Dead Dead Girls, Harlem Sunset begins with Louise Lloyd, “Harlem’s Hero,” trying to live a normal life—or as close to one as she can get—with her girlfriend of almost ten years. Even without the initial chapters that both remind and foreshadow, the knowledge that something bad is about to happen is nearly smothering from the first dance two share.

Mysteries are seldom pretty, which is one of my favorite things about them, and the author certainly isn’t kind to her hero in Harlem Sunset. Louise is tired. Soul-deep tired. And, unlike in the previous story, there’s no sanctuary to be found with her lover and tiny group of friends. This author’s consistency in thoroughly knowing her main character is undeniable, and I could feel how lost and exhausted Louise is, even as an observer. However, I was also pulled right along every time she scraped up the determination to keep going, and had no trouble believing in her throughout.

As a whodunit, I think Harlem Sunset’s greatest strength lies not so much in the solving of the case, but in the proving of it. And not merely as a means of clearing Rosa Maria and Louise’s names. Louise’s instincts steer her right a great deal, but following those instincts (as opposed to physical evidence) isn’t something she readily does. By the end of the narrative, she sees the path she’s just fought her way down clearly—because…hindsight—but I wish she’d have trusted herself more fully earlier on.

Though I enjoyed Harlem Sunset very much, I did have a couple of issues with parts of the narrative. One moment that I had particular trouble with, given the overt racism of the period, was Louise not only leaving a police station in 1927 Harlem after being accused of murder, but negotiating the release of her girlfriend, as well. I also wondered about the degree to which photographs could be “faked,” a detail which was rather crucial at a specific point during the investigation. Finally, I was thrown off balance by the way Louise’s determination in some places is almost undermined by her capitulation in others. Louise is a wonderful character, but the inconsistency occasionally left me unsure.

Visually, Harlem Sunset is a stunning work. The author is downright masterful when painting a scene for her readers, bringing the characters’ surroundings close to something that can almost be touched. The stark contrast between the muted existence during daylight and the jewel brightness of the denizens at night is one of my favorite parts of the story. Glittering headbands and cigarettes, gemstone dresses and twirling couples, shared secrets and wanting, and everyone dancing and flirting and trying too hard. It’s a lot. But, it’s beautiful.

As a follow-up to a mystery that I really liked, Harlem Sunset definitely held its own. Louise goes through some absolutely horrible things over the course of the narrative, and is no longer the same person by the novel’s end. Despite wishing she could have escaped those losses, I very much appreciate where she seems to be heading. Hopefully, there will be more stories in the series to come and Louise will find the perfect place for herself down the line.

Set in Harlem in the late 1920’s, Harlem Sunset by Nekesa Afia brings to life the vibrant nightlife, jazz music, dancing, and cultural awareness of the times. It’s not just a historical mystery, but also the journey of protagonist Louise Lloyd as she comes to terms with who and what she is.

Louise is the new manager of a club owned by her friend Rafael Moreno, the brother of Louise’s girlfriend, Rosa Maria. As they are set to celebrate Louise’s birthday, Nora Davies joins them. Nora and Louise were two of the girls kidnapped a decade ago. Louise, Rafael, Rosa Maria, Nora, and Eugene (Rafael’s boyfriend) spend the night drinking and talking, but eventually fall asleep. When they awaken, Nora is dead, and Rosa Maria is covered in blood. Did Rosa Maria kill Nora or did someone frame her?

The author does a great job on characterization, providing not just a physical description, but gradually showing readers their shortcomings and strengths. Louise is a likeable but flawed character. She has a need to know the truth, is nonjudgmental, tends to joke in uncomfortable situations, tends to ignore things she shouldn’t, and suffers from PTSD from her earlier events including her kidnapping. She also was the main caretaker of her three younger sisters as they grew up. Louise is a dynamic character who changes and grows as the story progresses. The supporting characters had a variety of depths appropriate to their roles.

This story captivated me from the very beginning. The author brought the characters and the cultural lifestyles of the times and place to life. The plot is multi-faceted, and the conflicts move the story forward with twists and turns that gradually builds momentum.

The author does a great job of world-building. I was able to easily visualize the settings, the people, the clothing, and the homes. The atmosphere felt right for the times resulting in a strong sense of time and place. She effortlessly weaved themes of family, friendship, lifestyle, loneliness, the treatment and expectations of women, domestic abuse, grief, and murder into the plot. My only quibble is that the story slowed down too much in a couple of places.

Overall, this book was an engaging, captivating, suspenseful, and enjoyable historical mystery and character journey. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. While this novel is the second in the series, it worked well as a stand-alone. However, reading the books in order would enhance the reading experience. Readers that enjoy character-driven historical mysteries will likely enjoy this series.

Berkley Publishing Group and Nekesa Afia provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for June 28, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

In the sequel to Dead Dead Girls, Louise faces a new unknown foe who targets her and her loved ones.

This is Afia's second novel featuring Louise Lloyd, a black woman living during the Harlem Renaissance.
As her birthday approaches she wants nothing more than to have a grand time with her best friend.

Soon, Nora, a woman Louise was formerly kidnapped with, tries to get together with Louise. By the next morning Nora is dead.

Louise is thrown back into a mystery.
With speak-easys and a strong female protagonist this is a terrific read. A welcome addition to the world of mysteries.

"A riveting Harlem Renaissance Mystery featuring Louise Lloyd, a young Black woman working in a hot new speakeasy when she gets caught up in a murder that hits too close to home...

Harlem, 1927. Twenty-seven-year-old Louise Lloyd has found the perfect job! She is the new manager of the Dove, a club owned by her close friend Rafael Moreno. There Louise meets Nora Davies, one of the girls she was kidnapped with a decade ago. The two women - along with Rafael and his sister, Louise’s girlfriend, Rosa Maria - spend the night at the Dove, drinking and talking. The next morning, Rosa Maria wakes up covered in blood, with no memory of the previous night. Nora is lying dead in the middle of the dance floor.

Louise knows Rosa Maria couldn’t have killed Nora, but the police have a hard time believing that no one can remember anything at all about what happened. When Louise and Rosa Maria return to their apartment after being questioned by the police, they find the word GUILTY written across the living room wall in paint that looks a lot like blood. Someone has gone to great lengths to frame and terrify Rosa Maria, and Louise will stop at nothing to clear the woman she loves."

A period mystery not to be missed.

Disclaimer #1: I adore this author and consider her a friend.
Disclaimer #2: If I HAAAATED this author and wanted to punch her in the face, I would still LOVE this book (which would piss me off, so I'm glad I like her).

Lou is back, being just as spectacularly Lou as in DDG. This tired, tiny lesbian is at it again and I have missed her so much! Just as smart, just as clever, just as deadpan with the dry wit. She's begrudgingly solving crime again, this time to save Rosa Maria, and she is fierce and fabulous and everything I want to be.

Afia is masterful at capturing Harlem in the twenties, sweeping the reader away to the glamour. The fashion, the language, the clubs - her worldbuilding is lush, while at the same time authentic. I don't know that much about this period of history, but I never doubted a single detail of this amazing book.

I must go now, and re-read DDG so I can re-read Harlem Sunset.

Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Harlem in 1927 is not a safe place. For Louise Lloyd life should be good with a new job at a club. The past never stays hidden as she is reunited with someone from her less than happy past when they were held kidnapped.

One night will become a nightmare as the friend will be murdered and all signs seem to point at her best that is found the next morning covered in blood. Will there be more blood spilled and why did it happen?

It is a page turner that will surely captivate the reader into another time in history.

This was a better sequel. There seemed to be more high stakes than the last novel. I also found the setting to be very interesting. The author made the jazz age come alive. Louisa is a really likable and tough as nails heroine! The mystery was a fascinating who-done-it and was cleverly well-written! I hope that there will be more novels like this in the future! I recommend this for fans of The Secret Life of Anna Le Blanc, What the Dead Leave Behind, and Deception by Gaslight!

After a certain point in a book I get tired. Particularly in a novel where there is a murder to solve, I am single minded- WHODUNIT. I’m seeing a lot of litfic +murder that seems marketed as a mystery but is really about the main character’s personal journey and… that isn’t what I thought I was getting from the blurb.

Much like book 1 in the series, I got to about 60% and started skipping around. I was uninterested about anything but solving the murder (except whomever was breaking in to let Louise know they think she’s a killer) and lemme just say- this is fiction so the author is free to take license but there is no setting in Harlem in the early 1900s in which a woman who is not Caucasian wakes up in a room covered in the blood of a dead woman and is able to talk herself out of being arrested and ALSO cuts a deal to find the real killer, especially considering she isn’t law enforcement. The disbelief I had to suspend to pull myself through this book is… it’s just too great. I cannot, and continued to cannot through the entire book.

I have no issues with Afia’s writing and the skilled story telling is what kept me going. The story itself, from the premise forward, does not grab me. I feel that there are scenes added to wrap around the ‘whodunit’ to make the book longer when all I really care about is who murdered Nora.

Though I do feel the want from the characters to live their lives to live her life as openly in the street as they live in their apartment, the addition of a lesbian relationship and the trials within again seems added to give the story heft.

I suppose I am more single minded and linear but I’m always thinking…..what does this have to do with the plot of the book?

It didn’t hit for me but did for others I’ll be happy to be in the minority.

In this follow-up to Afia's Dead Dead Girls, amateur sleuth Lou is back and dealing with the psychological toll of her last case. I greatly appreciate that this book doesn't shy away from those consequences, but at the same time gives us an exciting new mystery to contend with. In addition to bringing back the wonderful feel of Jazz Age Harlem, and favorite characters from the last book (Rafael!), we get to meet great new characters, some of whom are not what they appear to be... I can't wait to see where Lou goes next!

A follow up to Nekesa Afia's Dead Dead Girls. Poor Lottie is plagued by death. When one of the girls who survived her childhood kidnapping with her shows up on her birthday, Lottie is happy for the chance to catch up after the Bar she is working at closes. The next morning Lottie and her friends wake up soaked in blood with no memories, and it is up to Lottie to figure out what happened before the police frame them for murder.

An intriguing proceedural mystery with interesting characters. Harlem and NYC in the 1920s plays heavily into the story and adds a depth beyond the average hard boiled murder mystery. Lottie is a smart, strong, and interesting character and while I definitely screamed "no don't go in there" more than once, she is not stupid. I will definitely recommend this series. I'm excited for the next installment.

I received an advanced copy of this book to review from NetGalley and the publisher as a librarian, and for a review. These opinions are my own.

Jazz Age reluctant detective Louise Lloyd is back, and she's better than ever. HARLEM SUNSET follows Lou and her crew through the harrowing aftermath of the Girl Killer case, which has very real repercussions for their mental health and their physical safety. The book deals honestly and thoughtfully with the fallout of trauma and depression, while at the same time delivering a high-stakes mystery that leaves the reader second-guessing every secondary character. Here, the consequences of trusting the wrong stranger are very real, and some mistakes can't be undone, no matter how much the characters long to. With brisk prose and enough dance numbers in smoky clubs to satisfy any 1920s enthusiast, HARLEM SUNSET is a highly satisfying second installation of a standout mystery series.