It’s absolutely mind blowing that this book is a debut. Cunningham had an unreal ability to write well. The subject matter is nothing to ignore either, and follows a young black woman through her investigation into Chicago’s belly of the underground. Uncertain danger was around every corner, with a heavy dose of 1920’s struggle for a woman of colour. Cunningham throws the reader back one hundred years in a way that gives you breadcrumbs to search yourself: and see how accurate her retelling really is. A truly immersive and enjoyable read.

3.5 stars rounded up -- impressive for a debut work but just missing that special something to make it memorable!

After the tragic death of her brother, Nelly is the sole heir of her family's fortune. Her father has amassed great wealth despite being a black man in the 1920s -- but even money can't open every door for his family.

Nelly sees the writing on the wall: her parents expect her to use this season in Chicago to marry well and secure the family legacy. But she is an aspiring journalist who has been writing for a liberal newspaper under a pen name for over a year. The editor gives her a deal -- unmask the "Mayor of Maxwell Street" and she can have a front page story with her own name.

Nelly is determined to accomplish this, despite the danger she puts herself in to do it. She's introduced to an enigmatic stranger, Jay Shorey, who begrudgingly agrees to help her.

This had the bones of an excellent historical fiction novel but I wanted just a bit more. Lots of interesting characters but Nelly herself still felt like a mystery to me by the end. Gritty and honest but felt like it need just a few more ties to make everything come together! I will definitely look forward to future works from this author.

This fascinating debut is set in 1920’s Chicago and concerns an heiress called Penelope ‘Nelly’ Sawyer, described by the author as the ‘wealthiest Negro in America’. Her father, Ambrose Sawyer, has managed to catapult his family into the upper echelons of black society. Nelly is getting over the death of her brother Elder, who has been killed in a road accident but her mother wants her to attend a Cotillien in the city at the end of summer. This is the American equivalent of a Debutante Ball, where the most prominent young women in society are presented in high society. Suddenly, and against her wishes, Nelly becomes the season’s ‘diamond’ - to use a Bridgerton term. This honour means that Nelly is now the most eligible young woman in society, but her ambitions don’t end at a society marriage. For the past year she has been indulging her passion for journalism, researching and anonymously submitting articles to a Black-run newspaper called The Chicago Defender. Her brother Elder was her co-conspirator and sounding board for her articles. He was the go-between, taking Nelly's articles to the editor Richard Norris. Now she faces a choice, not only is she unexpectedly involved in a love triangle, she must decide to reveal her true identity to the newspaper, or allow her journalistic ambitions to end.

I really enjoy a plucky and transgressive heroine, so I was immediately on Nelly’s side. She’s been looking into the underworld of Chicago society and the leader of an organised crime group called the Mayor of Maxwell Street. This is the prohibition era and the dark but glamorous world of the secret ‘speakeasy’. She has already met one club owner through her brother. Jay Shorey is intriguing and first caught her eye at Elder’s funeral, where they seemed to spark a mutual attraction despite the unusual surroundings. Jay is the archetypal bad boy, but does find many young people from high society visit his club. He doesn't have their family connections but has access to so many people in Chicago through the club and his ‘god-uncle’ who is a bit of a gangster. His ability to move between the darker parts of Chicago society and her own, more elevated, circles means he’s invaluable to Nelly and her investigations, but is there more to their relationship than that? Yet he isn’t the only suitor on the horizon.
As Nelly bursts onto the socialite scene, she meets Tomás Escalante y Roche at a polo match. He is one of the polo players with an uncle who is a French marquis, and a father who “owns half of Mexico" according to the wonderfully sardonic and witty Sequoia McArthur. Tomás rides a horse that Nelly happened to raise on the Sawyer ranch and she doesn’t mind giving her sharp feedback on what he’s doing wrong! Needless to say he isn’t used to hearing such criticism, especially from a young woman but her honesty makes her memorable. Tomás is hooked and he intends to court her. As far as Nelly’s family are concerned she’d be crazy not to reciprocate his affections and should jump at the chance to come out of the Cotillion summer with a fiancé. So, it’s a bit of a love triangle but also a young woman’s choice between the the life she wants and the life her family wants for her. I was rooting for her.

She chooses to face things head on by meeting Her editor in a cafeteria, and has to convince him that yes, she did write the articles. However, she comes up against a very sharp reality. Norris tells her he can’t publish articles under her real name because of her family's position in society. He knows that the Ambrose Sawyer would soon be knocking on his door if he did. Nelly is so disappointed that Norris makes a deal. He gives her an assignment and if she succeeds he promises she can publish under her own name. Of course it’s impossible. He tells her about the Mayor of Maxwell Street, a secretive figure in gangland who seems to have achieved the impossible and brought different organisations together across the race divide. Usually Irish, Italian, Jewish and Black gangsters are having turf wars and killing each other, but that’s stopped and he thinks this new Mayor is behind it. He tells Nelly that if she can correctly identify this man he will publish her article and take the consequences of using her real name. Of course she accepts his challenge.

This is a page turner and it’s impossible not to like Nelly and admire her guts. I over the way the author handled the attitudes and outright racism of a hundred years ago. She even highlights the experiences of diverse characters on a spectrum of issues, such as poverty, class, education and skin tone. Jay’s relatively light skin enables him to ‘pass’, yes it opens doors but then you’re participating with your own oppressor. Nelly is very disapproving of living life on those terms. Jay is mixed race and he explains to her:

"There are two candy jars, right? One marked for Negroes, and one for white folk. The Negro -- under penalty of death -- can only take from one jar. The white man, though, he can take from one or the other. He can take from both. Never mind that the jars have the exact same candy; the white man still gets to choose. That is all I want, Nelly. The freedom to choose. I don't want to look like them, or act like them, or be them. But I want their options."

These issues come organically from the characters and they’re inclusion really add some weight to the historical background of the novel. Her depiction of Chicago in the 1920’s feels authentic, rather than the stylised razzle dazzle of the musical, but they come from the same world. There’s even a nod to The Great Gatsby too. I think the book could have been even better with some sharper editing, especially as we first come into the story. This is an entertaining novel with a plucky heroine and some gravitas behind the compelling story and a compulsive need to keep reading. I look forward to seeing what the author does next.

Gosh, I truly enjoyed this book!! I'm a sucker for anything set in Chicago in the 20s, and to finally read a book from the African American (though high class) experience during this time period was refreshing. It gave big time Great Gatsby vibes, I could totally see this being made into a movie.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC.

It took 129 pages to get to the first mention of the mayor. I can't tell you a single thing about this book that I finished less than a month ago. The writing was fine and the story was interesting enough, if a little drawn out. This book could have been 100 pages shorter and just as effective.

Loved this debut novel by Avery Cunningham!

What I loved:
1. Prohibition Chicago - great descriptions of the clothing, scene and city!
2. I love a historical fiction novel that has a mystery element!
3. I did love Nelly!

What I wanted to be different:
1. I got lost in the novel - seemed like there was a secret code to the "gangster" portions and I didn't get them.
2. It was too long... needed to be shorted and crisper! 

My thanks to Net Galley and Hyperion Avenue for an advance copy of this book.

This was a great book! The ending is mildly crushing but worth it. I loved the main character! She was fun and wild and a little bit desperate.

The Mayor of Maxwell Street by Avery Cunningham is a wonderful depiction of 1920s Chicago and a little known aspect of US history - affluent Black society during this time period. Thanks to our over-generalized US history eduction, so many segments of our history and society are unknown to many. It is refreshing (and educational) to have stories like this one be told.

The Mayor of Maxwell begins with the sudden departure of Jay Shorey, an orphaned bi-racial teenager, from his home in Alabama. Jay is in the wrong place at the wrong time when he refuses the affections of his boss's daughter. This refusal results in her retaliatory accusations causing Jay to disappear or face the consequences.

With a jump in time, readers are then introduced to the Sawyer family at the funeral of their son. The Sawyers although new to Chicago society, are a very wealthy family from Virginia. Following the funeral ceremony, Nelly, the Sawyers' daughter meets Jay, a young debonaire black man..

Although it seems that the Sawyer family should be mourning the loss of their son in a car crash, it appears that their greater interest is to find a husband for their daughter during "the season". The parents hope to secure and expand their fortune (as well as be accepted into this inner circle) with a well-arranged marriage. Cunningham makes the debutante season come alive with beautiful descriptions of balls, parties, and other social events.

Nelly is determined to be a journalist. She has been submitting stories to the Chicago Black newspaper under a pseudonym, and she is on the verge of receiving more enticing writing assignments. The thought of an arranged marriage is not a priority for her; however, she plays along with the social events and finds opportunities to establish her independence.

Throughout the summer events, Nell encounters Jay frequently - sometimes as a Black man and sometimes as a White man. The questions surrounding this elusive man represent just one of the mysteries of the book, including the search for the "Mayor of Maxwell Street" which is taken on by Nelly as a journalistic assignment. Her search for this kingpin takes the reader, and Nelly, out of the debutante balls and into the world of vice active in Chicago at the time. Cunningham explores the various aspects of racism present in both worlds.

Cunningham's story involves a mixture of historical fiction, romance, racism, coming of age, self-discovery, and mystery. She weaves all of these elements well and keeps the uncertainty of things hidden until the end.

The glimpse into this little-known portion of 1920s society is more than enough to keep readers engaged and reading.

Grab a copy of this book and go on a roller coaster ride with Nellie Sawyer. Born into a very rich colored family in the 1920's in the Midwest, Nelly would rather be at the family's horse farm than being dragged through a cotillion in Chicago during the season. Follow Nellie as she meets eligible men and pursues her personal dream. But where do you draw the line with family, loyalty and your personal happiness. A great read, one you won't want to put down.

Nelly, a rich Black young woman, who is the daughter of the richest Black family in America during the 1920s secretly writes anonymous articles about everyday life and struggles of Black people. She hopes to become a well-known journalist. But when her brother dies her family relocates to Chicago to put his affairs in order and present Nelly as their heir to the Black elite to form connections for her future and theirs. At the funeral she meets Jay, a white-passing bi-racial man who has connections in the elite society. Nelly enlists his help into the investigation of who is the mayor of maxwell street.

This book was a mean feat, I loved the premise, I love historical fiction and from a different perspective than what we usually get intrigued me, I think for a debut this was so solid, the character work was really well done and I enjoyed the high society elements and the mobsters but I really think this book needed to be edited. This book is LONG, coming in at over 500pgs which is almost unheard of for most genres outside of Fantasy nowadays and I think that's for a valid reason, because of the length this suffered from pacing issues however I still think this was a really great debut!

Cunningham's debut novel dazzles, dropping readers directly into her intricately woven world. Her book is captivating, historically detailed and engaging, and beautifully written. Her novel grabs the reader through skilled character development and change, uncertainty and danger, and a skillfully worded depiction of the social challenges in Nelly's world.

I wanted to like this book, but found the pacing and characters inconsistent. 1920s Chicago and racial issues had so much potential but it was wasted. The characters were just not gripping and too long.

Loved this book and can't wait to see more from the author. Thanks to the author and the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.

This novel told a gritty tale of Prohibition era Chicago. It was an interesting story but the execution fell short in some areas as the pacing occasionally drags and the character development felt rough. The writing is very atmospheric of 1920’s Chicago.
Many thanks to Hyperion Avenue and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Twenty-year-old Penelope "Nelly" Sawyer, wealthy daughter and now only child of a successful Kentucky horse breeder, is grieving. Her beloved brother died suddenly in a car accident, and now all of her parents' attention is focused on her making a successful marriage that will ensure and increase their influence in well-to-do Black society.

Nelly is not impressed, as she has other aims, wanting to gain respect for her writing and reporting. For the past year, she has successfully submitted stories she investigated and wrote about to the Chicago Defender, but under a man's name.

When she reveals this to the Newspaper's editor-in-chief, Richard Norris, he agrees to print stories under her actual name, but she has to prove herself first, by finding out who the real Mayor of Maxwell Street is. This elusive man is behind a number of criminal and political actions in Chicago, but no one knows who he really is. It would be a real coup for Nelly, and the paper, to reveal the man's identity.

Meanwhile, Nelly's mother decides it's time for Nelly to meet all the eligible Black wealthy bachelors of the city, and trots Nelly out to various events. There are only two men whom Nelly is intrigued by:

1) Jay Shorey, whom she met at her brother's funeral. He's biracial, a natty dresser, and who is passing amongst the city's white population, and has some influence amongst the Black and White wealthy.
2) Tomás Escalante y Roche, the only son of a very wealthy Mexican family and due to eventually gain the title of Marquis.

Naturally, Nelly's mother is thrilled that Tomás seems very interested in courting Nelly, while Jay very reluctantly agrees to help Nelly with her investigation, as he has access to the criminal side of Chicago. Jay runs a speakeasy, and moves easily amongst Chicago's movers and shakers.

Nelly begins attending exclusive parties where she can meet Chicago elite, while dating Tomás. Nelly has lived a sheltered life, and is shocked when she encounters the racism all Black women face, and also the level of violence the men running the city use to control things.

Nelly also gets to know Sequoia McArthur, the daughter of a preacher. Sequoia is an unconventional woman who has her own secret, but who does prove helpful in helping Nelly understand the relationships amongst both the White and Black elite of the city. Sequoia is also less than enthused by Nelly's fascination with Jay, whom Seauoia feels is untrustworthy, preferring that Nelly see the value in accepting an engagement with Tomás.

That Nelly does eventually determine the identity of the Mayor of Maxwell Street was not a surprise. What I did find surprising was that it was a mystery at all, considering all the easy clues the author littered the story with. I felt that it really should have been obvious to Nelly from the get-go, and was a little disappointed that someone whom we're told is intelligent and observant can not see the evidence in front of her.

Also, I really did not like the love triangle, and also wondered how Tomás could be so unquestioningly supportive of everything Nelly did. This felt more than a little unbelievable, though it was nice to see a fictional suitor not act like a jealous jerk for a change.

I found that this book never really came together coherently for me. There were so many great elements, but I found the story meandered about, giving us obligatory scenes in a speakeasy, at fancy parties, in encounters with gang leaders, in economically depressed neighbourhoods, and within Nelly's family, but the elements didn't flow into a well-paced narrative for me, and I felt like this story needed to be tighter to achieve the "shocking reveal" of the Mayor. Also, though I appreciated Nelly's anger at the story's end from all she has experienced, I was not moved, which I would have expected to be.

I think this story had tremendous potential to be gripping, and though I was not as entertained as I wanted to be, I am interested in this author and what she creates next.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Hyperion Avenue for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I didn't really enjoy this book. The description sounded like a great storyline but I thought it bounced around a lot. The characters made some really stupid decisions, there was stuff that didn't make sense and it was a really messed up love story. I didn't really like the characters and didn't care so much what happened to them.

The world building here is very well done and I loved the vibes it was giving but I just had a hard time staying connected to this story. It was just way too long and I feel it could've been condensed.

Penelope “Nelly” Sawyer is in Chicago for her brother’s funeral. She is set to inherit her family’s wealth if she stays and has a coming out. She has no interest and instead, wants to be an investigative journalist. Under a pen name, she’s been writing about the life as a Black person during the Jim Crow era. Her next article is to uncover the Mayor of Maxwell Street, the supposed leader of an underground crime syndicate.

Jay manages a speakeasy and wants in on the wealthy world that Nelly now inhabits. She wants the dirt from the underworld and gets enthralled by Jay. In the meantime, Nelly is also starting to get involved with Tomas, a wealthy man. This is billed as a love triangle and while it might’ve started out as that, it didn’t end that way.

I wish the book was shorter. It also got confusing to follow the myriad of characters but I loved the world building. I’m a born and bred Chicagoan and I loved reading all the details of a Chicago set at the start of the 1920s. I loved reading about the facets of Black Chicago during that time as we don’t get enough of that history.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for this novel. The Mayor of Maxwell Street is out now.

Fast paced, funny and a rollicking read, this was a great story - epic and heartfelt, but also sprightly and compulsively readable. I’d highly recommend it. I also loved the setting that was pure escapism.

3.5 stars
1920s Chicago, life in high-society for a black Nelly, the prohibition and the underground. Nelly could be just a rich girl but she has something to prove, her journalistic skills are put to use on the sly. Because, who the heck is The Mayor of Maxwell Street?
She is naive in her choices of safety and travels in circles that she is not familiar with. But, she is 20 so we forgive her. Jay shows up, his background is a bit of a mystery and their connection is palpable. But who is he? The mystery continues.
Tomas is the opposite of Jay but perhaps what my mother would have called 'smooth'.
With all the choices that Nelly has before her, romance is not on the front burner. I would not call this an 'epic love story'. It filled in some pieces but Nelly, oh what becomes of your ambition?
Lukewarm, entertaining, and way too long.

Thank you #NetGalley for intro to this new author.