A review by brettpet
Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead

4.0

One of the best novels you will read in 2023! It's incredible how much this improved on Harlem Shuffle. I really liked how the time skips impacted the setting, showing the changing cultural landscape and creeping decay of NYC. The three sections are treated like contained short stories with the same cast of characters, and they all felt strong in their own ways. The first, which follows Carney trying to score Jackson 5 tickets by doing favors for a corrupt detective, has a real After Hours feel throughout. The second, in which Pepper searches for a missing movie star, provides incredible commentary on the Hollywood blaxploitation bubble and cements Pepper as my favorite character in either book. The final story has a raucous ending and sets up perfectly for the next book. I was initially skeptical of this concept as a trilogy, but Crook Manifesto solidified it for me. Definitely my second favorite Whitehead book after Nickel Boys.