Pauper and Prince In Harlem is a gritty detective story set in current-day Harlem, in New York City. It’s part of a series focused on a local private investigation / security agency and, beyond the actual story, you can feel the love for the Harlem neighborhood throughout the book. Rook is devastated when a drive-by shooting kills a promising, young teen he’d been playing checkers with in a local park. In his effort to find the killers, Rook winds up getting close to another teen, Whip. Whip is a transgender boy involved as a low-level “casher” in a huge money-laundering scheme. I found Rook’s reaction to Whip to be extremely honest, as he struggles to use Whip’s preferred pronouns and to think of him as a boy and not a girl. I loved the local characters, from Eddie and Odette, two older homeless people who make their “home” nearby, to the proprietor of an old-time Italian cafe, who makes a fabulous olive oil cake. This is the first book in the series that I’ve read, but it’s number four in the series. I had no problem reading this as a standalone.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to read a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Pauper and Prince in Harlem by Delia C. Pitts
The Ross Agency Mystery Series #4

Gritty, grim, and rather dark this is a gripping story. It drew me in from the first few pages and held my interest till the very end. Each character grew as the story progressed becoming more and more real to me. I could see that there was more to most of them than met the eye and I wanted to know them all better as I wished more than one had an easier and better life.

Zaire, killed in the first few pages, deserved a longer life than he was allotted. The need to find out who killed Aire motivated Rook to find out who killed his young friend while also trying to balance the scales of justice in the process. Whether or not he will without lose a portion of his own soul made for a riveting read.

What I liked:
* Rook: an intriguing character. I am sure that if I had read previous books I would know him even better but really did come away liking this man. Loved how he thought things through and what he was willing to do to keep those he cared for safe. I like him a lot.
* Brina: One of Rook’s bosses and his love interest. She seems to be strong, independent, intelligent and a good partner for Rook.
* Norment Ross: did not see enough of him to form a true opinion but liked what I saw. He seemed savvy, friendly, a good father, and interesting.
* Eddie and Odette: homeless people with interesting stories and were both integral to the story
* Whip: a young person faced with big decisions
* The story line dealing with the mob boss
* The way Rook decided how to save Whip
* That not everything was easy
* The way the book ended – but also wondering what will happen after the last page
* That it was a standalone story – made sense without reading previous books

What I did not like:
* Being reminded of the homeless people that are legion and knowing how difficult their lives must be
* Knowing that for some killing others is easy
* Saying goodbye to the characters and having to wait to read more in the series.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in the series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC – this is my honest review.

5 Stars