Harlem After Midnight

The second 1930s-set “Canary Club Mystery” from Hare continues to build on Lena Aldridge’s story, including how her parents met and the struggles her father faced as a Black musician trying to make it big. After her harrowing journey across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary (chronicled in Miss Aldridge Regrets), English-born Lena feels lonelier than she expected. She has no one and nowhere to go. Luckily, the intriguing musician she met on the ship, Will Goodman, has offered her a place to stay in Harlem. Soon Lena is welcomed into the fold of Will’s family and friends and begins to feel like she belongs. But when a body of a woman who looks just like Lena falls from a window, it seems like death has other plans. As a multiracial woman, who is often perceived as white, Lena is able to blend in more but still can relate to her father’s trials. Lena is a likable, brave straight talker with whom readers will empathize. The changing POVs keep the mystery alive until the climax, which falls a bit short.