Jackson Park

by Charlotte Carter

Book Overview

From the acclaimed author of the Nanette Hayes mystery novels comes a thrilling new series featuring an unforgettable trio of sleuths. By turns gritty and gracefully written, Jackson Park is a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345447824
• ISBN13: 9780345447821
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: One World
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Great Read For Mystery Lovers

The Book started off GREAT and kept surprising me with each turn. BUT There were too many People to try to keep up with and what they did. I give this book a 4 stars simply because if you love mysteries like I do, you will love this book!

first installment in what looks to be a great new series

Her mother abandoned Cassandra to her grandmother, who did her duty but had no love to give to the young child. When her grandmother died, her great-uncle Woody and his wife Ivy took her in and treated her like the child they wanted but could never have. The Isle's took Cassandra out of the ghetto that was Forest Street and moved her into their upscale apartment hotel in Cook County Hyde Park.During a family reunion, a man who lives on Forest Street drops by to beg Woody who has a lot of political and criminal connections to help him find his missing granddaughter who was last seen at a local grocery store. When Woody and Ivy go to the store where the granddaughter was last seen, the owner gives them a ring she left behind. That piece of jewelry is tied to a murder case that took place years ago, one in which many people felt the wrong man was convicted. As Woody, Ivy, and Cassandra delve further into the two cases, somebody is out to keep them quiet at any cost.The protagonists are black, the year is 1965 eight days after the assassination of Martin Luther King. Riots have erupted in Chicago and the national guard is called in to restore order. Charlotte Carter gives her readers a fine sense of place and time through a strong descriptive story that seems common for that era. Told from the perspective of a twenty-year-old college student, the audience learns how blacks felt about their position in society back them. JACKSON PARK is the Her mother abandoned Cassandra to her grandmother, who did her duty but had no love to give to the young child. When her grandmother died, her great-uncle Woody and his wife Ivy took her in and treated her like the child they wanted but could never have. The Isle's took Cassandra out of the ghetto that was Forest Street and moved her into their upscale apartment hotel in Cook County Hyde Park.During a family reunion, a man who lives on Forest Street drops by to beg Woody who has a lot of political and criminal connections to help him find his missing granddaughter who was last seen at a local grocery store. When Woody and Ivy go to the store where the granddaughter was last seen, the owner gives them a ring she left behind. That piece of jewelry is tied to a murder case that took place years ago, one in which many people felt the wrong man was convicted. As Woody, Ivy, and Cassandra delve further into the two cases, somebody is out to keep them quiet at any cost.The protagonists are black, the year is 1965 eight days after the assassination of Martin Luther King. Riots have erupted in Chicago and the national guard is called in to restore order. Charlotte Carter gives her readers a fine sense of place and time through a strong descriptive story that seems common for that era. Told from the perspective of a twenty-year-old college student, the audience learns how blacks felt about their position in society back them. JACKSON PARK is the first installment in what looks to be a great new series.Harri

An Exciting, Enthralling Mystery

There's an immediacy, a you-are-there quality to JACKSON PARK that makes it a truly extraordinary reading adventure. Far more than just another 'mean-streets' narrative, this hard-hitting thriller captures the violence and tensions of post-King-assassination Chicago in stunningly realistic detail through dialogue that literally crackles with authenticity. Its plot centers around middle-aged Woodson "Woody" and Ivy Lisle who are currently living comfortably in Hyde Park, one of Chicago's oldest integrated areas, and enjoying the company of their twenty-year-old grandniece (the story's narrator) Cassandra whom they've raised from early childhood and who is presently a student at Debs College in the Loop where she has become peripherally involved with a black militant group. After a somewhat checkered past, Woody has achieved a solid position...almost Godfather status...in the black community while still maintaining his ties with the white political establishment. When Clay Jackson from their old neighborhood comes to him for help after his granddaughter, Lavelle, has apparently been arrested and subsequently vanished, he agrees to make some inquiries. On the surface, there seems to be little more to the matter than a part-time hooker who fell victim to her lifestyle until Ivy and Cassandra follow a lead of their own which uncovers a ring that somehow connects Lavelle to a decade-old murder of a white teacher by a black man. Because the past is now no longer safely buried, the present suddenly explodes in violence. Ivy is shot and Woody and Cassandra are attacked, costing Woody's nephew, Hero, his life. No more Mr. Nice Guy! Hot on the trail, Woody finds himself hamstrung by Chicago's long history of racism, venery and corruption until fate takes a hand in a clever twist of the plot that allows him to right old wrongs, put paid to some old scores and give Cassandra a new vision of her life and future.Do you have to be a Chicagoan to fully appreciate all the nuances of this compelling novel? No! It stands alone beautifully on its own considerable merits as an exciting, enthralling mystery. But speaking from the POV of both having lived in Hyde Park and taught in the inner city during the Sixties, I was completely blown away by Ms. Carter's knowledgeable recreation of the people...the place...and the period. It held me spellbound, brought back so many memories, and made me eager to read more about the lives of the Lisles.

A Family Mystery...

Charlotte Carter?s mystery, Jackson Park, occurs in the midst of Chicago in the aftermath of the MLK assassination where Black people are still angry and disillusioned, politicians are very nervous, and the city is still smoldering from the riots. Carter?s unlikely ?shero? is Cassandra, a college coed; a witty, hippi-ish misfit who is raised by her great-aunt and uncle. Despite the volatile atmosphere, she clings to optimism and hope so when a request to assist a family friend presents itself, she jumps at the opportunity to help. Danger befalls Cassandra and her family as the seemingly harmless appeal to find a missing girl leads to a decades old murder of a white schoolteacher by a black mentally challenged boy. While on this adventure, she discovers the boy was wrongly accused, learns of her uncle?s shady past, and matures on many levels. We follow a trail that leads to a Black vigilante group (The Roots), dirty politicians, police brutality/corruption and are reminded that as much things change, some things remain the same. I enjoyed the way in which Carter intermingled the old with the new throughout the novel. She paired the young, idealistic, energetic Black youth with the older, cautious, realistic generation to teach the lessons of discretion and patience. Through Cassandra?s eyes and ears, we heard the music of Marvin and Aretha; we saw glimpses of war protesters, civil rights activists, and the emerging women?s liberation movement. In as much as this was a walk down memory lane, it was an amusing and suspenseful story that was entertaining and easy to read.Reviewed by PhyllisAPOOO Book Club, The Nubian Circle Book Club