Harlem Shuffle

Harlem Shuffle is a work of historical fiction and literary fiction set in 1960s New York. Ray Carney maintains a respectable reputation as a furniture salesman on 125th Street, providing for his wife and growing family. While he presents an image of stability, Ray secretly operates as a fence for his cousin Freddie, moving stolen jewelry through a discreet downtown contact.

The plot intensifies when Ray becomes involved in a heist at the Hotel Theresa. This crime leads him into a dangerous world of corrupt police officers and local crime lords. As he navigates this double life, Ray learns how power truly operates within the neighborhood. This African American and Black literary novel explores the tension between social standing and the allure of easy money in Harlem Shuffle, volume 1.