Harlem Shuffle

novel by Whitehead

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July 23, 2026

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Harlem Shuffle is a crime novel by American author Colson Whitehead, published in 2021. It is the first book in his Harlem Trilogy, followed by Crook Manifesto (2023) and Cool Machine (2026). The novel is set in 1959 Harlem and follows Ray Carney, a furniture salesman who becomes entangled in a heist at a hotel. The series draws on real events in New York City and African American history, such as the Harlem race riot of 1964 and the 1977 New York City blackout. The novel is inspired by the crime fiction tradition, particularly the work of Chester Himes, who adapted the hard-boiled thriller style to a Black context in Harlem.123

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Colson Whitehead
…book in his Harlem Trilogy, Harlem Shuffle, a crime novel that opens in 1959 and centers on a furniture salesman named Ray Carney who becomes involved in a scheme to rob a hotel. He followed up in 2023 with Crook Manifesto, which recounts Carney’s Harlem adventures in the 1970s.
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…book in his Harlem Trilogy, Harlem Shuffle, a crime novel that opens in 1959 and centers on a furniture salesman named Ray Carney who becomes involved in a scheme to rob a hotel. He followed up in 2023 with Crook Manifesto, which recounts Carney’s Harlem adventures in the 1970s.
Read More