R L's Dream

From the author of Devil in a Blue Dress comes "the most powerful and poetic novel about black life in America since Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man (Digby Diehl, Playboy). RL's Dream, the first work of his to break from his mystery series, focuses on an aging bluesman named Soupspoon Wise.

Soupspoon Wise is dying on the unforgiving streets of New York City, years and worlds away from the Mississippi delta, where he once jammed with blues legend Robert "RL" Johnson. It was an experience that burned indelibly into Soupspoon's soul -- never mind that they said RL's gift came from the Devil himself. Now it's Soupspoon's turn to strike a deal with a stranger. An alcoholic angel of mercy, Kiki Waters isn't much better off than Soupspoon, but she too is a child of the South, and knows its pull. And she is determined to let Soupspoon ride out the final notes of his haunting blues dream, to pour out the remarkable tale of what he's seen, where he's been -- and where he's going.

"Winner of the 1996 Black Caucus of the American Library Association Literary Award in Fiction"