Colson Whitehead’s 2021 novel Harlem Shuffle, first of a trilogy, introduced us to Ray Carney, furniture salesman and family man hustling to survive against a backdrop of early 1960s civil unrest. Crook Manifesto found Ray trying to stay on the straight and narrow a decade on, but drawn back into hijinks after blagging some Jackson 5 tickets for his daughter. Now, with third and final instalment Cool Machine, we move into the 80s.
New York is on the mend from its period of near-bankruptcy: newly built skyscrapers start to hog the skyline, developers and bankers start to wring their hands with glee and Ray’s refurbished furniture store is ticking over nicely. Elizabeth, his wife, is trying to get her new travel agency business off the ground as she fields a lawsuit from a previous employer.
When Elizabeth is turned down for a bank loan, Ray fences some high-end jewellery to raise the cash for his wife. This plunges him into deep water, as it involves dealing with Uncle Rich, NYC’s most notorious hoodlum. What follows is a meticulous heist, which of course means – for anyone already acquainted with Whitehead’s Harlem series – that Ray’s ruthless sidekick Pepper is back too, playing his part in another brutal, seat-of-your-pants ride.
In crafting an immersive, gripping finale to this trilogy, digging deeper into Ray Carney’s conscience in the process, Cool Machine captures the essence of 1980s New York as cultural and social melting pot.
