The Mayor of Maxwell Street

Cunningham’s striking debut chronicles the tribulations of a striving Black family in Prohibition-era Chicago. Ambrose Sawyer has made a fortune breeding Kentucky racehorses, but wealth alone doesn’t offer the entrée into elite Black society that his wife Florence seeks. In summer 1921, Florence orchestrates an elaborate social debut for their 19-year-old daughter, Nelly, hoping the young journalist will solidify the Sawyers’ social position via marriage. At the start of the debutante season, Nelly’s editor at the Chicago Defender challenges her to discover the identity of the so-called Mayor of Maxwell Street, a shadowy figure rumored to be coordinating the efforts of Chicago’s criminal gangs. Nelly turns to her acquaintance Jay Shorey, the manager of a speakeasy, for access to the city’s underworld. Only a few years older than Nelly and of mixed race, Jay beguiles the reporter with his confidence and magnetism. Their attraction deepens as her investigation proceeds, yet so too do her questions about his connections to the corrupt systems she seeks to expose. Though some plot points feel implausible, Cunningham perfectly captures the contours of Jazz Age Chicago and the varying experiences of its citizens of color. Readers will be eager to see what Cunningham does next. Agent: Richard Abate, 3 Arts Entertainment. (Jan.)