Chosen People: An Alex Powell Novel.

Chosen People: An Alex Powell Novel by Karen Grigsby Bates Avon Trade, April 2006 $12.95, ISBN 0-060-55972-1

We all have secrets, but for some of people, secrets have the potential not just to embarrass them but also to destroy them, as well. Among elite members of society with an image to uphold, these secrets must be protected at all costs. So what happens when someone threatens to expose them? Early in Grigsby Bates's novel, the second in the Alex Powell mystery series, such a person meets an untimely demise, and the characters and circumstances involved are sure to shock and surprise.

Powell, a plucky columnist for a Los Angeles newspaper, is covering a reading by Simp Hastings, a Lawrence Otis Graham-like author, who has penned a controversial Who's Who of the wealthiest members of black society. Suddenly, Hastings is found dead, and Powell embarks on a mission to find the killer, navigating through the upper echelons of Los Angeles's tightly knit, upper-middle-class black community.

Grigsby Bates pays homage to classic mystery novels, yet she puts a fresh, hip spin on the genre. What's more, her insights on race and class, along with her witty comedic timing, add additional layers, making this a multidimensional, enjoyable book.

--Reviewed by Melissa Ewey Johnson Melissa Ewey Johnson is a writer and editor in New York City.