The King of Macy's.

The King of Macy's by Fred Beauford Morton Books, Inc., January 2006 $15, ISBN 1-929-18811-0

Set in a very post-9/11 Los Angeles, this is a composite of social issues by a veteran writer. Aging actor Randy Dent has had a reasonably successful career, but now that he's 42, the roles have dried up. He's not exactly doing the Hollywood shuffle, but he has been relegated to a job in L.A. at Macy's department store, where he sells underwear and pajamas.

Yes, he's the King of Maw's, but will his true kingdom ever come? Sure enough, his big break may finally have arrived when he's asked to star in a play, a "classical political drama" with one of the best actors in the business. He'll play a black conservative who's kidnapped by a '60s radical. That's where the story line really takes off.

Beauford, a frequent contributor to BIBR, is also a publisher, professor and former editor of The Crisis magazine. In his latest novel, he gets into the mind of his main character with ease, building him as a raceconscious thespian involved with a Russian woman.

Some elements of the novel, however, seem out of place, like the 100-page-plus manuscript that Beauford makes part of the larger text as Randy reads it. While well written, it is more of a distraction than an asset to the larger story. Regardless, Beauford creates characters readers will want to know better.

Beauford is also the author of three novels, including The Womanizer (Morton Books, 2000), The Year Jerry Garcia Died (Morton Books, 2001) and a collection of essays.

--Reviewed by Regina Cash-Clark Regina Cash-Clark is an assistant professor of journalism at Ramapo College of New Jersey and a freelance writer/editor.