The Viaduct.

by Grace F. Edwards Doubleday, December 2003 $22.95, ISBN 0-385-50200-1

A taut, chilling tale of self-doubt juxtaposed with courage, this novel is well paced with a skillful ear for dialogue and a sense of place--Harlem in the 1970s. While Edwards reveals discordant elements of her hero's personality rooted in his Vietnam War experience, she avoids succumbing to predictable cliches about dysfunctional or violence-prone behaviors.

Edwards effectively uses the plot to drive the actions of Marin Taylor, a man on a mission. She imbues him with a sense of dignity in the most desperate of circumstances, the kidnapping of his newborn child and this heinous act's devastating impact on his wife. Conroy Henderson, Taylor's antagonist, is a fully formed mid believable villain. Excluding revenge, Edwards uses Henderson's motivations to portray a rising spiral of social disconnection and self-destruction in urban America.

However, the sketchy and stereotypical portrayal of the corrupt Anglo cop--the only non-African American character in the book, aside from a brief appearance by a West Indian cab driver--is a disappointment.

While Edwards's Harlem of the '70s comes to life, particularly at night, the novel could have more richly mined its contemporary national social backdrop. II rings true but often relies on the reader's presumed knowledge of history to recognize the author's allusions. For example, the mention of "Lindsay" may have no relevance for younger readers, or those who are unfamiliar with the legacy of New York's former Mayor John Lindsay.

Edwards is clearly in love with this slice of New York's geography, music, past and innate spirit of survival. She captures the cadence of reality by doing what good writers are supposed to do: showing not telling.

Khalil Abdullah is a writer, editor and business development consultant in washington, D.C.