1. Find out what you can about the history of Harlem. When was the area at its peak? Why did it decline into a slum area?

2. Find out what you can about the lives of some of the musicians mentioned in the novel. Listen to recordings of their music.

3. Edwards talks about many types of foods. Find a recipe book and prepare one of the dishes mentioned.

4. "Miscegenation" means marriage or cohabitation between a white person and a person of another race. How does the author use this term as part of plot development and characterization.

5. Find a map of Harlem from the Internet or an atlas. Plot the places where Mali goes as she tries to find out who murdered Thea.

6. Mysteries can be divided into several different types. Find out what these types are and decide into which category...