Ginette B. (Niteowl7) reviewed on 11/13/2005 + 242 more book reviews

The writer, Price, seems to know a lot about the gritty New York urban landscape,including the tension between blacks and whites. A mother, Brenda, ends up in a hospital emergency ward with blood all over her hands. When the lead character, policeman Corleone arrives to question her, she claims her car was stolen and her 4 year old boy was taken with the car since he was sleeping in the back seat. This event ignites racial tensions when the cops where Brenda lives (Brenda & cops are mostly white) go to the projects where the car hijack took place and take over the investigation. Corleone, the protagonist in this story, sees where this will lead but his supervisors want to let it ride, much to their later regret. Jesse, a young reporter, hustles, lies, manipulates, does whatever she can to get close to the investigation and other events happening in the projects. I found her to be the most obnoxious yet nonetheless fascinating character as she pursues different aspects of the story. I suspect most readers will guess who the kidnapper/hijacker is about midway through the book. Yet there are some surprises also surrounding this crime. Not exactly a mystery, Freedomland is well worth reading for it's insight into inner city dynamics and the people who live there.

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