Reggie Nadelson

Blood Count, Reggie Nadelson's ninth Artie Cohen novel, "finds the Russian-born NYPD detective investigating the death of an ailing Russian woman, one of the few white occupants of a once-grand apartment block in Harlem. Cohen is alerted to the death by an ex-girlfriend who lives there, but when he arrives there's a strange air of something having been covered up."

From the author's Q & A at the Guardian:

How did you come to write Blood Count?

Most of my Artie Cohen novels are set in New York, usually parts of the city on the fringe, or places I want to learn about. Harlem – the so-called "new" Harlem – is in the midst of a second Renaissance, and I was curious about it. It also allowed me to indulge one of my great pleasures – jazz. Finally, I thought it would be fun to set a very enclosed "Agatha Christie" sort of book in New York where instead of a village full of characters you'd have a grand old apartment building, a sort of vertical village.

What was most difficult about it?

Writing. There was a wonderful American sports writer who once said "writing is easy, you just go to the typewriter and slit a vein" or something to that effect.

Oh, and being home writing and trying to remember that you're supposed to eat just one cookie from the box. But, as a food writer friend of mine once said, "What kind of person ever eats one cookie?!"

What did you most enjoy?

Learning my way around...[read on]

See Reggie Nadelson's top ten jazz books.

--Marshal Zeringue