Johnson has created vividly memorable characters and a story that stands out as one of the most controversial and explosive in years. As sure to ignite debate as it is to entertain, "Hunting in Harlem" is an old-fashioned page-turner with a fresh and brave voice.

Gentrification-by any means necessary.
With the help of new employees Cedric, Bobby, and Horus-three ex-cons trying to forge a new life-Lester Baines's Horizon Realty is bringing Harlem back to its renaissance. Fate seems to be working in Lester's favor when Harlem's undesirable tenants begin to get clumsy and meet early deaths by accident. A deadbeat dad electrocutes himself in the bathtub. A drug dealer takes flight from his fire escape. A pimp is shot dead by police when they mistake his wallet for a handgun. That's where Horizon steps in. Block by block, Lester and his crew clear out the rubble and the rabble, filling once dilapidated brownstones with black professionals handpicked for their shared vision of Harlem as a shining icon for the race.
Rumors of the Chupacabra, a mythical monster claiming the lives of Harlem's unfortunate, run rampant with Harlem's youth. But it isn't until an ambitious reporter begins to investigate the extraordinarily high accident rate in Harlem that Lester starts to get a little nervous about Horizon's future. For Lester, no cost is too high in protecting Horizon and his vision for restoration. The battle for gentrification and for the souls and very lives of the ex-cons plays out on the streets of Harlem and against a backdrop of beautiful Manhattan brownstones.
Mat Johnson has created vividly memorable characters and a story that stands out as one of the most controversial and explosive in years. As sure to ignite debate as it is to entertain, "Hunting in Harlem" is an old-fashioned page-turner with a fresh and brave voice.
Mat Johnson is the author of the novel" Drop." He received his M.F.A. from Columbia. He spent several years living in Harlem and now lives in his native Philadelphia with his wife and daughter.
As this novel begins, Lester Baines's Horizon Realty is intent on bringing Harlem back to its storied Renaissance. With the help of Cedric, Bobby, and Horus--three ex-cons trying to forge a new life--Lester clears out the rubble and the rabble, filling once-dilapidated brownstones with black professionals handpicked for their shared vision of Harlem as a shining icon for the race. And fate seems to be working in Horizon's favor: Harlem's undesirable tenants seem increasingly clumsy of late, meeting early deaths by accidents: a deadbeat dad electrocutes himself in the bathtub; a drug dealer takes a flight from his fire escape; a pimp is shot dead by a policeman when they mistake his wallet for a handgun. But is fate "really" what's behind these events?
Rumors run rampant among Harlem's youth that the Chupacabra, a mythical monster, is claiming the lives of the neighborhood's unfortunate. However, when an ambitious reporter begins to investigate the extraordinarily high accident rate in Harlem, Lester gets a little nervous about Horizon's future. For Lester, no cost is too high in protecting Horizon and his vision for restoration. As the battle for gentrification heats up, Lester's three employees find themselves fighting for their souls--and their very lives--against a backdrop of some of the most beautiful brownstones in all of Manhattan.
Fresh, funny, and horrifying, "Hunting in Harlem" is an explosive look at a neighborhood under siege.
"Mat Johnson's breathless thriller cuts to the heart of gentrification. "Hunting in Harlem" shakes up the issues of urban blight and asks, How far do you go to set it right? Implausibly humorous, righteously terrifying, it is a cautionary tale for our time."--Walter Mosley
"Johnson makes a welcome raconteur for a late night: he's sharply observant and funny, even witty at times."--"Kirkus Reviews"
"Set against the historically rich geography of Harlem, Johnson's smart thriller offers fine writing, a sometimes wacky but compelling story, and an absorbing social history of 'the most romanticized ghetto in the world.'"--"Publishers Weekly"