Palace Council by Stephen L Carter

Palace Council

Stephen L Carter

Chronicling America during the turbulent 1950s through to the end of the Vietnam War, Palace Council is a hugely detailed and intricate story - the reading equivalent of tackling a 10,000 piece jigsaw. At the heart of the book is a mysterious disappearance, American politics, race relations and the social progress of the higher echelons of the black population.

Extract
The pendulum swung the other way. They were dead, no question. The Klan had done it. The New Jersey State Police. A wounded boyfriend. A crazed murderer who roamed the countryside. No. No. Never give up hope. Congregations all over Boston prayed for Junie. Big politicians stopped by the house, because Wesley Senior was connected. John Hynes, Boston's mayor, promised his help. So did the formidable Joseph Kennedy, whose empire was said to extend into spaces so narrow not even the Scarletts of the world could wiggle in. Everyone kept clapping everyone on the back. Everyone kept insisting Junie would turn up. She would write a letter from Mexico, she would call for cash from Seattle, or, at worst, some kid would stumble over the remains in a ditch.
Parallels
  • America America by Ethan Canin
  • Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
  • Trevayne by Robert Ludlum