Chasing Vermeer comes to Harlem in this clever mystery about art,
artifice, and the power of community.
WATCHER. SHADOW. FUGITIVE.
Harlem is home to all kinds of kids. Jin sees life passing her by from
the window of her family's bodega. Alex wants to help the needy one
shelter at a time, but can't tell anyone who she really is. Elvin's
living on Harlem's cold, lonely streets, surviving on his own after his
grandfather was mysteriously attacked.
When these three strangers join forces to find out what happened to
Elvin's grandfather, their digging leads them to an enigmatic artist
whose missing masterpieces are worth a fortune--one that might save the
neighborhood from development by an ambitious politician who wants to
turn it into Harlem World, a ludicrous historic theme park. But if they
don't find the paintings soon, nothing in their beloved neighborhood
will ever be the same....
In this remarkable tale of daring and danger, debut novelist Natasha
Tarpley explores the way a community defines itself, the power of art to
show truth, and what it really means to be home.