Expertly evoking black life in the South in the late 1920s, The Mitt Man begins with the picaresque tale of a small-time New Orleans hustler named King Fish. This man is better at preaching than picking pockets, and it is getting caught while trying to lift the wallet of a wealthy white man that sets him on the path to his destiny(a complex road that leads him from the pavement to the pulpit and, ultimately, to the penitentiary. Once in jail, King Fish meets a brash young slickster from New York named Jimmie Lamar. King Fish decides that Jimmie is the perfect pupil for his lessons in the art of the con game(and together they devise a brilliant swindle for Jimmie to take to the streets of Harlem. But when he arrives in New York, young Jimmie gets much more than he bargained for. . . .

Set in the world of gospel choirs and chain gangs, echoing with the cadences of Elmer Gantry and Father Divine, this extraordinary book explores the dodgy realm where grifters get religion, reverends get rich, and a perfect scam might just pay off in salvation.

The main character in the story is King Fish, who starts out as a small time hustler. After trying to pick the wrong White man's pocket, King Fish's life is changed forever. As his friendship grew and his mistrust faded, King Fish develops a unique relationship with the man he had been trying to rob and found himself giving up his con games and becoming the Pastor of a growing African American Church. But is he sincere about his changed life or is this just another con?

King Fish falls in love, marries, and settles into the life of a Pastor. But then a series of tragic events land him in jail with a life sentence. While in jail, he meets Jimmie Lamar, a hustler from New York that pulled a successful con on the wrong men. Although much younger than King Fish, Jimmie Lamar has had a difficult life, never knowing his father and trying to care for his alcoholic mother. At 18, he has dropped out of college and moved to Harlem where he quickly learned how easy it is to make money if you know the right game.

The two men form a special bond that changes both of their lives forever. The greatest struggles the men face are the search for identity, love, acceptance, God and what it means to be a man. Each of them searches for a sense of inner peace and meaning and the book guides you through this journey. First time novelist Mel Taylor has put together an exquisite and enjoyable literary work. His rich language and detailed characterization will have you feeling for the characters while drawing you into the era in which the book takes place. At times I felt the story was dragging and had unnecessary details, however, as I continued to read I would understand why the details were important. This is an excellent effort and I look forward to Taylor's future works. And if you don't know what a Mitt Man is, then check out the book to find out!

Reviewed by Stacey Seay


Heartfelt and powerfully written   April 13, 2001
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

With THE MITT MAN, Mel Taylor has authored a first novel as rich and resonant as the early Baldwin and the contemporary works of Wideman. In large part, it is two interdependent stories linked by commonalities in the personalities of the protagonists, James 'Kingfish' Cook, a small time Louisiana hustler, and Jimmie Lamar, a younger northern image of the former.

The stories commence with Kingfish during the 1920s as he runs through women, liquor and card games while he pursues the next mark, who turns out to be Reverend Malcolm Cage, but not the easy pickings his drunken demeanor seemed to indicate. Saved only by his wits and a proclivity for quotation of biblical verse, Kingfish inadvertently touches a soft spot in the cagy old reverend. He soon becomes the reverend's negro protege, receiving instruction in the greatest con of them all, religion. Kingfish learns well and quickly; he establishes his own burgeoning congregation but the South being the South in the 20's and 30s, not even a man of the presumptive cloth is safe from the ravages of racism, subjugation and perfidy, when the white man does not recognize the negroes' right to honor, pride and self-respect.

Kingfish is destined to spend life on the prison farm, where he meets Jimmie Lamar, the urbane northern hustler who plied his trade in the wrong backwater southern town - which would have been anywhere since his marks where white - and found himself serving a stretch on the chain gang. Kingfish sees much of himself in the younger Jimmie, he decides to ensure his legacy by teaching Jimmie all he knows of the religious con, a new angle the absorbant young man can manipulate on the streets of Harlem, as the adductive Father Lamar.

The ultimate con game takes unexpected turns, resulting in unforeseen outcomes for Jimmie, and the reader.

THE MITT MAN with its moving stories and delicately crafted prose belies Mr. Taylor's first novel status. This a book demanding more attention from a much larger audience.


favorable   April 18, 2000
 1 out of 3 found this review helpful

I really enjoyed this book.It was "on the money".I was really surprised that Mr. Taylor is a first time writer.The characters were both depressing and delightful.I was impressed with the writing style and the way the characters were bound together.I am looking forward to the next book by this author.


Moved by The Mitt Man   December 26, 1999
 2 out of 3 found this review helpful

An excellent book that exercised various emotions from laughing, crying, anger, and heartache. The book is actually two books focusing on two men who encounter one another. The historical setting in which this tale of Black Americans is set is somewhat depressing, but it kept me engaged due to the unpredictablity of the story. I'm searching for additional books by Mel Taylor.


One of the best books I have read in a long time.   April 13, 1999
 1 out of 2 found this review helpful

It's an interesting book about grifters, hustlers, scams, flim-flams, race relations, God, religion, and redemption. It's about southern Louisiana in the 1920s and 30s, and about Harlem in the 1940s and 50s. Taylor brings some interesting insights into all of the above. Well written with a lots of interesting characters. I found it to be a compelling book that was hard to put down. I hope Taylor writes another.