Lee Meadow’s debut novel, Silent Conspiracy, joins the ranks of other African American mystery writers whose chronicles deal with the social landscaping of African Americans in post World War II. His book also exemplifies the recent Renaissance in Black Fiction dealing with the mystery genre. In the tradition of Walter Mosley, Silent Conspiracy is a mystery, with social commentary at its helm.

Starting with the opening character, Erotica, who, as her name implies, is a vamp on a mission, the reader is taken on an odyssey through a memorable cast of characters. Lincoln Keller, the protagonist, is young, hip, and part of the professional, downshifting movement. He left his job as a police officer in Oakland, CA, to return to his home town in Detroit, as a private investigator. He had been a former Raider football player, as well, and presumably exposed to the ‘finer things in life.’ He now leads a modest lifestyle, but one which is more fulfilling. As a microcosm of society at large, Lincoln Keller reflects the same movement of urban Black professionals who have evolved from the materialism of the 80’s to the humanism of the 90’s.

Silent Conspiracy is an allegory with symbolic meanings. Lincoln Keller is on a literal journey to solve a 40-year old mystery about The Sentiments, a missing Black singing group from the ‘50’s. But on a spiritual level, he is on an age-old quest for self-knowledge. In the mythical tradition of Ulysses, Lincoln Keller is taken on an up-and-down roller coaster ride as he rambles through social strata ranging from the ritzy Palmwoods to the underbelly of the Black Bottom in Detroit. His life is endangered more than once as he cracks open a Pandora's box of old secrets.

One secret involves a white woman whose dead body was last seen in the alley with the legendary singing group, The Sentiments. The social context of this mystery parallels with a repressive period in history when McCarthyism was at its height, and Emmet Till’s murder was fresh on the (un)conscience of the Nation. After that night in question, without a trace, the singing group disappeared from the scene. It is Lincoln Keller’s job to try to piece together the puzzle as to what happened to the singers and to the missing body.

Silent Conspiracy also uses Rhythm and Blues as a metaphor for music being the universal language of man, as well as a part of the rhythm and flow of life. Not only does the book pay homage to the early Black singing groups, this mystery makes a social statement. R and B music, and these unsung heroes, are as much a part of Americana as apple pie! This novel is a story of profound social consciousness in that it sheds light on the wrongs done to the early artists, who often never saw a payday, yet whose music is still being used in many movies today!

Sure to be around a long time, Lincoln Keller will probably land in the "Scotland Yard" Hall of fame for Black fictional private investigators.