Vulture

The legendary poet and musician’s debut novel is “an impressively crafted urban noir . . . like an early forerunner of The Wire” (The Independent).

Known as the “godfather of rap” and an innovator of spoken-word soul music with songs like The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, Gil Scott-Heron wrote his first novel, The Vulture, while he was still a student at Lincoln University. First published to critical acclaim in 1970, it offers “a fascinating portrait of late 60s New York” with the same heart, wit, and urgent social commentary expressed in his music (Mojo).

The Vulture is a hip and fast-moving thriller, set in lower Manhattan. It relates the strange story of the murder of a teenage boy called John Lee—told through the words of four men who knew him when he was just another kid working after school, hanging out, waiting for something to happen.

“A tense and intriguing murder mystery.” —Mojo

“An artist who has crafted witty but crucial insights for Black America.” —The Washington Post