Down and Dirty — Gammy L. Singer

Landlord Amos Brown hasn't been nicknamed the Harlem Don for nothing. Ever since he inherited two brownstones from his estranged father, he's taken on the weight of his neighbors' problems, a wrenching habit that makes for sleepless--not to mention solitary--nights. From a dying tenant to a drug addicted single mom to an abandoned child, Amos's gut twists as he sees first hand the ravages of desperation, disease, and poverty in his slice of Harlem. No wonder his last girlfriend broke up with him.

Still, now he can make a difference, instead of being part of the problem. In fact, Amos is finally feeling settled into life as a landlord and finished with a life of crime, when his old friend and mentor, Deacon Steadwell, is accused of murder. Amos is compelled to help the eighty-three-old, who is in jail and ailing. He doesn't have the money to put up bail--but Amos does have his brownstones.

Just his luck, no sooner has he secured Deacon's release than the old man suddenly recovers and disappears--leaving Amos and his property in some serious jeopardy. Amos has no choice but to search for Deacon. It's a journey that nearly gets Amos killed, though he doesn't know why or by whom. To find the answers, he will have to return to the streets and the life he'd left behind, among prostitutes and players, pimps and dealers. And when someone else is murdered, Amos discovers that he is only one part of a much bigger picture--and only one target of a surprising foe that threatens the Harlem he loves. Will he be able to protect it?