Lemon City

by Elaine Meryl Brown

In this wry fiction debut, Elaine Meryl Brown plunges lucky readers into a gripping narrative of small-town hijinks and big-time hearts.

Rule Number Never marry an Outsider. If you do, the boll weevil will bite you back. Rule Number If you can’t be honest, you might as well be dead.

Nestled in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge mountains, Lemon City has ten rules, all designed in the best interests of its tight-knit black community. Granddaddy Dunlap knows all too well what can happen to folks who venture beyond Lemon City’s protective borders. He once had to venture outside town to identify his best friend’s body. So when his firebrand granddaughter Faye, returns from college married to an Outsider, he must act fast to keep her in Lemon City’s safe embrace.

It proves to be a challenge–and not just because the patriarch is distracted by the tensions arising from the heated tomato-growing contest for the annual county fair. Faye’s new husband, Harry, is a slick talker with a roving eye. Faye sees him as her ticket to New York City, where she hopes to fulfill big business dreams, but even the best-laid plans can be thwarted, as Faye discovers that marriage itself isn’t much of a honeymoon. No matter. She packs her bags, fully prepared to head north with or without her husband, when Harry turns up dead. Now the Dunlap family is trying to figure out–before the Thanksgiving turkey gets cold–who did the deed.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

260 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

RHONDA JOY MCLEAN is Deputy General Counsel of Time Inc. and former Assistant Regional Director of the Northeast Region of the Federal Trade Commission. A graduate of Yale Law School, she served as chair of its alumni association, which has more than 10,000 members, and was recently elected to its fund board of directors. In 2007, McLean was chosen as one of The Network Journals 25 Influential Black Women in Business. Born in Chicago, IL and reared in Smithfield, NC, McLean is a classically trained pianist and mezzo-soprano. She performs sacred music with chorales throughout the New York metropolitan area, where she resides."

Reviews

[Aalaiyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

🍋 Lemon City is every Black person’s dream — to live in a society among us! This kind of context sets the tone for the novel. It expands on the idea that we feed each other and that the community is only as strong as its people.

I love how the author focuses on understanding the characters, because it allows you to grasp the family dynamics that shape this bubble of a community where the story takes place.

Now, “The Rules” gives it this creepy, cult-like vibe… but hey, there was a murder? 🫣 I loved the ending to this story — I definitely recommend it.

[Cheryl Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another goodread.

This story was very relatable. I enjoyed the building of the story. The characters were relatable to my African-American heritage. I enjoy reading more and more stories about our problems.

[Paula Schumm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone has a reason to dislike Harry in this quaint murder mystery novel. When he shows up dead, there are many suspects. His wife Faye takes the chance to leave town and join the Civil Rights Movement which in turn brings her right back home. Recommended.

[Phyllis | Mocha Drop · Rating 4 out of 5]

riginally founded by light-skinned ("high yellow, lemon" colored) former slaves, Lemon City, Virginia is cleaver backdrop for Brown's moralistic, social messages. The quirky self-contained and self-educated residents live by a set of 10 rules (upheld as stringently as the Ten Commandments) designed to protect and insolate their residents from the ills of the outside world and its awful sins. The rules are simple:

1. Never marry an outsider. If you do, the boll weevil will bite you back.
2. If you cannot be honest, you might as well be dead.
3. Airing your dirty laundry out in the street will smell up the neighborhood.
4. Do not let the Mojo lady know you got troubles. If you do, she'll give you more.
5. Cheating makes you lower than a dog scratching up a worm in the dirt.
6. What goes around will always come back around and hit you in the head.
7. Help those in need and never judge them by the holes in their socks.
8. Do business at home first, then with outsiders you can invite into your home, as a last resort.
9. Mind your business personally and professionally.
10. Support the community in every way possible and imaginable.

However, during the early 1970's, after generations of peace and prosperity, one of the town's youngest and most prominent residents, Faye Dunlap, acts on desires to become part of something bigger and attends college outside of Lemon City (much to the townsfolk dislike). She embraces the Black Power movement and marries an Outsider (breaking the #1 rule) as ticket out of Lemon City. This sets off a domino effect of events that upsets the delicate balance of Lemon City; every rule is broken with disastrous results. Faye's husband ends up dead and everyone in her immediate family is a suspect. Her hidden agenda is exposed and she must make some tough decisions.

This is a funny, witty, engaging tale about conformity, family love and values, and a sense of community and reciprocity. Brown sprinkles country wisdom and homespun love in the dialogue and evolution of the characters. Plenty of lessons learned can be garnered from this book.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not really a mystery, as the author just borrows the structure of a mystery to tell the story of a family during the burgeoning Black Power movement. Lemon City is an all-black town with an extremely tight knit community facilitated by The Rules. The Rules include never leaving and never accepting outsiders. Faye marries a dog of a guy from New York just so she can have an excuse for heading North where she can join the Black Power movement. By the time he turns up dead, the only regret anyone has is that maybe one of them will have to go to prison for finally giving him what he deserves.

This is a light, quick read with charming characters.

[Thea Marquetta · Rating 3 out of 5]

loved the message and storyline, but it wasn't the best written book I've read. the story line jumped around a lot without a lot of warning. sometimes it took a while to realize which timeline we were on.

[Adrienna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am willing to read the sequel, it was okay read.

[Donna Pence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish there were 2 1/2 stars.

[Tesia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice quick read.

[Deb2readsandreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book.