Skip to main content

The Great Mistake

Review

The Great Mistake

Andrew Haswell Green, a prominent lawyer, New York City planner and civic leader, has been murdered. The killer is known, but the motive for this shocking crime is a complete mystery. Why would anyone want to kill the man who was responsible for Central Park, the New York Public Library, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Natural History, and the Bronx Zoo?

"[D]escriptive text, well-rounded characters and an intriguing storyline make THE GREAT MISTAKE well worth reading."

The culprit, a Black man named Cornelius Williams, is apprehended almost immediately after shooting Green at point-blank range, as witnessed by several people in the vicinity at the time. Following his arrest, the reason Williams gives for committing this brutal act makes no sense to anyone but himself. He claims that he was forced to kill Green in order to preserve a woman’s honor. But when those in Green’s orbit are questioned, they have no idea who this mysterious female is and what her relationship to him might have been.

Author Jonathan Lee takes readers back in time and brings history to life. The story is told from multiple points of view, and he seamlessly weaves in bits from the past that help explain the present. My only issue is that Lee doesn’t use quotation marks or any other type of punctuation to indicate that someone is speaking, which makes the narrative somewhat difficult to follow at times.

Nevertheless, descriptive text, well-rounded characters and an intriguing storyline make THE GREAT MISTAKE well worth reading. I am tempted to go back and read Lee’s previous books: WHO IS MR. SATOSHI?, JOY and HIGH DIVE, the latter of which appeared on numerous best books of the year lists in 2016. His latest novel deserves to enjoy this level of success and hopefully will.

Reviewed by Christine M. Irvin on June 18, 2021

The Great Mistake
by Jonathan Lee

  • Publication Date: May 17, 2022
  • Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction
  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage
  • ISBN-10: 0593081013
  • ISBN-13: 9780593081013