East Harlem, 2008. In an instant, a five-story tenement collapses into a fuming hill of rubble, pancaking the cars parked in front and coating the street with a thick layer of ash. As the city's rescue services and media outlets respond, the surrounding neighborhood descends into chaos. At day's end, six bodies are recovered, but many of the other tenants are missing.
Anthony Carter--whose miraculous survival, after being buried for days beneath tons of brick and stone, transforms him into a man with a message and a passionate sense of mission.

Firstly, this is a well written book although it is full of slang, much of which I don’t understand but can guess with the context. But it’s very choppy and has so many characters, many of whom are totally unnecessary. It’s my first book by this author and although he seems well reviewed I don’t think I’ll be rushing to find others. I just found it a hard read.

It took me a while to get into this, which I requested after it made the #ToBlonglist. I hadn‘t read the blurb and assumed that the book was about the titular Lazarus Man, pulled out of the rubble of a collapsed NYC building after several days.

It turns out it‘s also about 3 other characters indirectly involved in the incident as well and, once I realised this, the narrative became less disjointed and I started to enjoy it.

3.5 stars

A building collapses, people die. Others continue their lives, one man is "resurrected ". Great representation of a community, sadness and humour and gritty realism.

Lazarus Man is the long overdue latest novel from Richard Price,one of my favourite authors, and as always the characters and location form as large a part of the narrative as the actual plot. When you read a Richard Price book you feel as if you know his characters personally and have walked the streets of his invariably edgy locations.

In the changing East Harlem of 2008 a tenement building suddenly collapses,amidst chaos , panic and wild theories. 6 bodies are found and world-weary detective Mary Roe is tasked with tracking down the missing.funeral director Royal Davis swoops vulture-like onto the scene in an attempt to save his ailing business and young photographer and filmmaker Felix Pearl sees opportunities to make a name for himself . The Lazarus Man of the title is Anthony Carter,miraculously surviving after being buried for days beneath the rubble who embarks on an almost messianic mission to inspire and comfort others.

The plot line could be told in a couple of sentences but it's almost incidental to Price's insights into his complex and believable characters,with the changing East Harlem of the era being one of them. In lesser hands the conclusion of one major thread of the story would be a massive anti-climax, the book is so much better,and different, for its eventual resolution.

An excellent read for those who enjoy something more cerebral than action-packed,something insightful that will have them thinking about what they've read for a long time after finishing ......not least the final few paragraphs which I'm sure will touch a lot of people.