NPR : Mysteries, Race Intertwine in 'New England White'

re: "All Things Considered, July 12, 2007 · Before he started writing novels, Yale law professor Stephen L. Carter wrote best-selling, nonfiction books about race, religion and politics. /So it wasn't surprising when his first work of fiction — the legal thriller The Emperor of Ocean Park — was packed with sharp and sometimes cutting observations about the same issues. / Carter's second thriller, New England White, also examines a circle of upper-class African Americans. And it, too, focuses on the fictional university town of Elm Harbor... [snip]...Carter talks about the inherent scariness of New England college campuses, the important role of clubs in the social order in what he calls "African America," the difference between thrillers and mysteries, and why he hopes readers consider his book to be both."