New York City

Much of the novel takes place in New York City. Seth and Carter live together in New York City after graduating from college. There, they meet JumpJim, and soon after, Carter is found beaten unconscious in a dangerous Bronx neighborhood. In the 1950s, Jim worked for the new York Herald Tribune and met Chester Bly there. Bly eventually died in a mysterious fire in his New York apartment after stealing the Charlie Shaw record from miss Alberta.

Jackson, Mississippi

Jackson is the capital and most populous city of the state of Mississippi. Charlie Shaw once visited Jackson in order to record music in a studio there. However, he was arrested for accidentally wandering into a white neighborhood, and he was forced to provide free physical labor to the Wallace family. When Seth visits Jackson, he becomes possessed by Shaw’s spirit and stabs Cornelius Wallace to...