There was so much going on in this story I hardly knew where to focus. He threw everything in it except the kitchen sink. A bit too graphic for me but the story was solid. ( )

The worst day of Ken Swift’s life begins with his long-estranged daughter Margaux attempting to blackmail him and continues as he and his best friend Jake Ellis head out on a job as enforcers for crime lord San Bernardino. While the underlying domestic drama and criminal enterprises move the plot, the question of what it means to be black in American truly drives this gripping narrative. Graham perfectly captures the rage and frustration of black experiences in the current social environment and prevailing political attitudes. As pressures mount, Swift and Ellis provide a retrospective of the black experiences in America, discussing people and events from distant history as well as events their own lives. Graham’s voice draws the listener across vast emotional landscapes: from Ellis’ playfully seductions to the gasping struggles of a drowning man and from Swift’s odes to the beauty of black women to deadly clashes with fists or guns. Lives are molded by love and violence. The accents Graham creates are as diverse as the black community in Los Angeles, including Mississippi born Swift and Ghanaian Ellis as well as Ethiopian and British. Graham maintains both the high-octane action and thought-provoking discourse. In the end, the novel showcases how life shapes bad men and wicked women, although understandings of “bad” and “wicked” shift as the truth is revealed.

The improved review was published in Booklist Online in February 20, 2019 issue. ( )

Bad Men and Wicked Women

I Picked Up This Book Because: It’s been a long time since I picked up and EJD book and the cover to this one was irresistible.

The Characters:

Ken Swift:
Jake Ellis, Margaux, several other characters whose importance to the storyline I could not determine

The Story:

This book did more annoying me than entertaining me so I had to call it quits. I wanted to find out what was going on with Margaux, I really did, but I couldn’t take all the stalling. The political rants were distracting. The narrator's incessant yelling as JakeEllis and whispering as one of the female characters grated on my nerves. The fight with KenSwift’s so called girlfriend was the last straw. Really, KenSwift get over the bullshit with the ex. Man up or move on. Oh and I type everyone’s name as one word on purpose because whenever a name is called (except Margaux) it’s said first and last all together, which was just strange.

I would love to find out the conclusion of this book because I think the mystery of Margaux was interesting however I need the cliff notes version.

The Random Thoughts:

DNF so no rating