July 9, 2001
First-timer Jones travels deep into the drug-fueled underworld of a grim urban Philadelphia in this energetic novel, a neo-noir voyage into violence and injustice. When a popular Puerto Rican city councilman with a stellar anti-corruption record is shot dead in a Philly crack house in September 1992, a citywide manhunt begins. The targets of the hunt are four luckless crack addicts, innocent but doomed by association and reputation. The down-and-out addict and petty thief Leroy was on the scene, along with his sort-of girl, Pookie. Desperate, he turns to his sharper pal Black for help, who in turn involves Clarisse, a still-employed nurse who has only recently turned to crack. The cops pursue all four, looking to wrap the case up fast and easy (while concealing a secret plot of their own). Going back and forth between characters, hunters and hunted, Jones produces a mix like Dragnet
meets Chester Himes, stamped by his own experience on the streets. The chase is compelling, but even more involving is the way Jones slowly reveals each character's story, presenting in convincing and heartbreaking detail how each was sucked into dead-end addiction. Clarisse and Black's romance and redemption is too neatly conceived, but this is a promising debut effort. Jones clearly has the stuff to become a major chronicler of the mean streets. Agent, Victoria Saunders. (July 31)Forecast:Jones's own story—he escaped addiction to become a journalist and is currently a staff writer at the
Philadelphia Weekly—is as compelling as his strong first novel, and a seven-city author tour should bring the book to readers' attention.
March 1, 2001
The new Strivers Row imprint, which focuses on African American literature, has proven to be wildly successful. Titles have been routinely selling 25,000 copies, a goodly number for a specialized trade paperback line. So it is no surprise that this debut, which opens with the murder of an important Philadelphia politician in a crack house, is slated for a 30,000-copy first printing.
Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from May 1, 2001
Everett Black and his partner, Leroy, work Philadelphia's hard streets with the sole objective of scoring crack and getting high. After Black leaves the crack house du jour to rob a nearby construction site, Leroy settles in to enjoy a few caps. There is some uneasiness because a new player who obviously doesn't belong has joined the group. He's better dressed, clean, and seems as uncomfortable with the regulars as they are with him. There's a dispute over protocol--author Jones clearly knows the intricate rituals of crack-house life--a scuffle ensues, shots are fired, and the newcomer is dead. Leroy and a street hooker known only as Pookie pull some cash and a gun from the dead man and split before the cops arrive. The fear of capture and the effect of the drugs result in a cop being shot before the pair hooks up with Black, who takes them to the apartment of an old classmate, Clarisse, for temporary asylum. The death of a crackhead is not normally a police priority, but the dead man is Councilman Johnny Podres, a mayoral aspirant. Suddenly, the three dopers are in serious jeopardy. Their street smarts are put to the test as they try to stay a step ahead of the cops and figure a way out of this mess. Capture and a trial follow, as Black struggles to reclaim his life. Jones, a staff writer for " Philadelphia Weekly," offers a shocking, visceral portrayal of the crackhead's world--a nightmare of desperate need, constant despair, and hovering death. This powerful, mature first novel stretches the boundaries of crime fiction far beyond the confines of formula.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)