Publishers Weekly
07/08/2024
In rapper 50 Cent’s dynamic fiction debut (after the memoir Hustle Smarter, Hustle Harder), Vietnam-vet-turned-thief Desmond Bell breaks into the oldest bank in Texas and steals $2 million in Spanish gold and a slave manifest implicating the Duchamps, one of the Lone Star State’s wealthiest families, as beneficiaries of the transatlantic slave trade. If the details of the document got out, they would tarnish the family’s reputation and torpedo the presidential campaign of scion Corbin Duchamp. Hot on Desmond’s heels is Nia Adams, the first Black woman sworn into the Texas Rangers, who bears her own physical and psychological scars from the line of duty. Meanwhile, the Duchamps have sent sadistic investigator Bartholomew Katz after Desmond in hopes of retrieving their property. Much of the taut narrative is dedicated to Nia and Katz’s pursuit of Desmond, which remains gripping all the way to the bang-up finale. A subplot about a fraternity of thieves who recover priceless artifacts with complex histories nicely sets up a potential sequel. Fans of John Wick–style action thrillers will not be disappointed. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
"Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson's first foray into fiction is a tense, suspenseful event that will keep readers on the edge of their proverbial seats." — S. A. Cosby, New York Times best-selling author of All the Sinners Bleed
Written with the excellent crime fiction veteran Aaron Philip Clark, Jackson’s first work of adult fiction is an assured, classically rendered effort. Though the twisty ending is wobbly and the novel lacks the depth of Southern gothics by Attica Locke and S.A. Cosby, it has its own special qualities—including a soundtrack in which patriotic Vietnamese hymns get swapped on a karaoke machine for the author’s “P.I.M.P. — Kirkus Reviews
“In rapper 50 Cent’s dynamic fiction debut, Vietnam-vet-turned-thief Desmond Bell breaks into the oldest bank in Texas and steals $2 million in Spanish gold. . . . Hot on Desmond’s heels is Nia Adams, the first Black woman sworn into the Texas Rangers. . . .Much of the taut narrative is dedicated to Nia and Katz’s pursuit of Desmond, which remains gripping all the way to the bang-up finale. . . . Fans of John Wick–style action thrillers will not be disappointed.” — Publishers Weekly
“Music artist, actor, producer, and entrepreneur Jackson's multitudes of fans will follow him on his first foray into crime fiction.” — Booklist
Library Journal
08/01/2024
Rapper and entrepreneur Jackson, a.k.a. 50 Cent, has cowritten urban lit titles, a children's book, and, most recently, an autobiography/self-help guide (Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter). This time he joins veteran crime fiction writer Aaron Philip Clark (Blue Like Me) for a mystery. Nia Adams, the first Black woman Texas Ranger, has already retired when her protégé makes a surprise visit with news of a crime that is eerily similar to a decades-old unsolved robbery and homicide that changed the course of Nia's career. Readers go back in time as Nia investigates the crimes while experiencing obstacles and difficulties that often arise for her, a Black woman in a predominantly white and male organization. She must also balance personal relationships with her profession as a Texas Ranger. As she gets closer to solving the crimes, she is faced with decisions that challenge her duties and values of family and safety, and some involve corruption at the highest levels too. VERDICT A unique crime with an appealing motive, great character development, and engrossing storytelling sustain this novel, but loose ends at its finale might not satisfy some readers. Will appeal to fans of Attica Locke, S.A. Cosby, and Joe Lansdale.—George Lichman
Kirkus Reviews
2024-06-15
Desmond Bell, a traumatized Black Vietnam veteran turned professional thief, runs afoul of a powerful Texas family after acquiring proof that it profited from the trans-Atlantic slave trade in this novel by Jackson, aka rapper 50 Cent.
Bell has in his possession a damning slave manifesto, which he lifted along with $2 million in Spanish gold from a hidden safe in an old bank in Waxahachie. His blackmail demands are that the right-wing, oil-rich white Duchamp family pay him $5 million for the document—and cancel shifty son Corbin’s run for president. That puts Bell in the crosshairs of Katz, a nihilistic killer working for the family. Enter Nia Adams, the first Black female Texas Ranger, who has to contend with not only Katz and company but also the underlying bigotry around her. Everyone has secrets. Nia is a closeted lesbian in a long relationship. Bell’s real name is Al Bouchard, which he changed after black-market dealings in Vietnam made him a marked man. After his Vietnamese wife was killed in a car crash that was meant to kill him, he faked his death and that of his daughter, Amara, who also survived the crash, and escaped to the U.S. as Desmond Bell. There, his “atomic” anger and remorse drive him to coldblooded acts of violence that cost him an ally in Nia. Written with the excellent crime fiction veteran Clark, Jackson’s first work of adult fiction is an assured, classically rendered effort. Though the twisty ending is wobbly and the novel lacks the depth of Southern gothics by Attica Locke and S.A. Cosby, it has its own special qualities—including a soundtrack in which patriotic Vietnamese hymns get swapped on a karaoke machine for the author’s “P.I.M.P.”
A satisfying thriller that knows its way around the form.
