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.)