A raw and often brilliant crime story.
Debut author Etchie presents a modern novel of redemption that focuses on a young artist trying to transcend a life of brutal violence.
Although still in college, Tosan “Tos” Mayuku’s reputation for terror precedes him. It’s 2004, and he’s a former leader of a Nigerian group of militant youths known as the Warri Vanguard. Tos is now known as the “Don” of a ruthless gang known as the Black Owls. However, Tos is like many young men of his community, coming of age in a culture of corruption in which male youth are used as pawns in a war for power and resources. He also has a rare artistic gift, capturing on canvas the blood-soaked reality of his community. Although this talent is hidden from the world, he gets the chance to take a new path in life when he saves a fellow student named Akpoebi “Ebi” Dabiri from a campus assault. Ebi, the daughter of a political minister, connects Tos with an American art dealer who offers him a new life in New York City. But it turns out that the Black Owls’ enemies are hidden in plain sight, and the romantic relationship Tos begins with Ebi places a bounty on his head. The chaos that follows threatens Tos’ very soul, revealing just how far he will go to protect those he loves. Etchie offers an intricate story of survival that’s gripping from the first page. Its meticulous research helps to make the narrative utterly immersive, and although it’s quite lengthy at more than 650 pages, readers may find it nearly impossible to put down. The fast-paced work provides rich details and modern memento mori, including parallels between the fast-living Nigerian youth and slain American rappers Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur. Although many characters die, some find their paths to brighter futures. The juxtaposition of petroleum-fueled violence with the oil paint of Tos’ art reminds readers that, even in the darkest corners of the soul, the light of love can shine.
A raw and often brilliant crime story.Pub Date: June 26, 2022
ISBN: 9781663240880
Page Count: 672
Publisher: iUniverse
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Have tissues ready as you read this. A small package will do.
A love story about a life of second chances.
In Nassau, in the Bahamas, casino detective Vincent LaPorta grills Alfie Logan, who’d come up a winner three times in a row at the roulette table and walked away with $2 million. “How did you do it?” asks the detective. Alfie calmly denies cheating. You wired all the money to a Gianna Rule, LaPorta says. Why? To explain, Alfie produces a composition book with the words “For the Boss, to Be Read Upon My Death” written on the cover. Read this for answers, Alfie suggests, calling it a love story. His mother had passed along to him a strange trait: He can say “Twice!” and go back to a specific time and place to have a do-over. But it only works once for any particular moment, and then he must live with the new consequences. He can only do this for himself and can’t prevent anyone from dying. Alfie regularly uses his power—failing to impress a girl the first time, he finds out more about her, goes back in time, and presto! She likes him. The premise is of course not credible—LaPorta doesn’t buy it either—but it’s intriguing. Most people would probably love to go back and unsay something. The story’s focus is on Alfie’s love for Gianna and whether it’s requited, unrequited, or both. In any case, he’s obsessed with her. He’s a good man, though, an intelligent person with ordinary human failings and a solid moral compass. Albom writes in a warm, easy style that transports the reader to a world of second chances and what-ifs, where spirituality lies close to the surface but never intrudes on the story. Though a cynic will call it sappy, anyone who is sick to their core from the daily news will enjoy this escape from reality.
Have tissues ready as you read this. A small package will do.Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780062406682
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
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