National Network for Equitable Library Service

In this electrifying novel, Richard Price, the author of Clockers and a writer on The Wire, gives us razor-sharp anatomy of an ever-changing Harlem. East Harlem, 2008. In an instant, a five-story tenement collapses into a fuming hill of rubble, pancaking the cars parked in front and coating the street with a thick layer of ash. As the city's rescue services and media outlets respond, the surrounding neighborhood descends into chaos. At day's end, six bodies are recovered, but many of the other tenants are missing.

In the little city of Flint, MI, the good die young and the people left standing are the grimiest of characters. With reign over the city's drug trade, Benjamin Atkins made sure that his precious daughter, Raven, was secluded from the grit that the city had to offer. But when Raven's young heart gets claimed by Mizan, a stick-up kid in search of a come-up, there's nothing Benjamin can do about losing her to the streets. She chooses love over loyalty and runs off with Mizan, but her new role as wifey soon proves to be more than she can handle.

Things in life are never for certain, but one thing that will always be a constant is the love between star-crossed Couture and Khari. Couture Yates has always followed life's rules by the book, never once rebelling until she met Khari Compton—the handsome but tortured young boy who immediately stole her heart, only to misuse and abuse it time and time again. Nothing or no one could ever pry her from his grasp, not even his own mother, until tragedy struck, changing the course of her and Khari's lives as they knew it.

The day Lisara Compton caught her husband in a compromising position changed her life in a way neither she nor her sons ever saw coming. Realizing too late that divorcing him would cause a domino effect of turmoil, she is now forced into an uncomfortable life that she can't seem to stay afloat in. With her eldest son acting out and a nonexistent ex-husband, Lisara feels things can't get any worse. That's until her ex betrays her and their son in a way that leaves her in need like never before. It seems she just can't catch a break—until she meets him.

Scotland Craig had an easy and somewhat privileged life until she traded it all in for the love of a thug. The sheltered beauty had no idea what she signed up for, finding herself trapped in a loveless and abusive relationship years later, and with no one to turn to. Isolated from family and friends because of the one man she thought would be her happily ever after, Scotland is depressed, broke, and a shell of the woman she used to be. But when her man does the unthinkable, it is the last straw, causing Scotland to make a huge gamble in the name of revenge.

Presley Evans has been labeled as promiscuous ever since she was a teenager and it has unfortunately followed her into adulthood. Being painted as someone she isn't, for as long as she can remember, has taken a toll on the young beauty, numbing her whole being. Couple that with the hurtful secrets she's harboring from the world, no one would blame her for her desensitized attitude.

Analicia Chase at one point had it all, a great family and a loving, talented boyfriend. But with the death of her father coming shortly after the loss of her boyfriend's dream, along with his usual tenacity, and a recently developed strained relationship with her sister, things have been rough. They only worsen when a stranger comes into her life, throwing it completely off course. With everything around Analicia crumbling by the day, defeat begins to consume her. That is, until she's given an offer she can't refuse ... but should.

Tracy Brown crafts a tale about a master manipulator and serial survivor, who will scorch earth to get what she wants. The question isn't who murdered her; the question is who wouldn't? Brooklyn Melody James has finally gotten the punishment she deserves after leaving a web of lies, heartache, and betrayal behind her. As her life slips away, Brooklyn remembers the events that shaped her into the cold, calculating creature she became. Brooklyn learned the art of hustling from her parents who used the church to get money.