Damaged Goods: A Novel [Hardcover]

Roland S. Jefferson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 19, 2005

Notorious Alonzo Crane had been dubbed "The Motion Picture Bank Robber" by the press because he modeled a bank robbery after a Steve McQueen movie he'd seen...except that he got caught. The authorities offered Crane a deal if he'd roll over on his accomplices but he refused -- and got twenty-five years to life.

Ten years into his sentence, Crane is offered a chance to leave prison when a corrupt warden, in league with a prison gang, gives him a secret assignment. If Crane can pull it off, his prison record will be wiped clean. Now all he has to do is enlist the help of former cellmate Duffy, a small-time hustler with big-time ideas, and Trixie, Duffy's gorgeous girlfriend with a cocaine habit and a nose for trouble. And if Crane can successfully mimic the plot of an action film he's seen, this time he might stand a chance....

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

If locomotives were still in vogue, movie--inspired felon Crane would have patterned his heist after The Great Train Robbery. Instead, The Thomas Crown Affair provided the impetus for the theft that made him famous--and sentenced him to 25 years in jail. Ten years in, the corrupt warden and prison gang leaders make Crane an offer he can't refuse: he'll get his freedom if he successfully completes a high-stakes burglary. To pull it off, Crane pulls together his old team of accomplished accomplices, including Duffy, a jive-talkin' pimp and drug dealer, and the voluptuous Trixie, Duffy's former main moneymaker and current main squeeze, although not for long, as Trixie plans to squirm out of Duffy's grasp and into Crane's heart. There's honor among thieves, however, but much as Crane tries his best to resist Trixie, his best might not be good enough. Like the movies that motivate Crane, Jefferson's edgy, jazzy, offbeat romantic caper-action thriller has film adaptation written all over it. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Fast paced...Roland Jefferson has crafted an L.A. mean streets winner."

--Robert Greer, author of Heat Shock

"Roland Jefferson has fashioned a great American heist novel as thrilling as it is entertaining."

--Valerie Wilson Wesley, author of Dying in the Dark and A Tamara Hayle Mystery

"Roland Jefferson's Damaged Goods is delivered in crisp, snappy dialogue, an exciting pace, and a plot loaded with surprises. Reading it is like enjoying a suspense-filled movie."

--Herb Boyd, author of We Shall Overcome and Pound for Pound

"Step from the straight-and-narrow onto the crooked path laid down by Roland Jefferson in Damaged Goods where everybody has an angle to play; where the biggest thieves have name plaques on their desks; and roll with a cast of desperate characters caught up in a caper that might net them some phat bank or a guest appearance at the morgue."

--Gary Phillips, co-editor of the Cocaine Chronicles --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Atria; 1ST edition (April 19, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743268865
• ISBN-13: 978-0743268868
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,045,914 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Roland S. Jefferson was born in Washington, DC but moved to Los Angeles at 6 years of age. He began writing during his college years at the University of Southern California where he received his BA degree. He then relocated to Washington DC where he matriculated at Howard University for graduate medical education. He then did a two year stint as a medical officer in the U.S. Air Force where he continued writing book and film reviews. After military service he penned his first novel, the highly acclaimed SCHOOL ON 103RD STREET now considered a classic canon in African American political fiction. Thirty five years and six novels later Roland S. Jefferson continues to write about edgy and provocative characters set in contemporary fiction with a touch of political reality, sexual inuendo and mystery.
For more on this author go to: www.rolandsjefferson.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is Anyone Ever Really Free, August 8, 2005

By 

Marian E. "www.bettmarr.com" (Central Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Damaged Goods: A Novel (Hardcover)

Due to a botched bank robbery, the notorious Alonzo Crane finds himself doing twenty-five years in federal prison. Dubbed the "The Motion Picture Bank Robber," has earned Crane not only props, but also the recognition of some of the deadliest cliques known within the prison system.
Ten years into his sentence, in league with the prison gangs the warden summons Crane to his office where he is then propositioned by every attending gang member to retrieve a mysterious and heavily guarded streamer trunk. If Crane is able to pull off his assignment it means his freedom, if not it could mean his death.
With his life on the line, Crane devises a ploy to enlist the aid of his ruthless former partners in crime, who no longer feel any particular alliance to him. To pique their interest and regain their loyalty, Crane assures them that the heist he is planning will yield millions. Does Crane himself have his doubts that he can see himself out of this tight spot? You are inclined to believe so when one of the first things he purchases is a cemetery plot complete with coffin. Crane is definitely playing a game of Russian roulette, but is he destined to lose?
Not that I was not interested in the characters themselves and curious to find out how their story would end, more often than not, I found myself distracted, marveling at Mr. Jefferson's skillful use of words. There is a power in his style that I do not often see. His prose is not melodic, but still the same, the words have been carefully chosen to compliment one another. Urban literature would not be my first choice when curling up with a book, but I so enjoyed Mr. Jefferson's style that I intend to read his other works.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars When old-school meets hip-hop, March 14, 2004

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Damaged Goods (Hardcover)

In DAMAGED GOODS, Alonzo Crane is ten years into a 25-to-life sentence he received for his part in a foiled bank robbery. This old-school gangster is considered by his peers to have an astute criminal mind. Because of his criminal smarts, he receives an unexpected chance to leave the corrupt federal penitentiary and start a new life. The cost of his freedom is the retrieval of a trunk for the warden. There is only one hitch; federal agents are guarding the trunk. The job requires a brilliant plan and help from some of his former associates he didn?t roll over on and he expects them to ante up.

Crane turns to Duffy, a former cellmate, to help him set things up for his release from prison and track down those old friends. When Crane finally meets up with Duffy, he realizes just how much things have changed in ten years. He also meets Trixie, Duffy?s very good-looking white girlfriend who has a desire to improve her circumstances. As Crane puts his plan in action, things start to heat up between him and Trixie under Duffy?s watchful eyes. Crane doesn?t count on falling for the white girl, nor does he count on being double-crossed.

Roland Jefferson?s fourth novel is an explosive urban crime drama with enough twists and turns to keep your attention. He tells a very convincing story about a man wanting his freedom so bad that he would do the unthinkable. The novel contained a good dose of danger, treachery and love. Jefferson's characters are real, the action is tense and his writing is sinuous. This was an enjoyable read and one that I would recommend.

Reviewed by Brenda M. Lisbon
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating from the first page, June 13, 2006

By 

Zane "NY Times Bestselling Author" (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Damaged Goods: A Novel (Hardcover)

I thought this novel was provocative from the beginning to the end. I love books that show how greed and lust rule the lives of so many people. This book explored that natural behavior and the author did a fantastic job with character development and making a complicated storyline seem easy to write. Kudos to him.