Customer Reviews

Damaged Goods

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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

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.

The eminent Alonzo Crane is incarcerated at Marion Federal Penitentiary after a botched robbery ten years prior. The "Committee," comprised of three gangs that run the prisons have asked Crane for his assistance in retrieving something that belongs to them. In return they agreed to grant him his freedom. With still fifteen more years to give, what man in his right mind would refuse?

Harold "Duffy" Andrews, Crane's former cellmate and only ally in the streets has nothing but admiration for "Godfather." Duffy is a small time hustler. He sells dope, jack cars, gang bang, shoplift, steal, forge, and pimp girls. He was more of a perpetrator with big ideas.

Trisha Jean Tyler a.k.a Trixie was more than an investment than anything else to Duffy. Wise beyond her 21 years, Trixie recognizes the inevitable bond that she and Crane share. Willingly she invites the unavoidable.

Crane was hoping that his former crew would be willing to repay the time that he served on their behalf. Instead he was met with resistances. Blackmail and cold hard cash would have to direct their paths.

With plan in place, Crane can no longer hide his feelings for Trixie. Caught up in a web of passion and double cross with crooked inmates, a crooked warden, and crooked guards Crane's survival from day to day becomes shorter.

Damaged Goods is a creative, action-packed drama that will have readers trying to predict what will happen. Very engaging read.


Reviewed by: Crystal

Ten years ago, Alonzo "Motion Picture Bank Robber" Crane was sentenced by a court to spend twenty-five years to life behind bars for his planning and leadership of a failed Thomas Crown Affair imitation bank robbery. However, the Marion Federal Penitentiary Warden Cranford "The Speaker" Moffett offers Crane a chance for freedom. If he steals a steamer trunk from the top floor of a Los Angeles hotel, Moffett will get him a new identity and ergo a new life. However, this is not a simple B&E as the Department of Justice has the trunk under surveillance by armed feds.

On the outside for the first time in a decade, but under close scrutiny, Crane recruits his former cellmate Duffy to help him get the old crowd back together for the heist. While struggling to adjust to a wired world, Crane meets Duffy's girlfriend Trixie. As Crane and Trixie begin making moves on one another, violent prone Duffy becomes angrier by the moment; the triangle jeopardizing the plan in which Crane hides the final act from everyone expecting no honor among thieves.

DAMAGED GOODS is a fast-paced crime thriller in which honor is tossed aside as an unnecessary evil by the key players, who each has their own agenda. Crane is a fabulous protagonist holding the action-packed story line together as the star. Filled with twists caused by treachery as no one trusts anyone else, fans of dark urban noir thrillers focusing on criminal behavior will feel Roland Jefferson provides terrific goods; now for that movie.

Harriet Klausner

I was blown away by Roland Jefferson latest book,One Night Stand, so I had to come back and order Damaged Goods. I didn't care about the reviews and ratings, I just wanted the book! RJ's writing makes you feel as though you're watching a movie instead of reading a book. He's VERY descriptive and his characters always stand out whether they're good or bad. His writing is colorful and pulls you into his story til the last word on the last page!

This story is about a man (Crane) that's offered to get out of prison after only doing ten years of his 25 years to life sentence for a bank robbery. The warden has made him a deal: get the trunk out of its hiding place and to me without the FEDS catching you and you'll get your freedom. The trunk isn't any ole trunk.,,,the contents is worth millions! Sounds sweet, right? You'll have to order this book to find out if Crane takes the deal for a chance of freedom and if he does, does he make it out alive?

HIGHLY recommended!!!!

From beginning to end I stayed captivated page after page. I am very familiar
with the author's limitless talents having read three of his five books, and I was not at all surprised that Damaged Goods kept me turning the pages. This novel in steaming hot and envelops you from the very first page. I felt like I was there with the characters, sharing in their anger, pain, lust and every other emotion in between. Five star book, five star story.

Read this book in 1 day. Characters are not glitzy, what you see is what you get. Real people with real problems and real jail time.

Doing 25 years in prison for a failed bank job, Alonzo Crane is allowed back on the street by the prison warden to go steal a secret cargo from the Dept of Justice. (Oh, of course!) He tries to go back and put together a gang that will be able to overcome a heavily guarded building. The plot, such as it is, gets muddier when he develops a crush on his buddy's cokehead girlfriend. If you think that that's contrived and over-simplified, stay tuned if you can. I found this something that would appeal to someone without a high school diploma.