Customer Reviews

Dirty Game

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I WAS a huge fan of Shannon Holmes, until this book came out. It's very hard to believe the same person who wrote B-More Careful wrote this book. The book seemed rushed, you could not really feel what the character was going through. It was like a story that has been told a thousand times, but with no effort. And the end.....I was thinking WTF. Please do not tell me this is the end. I read all of this to end up with an conclusion like this. Whack. Even the beginning was boring when they talked about Destiny's mom and dad.

SORRY SHANNON HOLMES FANS I CAN NOT BELIVE SHANNON WROTE DIRTY GAMES IF SO IT WAS A DIRTY TRICK TO MAKE ME BELIVE HE CAN'T WRITE AT ALL

Destiny Greene has hustling in her blood. She was born to a modern day Bonnie and Clyde, Maria and Ken Ken, whose capers come to a screeching halt when Maria is shot and killed while seven months pregnant with Destiny. This is the dramatic opening to Shannon Holmes fourth urban fiction offering, aptly titled Dirty Game. Ken Ken immediately leaves the game alone and becomes a taxi driver, determined to raise Destiny on the straight and narrow and save her from the fate that befell her mother. But the streets are calling and Destiny has to answer. At first her intentions are to simply keep herself laced, but then the hustles become a necessary evil to keep their heads above water after her father is shot and paralyzed during a botched robbery attempt. Ken Ken is deeply disappointed in Destiny, but knows he is powerless to stop her, especially after a ruthless street hustler, Rome works his way into Destiny's mind and then her bed. As she moves from small time hustles with Rome to white collar scams, a series of unfortunate events threaten to bury her alive in the game. Will Destiny meet the same fate as her mother or will she learn from her mistakes before it is too late?

Like most urban fiction stories, this was a quick, dramatic read that held my attention until the last page. Destiny was a compelling character who saw a lot of sorrow early in life and had to grow up too quickly. Although she was sassy and street smart beyond her years, I still found myself somewhat sympathetic to her plight. At times, I wanted to insert myself into the story and personally guide her in a different direction. On the other hand, Rome is the character you will love to hate. Although, he may be nice to look at, with a body custom built at the Penitentiary Gym, you curse the day that he laid eyes on Destiny. This is no ghetto love story!

Overall, this book was well-written, although I could have done without the Ebonics. I suppose it added to the authenticity of the characters and Holmes even addresses it through a proper English-speaking character, which I thought was clever. Although, there was a lot of foreboding and foreshadowing, I truly did not know how Destiny was going to fare. The ending surprised me and definitely lends itself to a sequel, which I would read.


Reviewed by Danielle H.
APOOO BookClub

I'm not one for reading a synopsis because I know that it may not be an accurate description. Once I cracked Dirty Game open, I had an instant feeling of déjà vu. Could it be? Have I read this story previously? Unfortunately, I did and I wish I'd been pre-warned. Dirty Game was one of the stories featured in a terribly written anthology by a bootleg publishing company. I felt like I've been hoodwinked! But after I trekked across the city of Chicago to meet Shannon Holmes, I decided to give him a reprieve in an effort to see how things would fair...

After losing his wife to a scam gone awry, Kenny "Ken-Ken" Green without delay modifies his life from hustler to daddy. The only thing Ken-Ken wants is to give his baby girl everything she'll need. Whether its precious jewels of knowledge, how her body is changing, or what he and her mother used to do in the streets of New York, Ken-Ken is destined to keep their daughter away from the game. Unfortunately, karma and/or fate will render Ken-Ken powerless and removes him from the position as the provider. Will Destiny make use of her inherited ways?

With the assistance of Jerome "Rome" Wells, a known thug, Destiny becomes his prized student of the streets. Honing in on her skills seems to be a quick payoff. Destiny is sure to hide her new found activities from her dad for fear that she'll disappoint him. However, once her secret is out in the open, will the unique bond between father and daughter lessen?

Rome is away doing time so Destiny is forced to make ends meet. She inducts her girl, Makeba, in on her plots. A reversal of roles soon causes a rift in their friendship. Power struggles lead to jail time and revenge in order to obtain those ill gotten gains. Is Destiny prepared to battle the hard core streets to reclaim her shattered dreams and lost soul?

Dirty Game is at best a run of the mill read. Booklovers copping this book looking for the Shannon Holmes who wrote B-More Careful, in my opinion, will be greatly disappointed. Not only do you overdose on the Ebonics, but the editing as well. The story builds up with drama, yet it always fizzles out leaving you desperate for some sort of encounter. While the father and daughter relationship is endearing, and you pity the sorrow that seems to plague Destiny's poor soul, the fact still remains that the book itself is a Dirty Game as it leaves you with a faux ending.

Reviewed by: Crystal

Shannon Holmes is back on the set with the tale of Destiny Greene. Daughter of two hustlers, her Mom, Maria was gaming while pregnant and lost her life while attempting to scam someone. Her father, Ken-Ken, gave up the life with the loss of his wife and birth of his precious daughter, Destiny.

Ken-Ken took a meager job in an honest effort to ensure his presence and support for his baby girl, and due to tragic events, Destiny answers the call of the streets that was bred in her genes.

Join Mr. Holmes as Destiny journeys the cruel, dangerous streets of New York, while being schooled and schooling others to the art of thievery. "Dirty Game" will capture you with the gist of schemes, lies, treacherous nature of the streets, that entail murder, adultery, dirty cops, and the repercussions of each criminal act. Great job Mr. Holmes!

What if your destiny was set from the time of your birth? For Destiny her life seemed destined to a life of crime. Her entrance into this world came from the result of a scam gone bad causing her to grow up in a single father household. Her father tried to live a righteousness life, but he was paralyzed from a wrong encounter. Destiny did what she was destined to do. She leans on her genetic instinct and knowledge learned from another seasoned hustler to care for herself and her father. But as with all hustlers' stories, she falls for the wrong guy and Destiny along with her life are played out in the game.

This is the second novel I have read from Mr. Holmes. In my opinion this books was very disappointing. Usually down the line you should see progress. This novel digressed. I was really waiting for this book to climax like he did in the B-More Careful novel. Dirty Game never climaxed. This novel just did not keep my attention. There were editing issues as well. My biggest issue came about when Destiny was portrayed as being dilated ten centimeters and leaving to go get a bathrobe. Now for all my ladies, and or mothers, you know if you are ten centenimeters you are not going to be thinking about a bathrobe nor will a physician release you. This is truly some fiction.

Reviewed by THE OUTSIDER
THE REALEST REVIEWERS

My review is gonna be short and to the point. Shannon Holmes stuff is pretty okay. But this book was so borning and the language? Huh???? I didn't even finish reading it. After Ken-Ken passed away I didn't want to read any more. I am really surprised I made it to that point.

i wish i would had read the other reviews be4 i purchase this book because i wouldn't of wasted my money. In the beginning the story was great but at the same time he used 2 much slang come on what is "IZ". As 4 the character Destiny she never stood a chance especially with all the death that surrounded her. The only good thing that happen in this book is when Rome and Makeba got theirs in the end.
I hope Bad Girlz 4 Life is a better read.

Every novel (B-More Careful, Bad Girlz, Never Go Home)that preceded your current work had their own flavor with rich characters and a series of dynamic plots. They were definite page-turners that had you hanging on the edge asking for more. This one was hard to get through, slow at various parts and characters too predictable. Sometimes a writer has to take a risk--I think you took one with Dirty Game...Now that it is over, make the next one a serious project to redeem yourself...Still a fan, but don't repeat anything like this again, please.

I really enjoyed Dirty Game. It kept my interest and I was couldn't wait to see what was happening next with Destiny Greene's life. Hopefully it'll be a part two. Keep 'em coming Mr. Holmes!!