Customer Reviews

Born Dying (Strebor on the Streetz)

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The drug game is no joke and that is proven in Born Dying by Harold L. Turley II. Nate `Money Green' Rodgers knew streets sells were not going to be his way of life forever. When he approached Chico and Big O, the dealers his team copped their drugs from, Nate let them in on a little secret. He wanted to meet with the big supplier, Carlos, and set up sells in his own territory. Though Chico was hesitant, Big O was the saving grace and coerced Chico into setting up a meeting. Nate was always on time with his money and definitely about business, so why not? During the meeting, Nate made an offer Carlos could not refuse and the rest was history. Fast forward ten years and Nate was making good on his promises. He had a team of soldiers who played their positions and had played them since they were tots, but when the heat intensified and people were not who they seemed, would their family-like bond save their lives? Or would the truths of street life prove to them that there are only two destinations; jail and death?

Lionel `LT' Taylor lived to be a cop. While undercover, he was in the midst of drugs and thugs daily. Though his wife, Denise, was always concerned about her husband's profession, she knew he loved his job and everything else was secondary until the world he sought to uncover, consumed him. Once, his mission was to get drugs off the D.C. streets. Then the goal became to get the drugs into his body, by any means necessary. Drugs became more than a habit for him. They became the only thing he craved. Before he was able to fully understand the gravity of the situation, nine years passed, he was no longer a cop, and his family was gone.

Though Money Green and LT started off on different sides of the game, their similarities become apparent when they met up and changed each others lives for better...or worse.

Turley's main characters were well developed but there were many supporting characters that were flat when they should not have been. I found it difficult to keep up with character's names and nicknames because there were so many and they were similar to each other, i.e. Big O and O'Neal, Chico and Carlos, LT and Lieutenant Ross, etc. The editing could have been a lot smoother as well. Despite these blemishes, I enjoyed seeing how power can make people blind to reality and how underneath chaos there is always hope...if you look close enough. Urban fiction fans would enjoy the birds-eye-view of pusher and user if they picked this up.

Reviewed by Darnetta Frazier
APOOO BookClub

Born Dying was very interesting. I enjoyed it. There were more than a few editing errors, but I was able to overlook them because of the content in the book. I was hooked from the very first page. The (main) characters were developed well. The plot was engaging and the setting was clearly stated. There weren't any confusions --- probably because I figured out the key to the puzzle before the book was over. I believe many people will enjoy this book.

This is my first novel by Harold Turley. It was a quick read. I truly enjoyed it from the beginning to the end. I live in the same area as the book, so I could relate. I can't wait to read his other two books.

Raised by a single mom, Nate has too much idle time on his hands and hooks up with the wrong crowd on DC's rough streets. Between high school classes, Nate and his friend O'Neal are runners for Chico, and they don't blink as they face danger with each assignment. As Nate becomes more familiar with a hustler's world, he decides he wants more for himself and vies for his own territory.

Nate matures into a shrewd business man, and convinces top-man Carlos that he is a leader, and acquires his own empire. Building his posse, which includes lifelong friends, Nate gains a reputation for running his territory like clockwork. Slowly but surely, greed and power rear their ugly heads, and Nate's trusted soldiers begin to exhibit questionable behavior.

DC police officer Lionel Taylor (aka LT) is an undercover detective whose profession puts him in constant danger as he tries to bring down drug dealers of all shapes and sizes. Unfortunately for LT, the monkey climbs on his back, and he is quickly consumed by drugs, the element he once fought against. Almost a decade later, LT finds himself alone, and without a family, a job, or hope.

Like most tales in the street fiction genre, friends become foes, and the battle for money and power overshadows reality. The irony in BORN DYING makes the story unique and gives the characters lots of depth. Harold Turley II uses tragic situations and turns them into lifelong lessons about the uncertainty of trust and the importance of family. BORN DYING is worth reading, and the story's purpose lingers on long after the final page.

Reviewed by Dawnna
for The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers