Menace [Paperback]

Shannon Holmes (Author), Crystal Lacey Winslow (Author), Mark Anthony (Author), Erick S. Gray (Author), Al Saadiq Banks (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Melodrama Publishing; First edition (March 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934157163
• ISBN-13: 978-1934157169
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,083,424 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brooklyn-born author, Crystal Lacey Winslow, began writing creatively at an early age.

At the fledgling age of eight, beating out the entire school as her competition, she won her first journalist contest. It was at that very moment she realized she had a gift for writing and continued honing her craft writing poetry/prose. She soon decided she wanted to do something "more adult" so at the age of fourteen, she wrote her very first unpublished novel.

Crystal Lacey Winslow, a very diverse and multi-talented individual, has lived in various cities. She has moved from Virginia, to Maryland, then to Washington, D.C. before returning to her native New York City. Through the course of her living experiences and other travels, she has enjoyed all aspects of her surroundings -- the serenity of the suburbs, where she learned to swim, play the flute, archery and horseback riding; to the pulse of the inner city where she delighted in playing scully, hop-scotch, tag and touch football. Having encountered many colorful people along the way, she draws on both her human and environmental experiences that have become the inspirations for her writings. The result is a unique and melodramatic storytelling technique, which is evident in her writing style.

Crystal Lacey Winslow earned her baccalaureate degree in Legal Assistant Studies and worked for one of the largest law firms in the country. She soon realized her passion for creative writing was undying and therefore published Melodrama, a poetry chapbook in 2000. Soon after in 2001, Ms. Winslow founded her own publishing company, Melodrama Publishing, and opened her first bookstore, Melodrama Books & Things in 2003 in Far Rockaway, NY - the first bookstore in that neighborhood in over 30 years.

Ms. Winslow is as ambitious and driven as the characters of whom she so vividly writes and has successfully carved out a place for her Melodrama Publishing (MP) imprint in the literary world. She was the recipient of Black Issues Book Review's 2004 Self-Publisher of the Year award and has rapidly grown to an international publishing company.

Crystal continues to entertain and inspire thousands of avid readers, aspiring writers and entrepreneurs. She shows no signs of slowing down and you can believe there will be many more magnificent works to come from this magnificently talented young woman!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Menace to Society, June 22, 2009

By 

OOSA Online Book Club "O.O.S.A. Gets It Read!" (World Wide Web, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Menace (Paperback)

ANIYAH'S LOVE by Erick S. Gray

Aniyah is caught up in a deadly love triangle. Her ex-boyfriend and the love of her life, Twilight, has been locked up for a minute; but when he gets out he wants Aniyah back. Her current boyfriend, Ozzie, loves Aniyah but knows that Twilight is her weakness and will stop at nothing to keep Aniyah. Unbeknownst to Twilight and Ozzie, Aniyah has secrets that just may destroy both of these men.



SNAKE EYES by Mark Anthony

Promise has been on the run for killing a cop. When he runs into his old partners in crime, Squeeze and Show, he decides he wants to be put back on. He is about to learn a lesson as to who his true friends and enemies really are, and what it is to act like a snake.



CAGNEY & LACEY by Crystal Lacey Winslow

When Lacey falls in love with Cagney, everything seems to be going good, well that is until her past catches up to her. Cagney needs to make the decision to ride with his girl or ride on out without her...until the end.



WALK WITH ME by Al-Saadiq Banks

Miracle has a list of felonies and is back before the judge again. In an attempt to save his life, he asks the judge to walk with him as he chronicles the story of his past, which brings him to the present. Miracle's story will astound you.



KEEPIN' IT GANGSTA by J.M. Benjamin

Dicer, known for his murderous reputation, is on death row for a murder he did not commit. Dicer tells his story on how it came about that he is on death row.



I am still trying to figure out why, if this is a reprint, the publisher left Isadore Johnson's story out of the book. I would have loved to read his story since I never read the first printing of this book. Although it did not affect my rating, the minor editing issues could have been fixed. SNAKE EYES sounded like a book I have already read. KEEPIN' IT GANGSTA left out some key information that I would have loved to see elaborated on. Overall, the best story was by Al-Saadiq Banks. I love how he chronicled the character's story. My overall rating for the whole book would be 3 stars.



Reviewed by: LeonaR

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Walk With Me, February 1, 2010

By 

Weezy (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Menace (Paperback)

The best story for me was Walk With Me- I enjoyed it very much. I dont like to give away anything in the story so I'll just say this-READ "WALK WITH ME" FIRST It is the most real story I have read in a long time. Get this book if you just want to read a good book on a short trip .

5.0 out of 5 stars (4.5 Stars) Great Collection, October 19, 2009

By 

Urban Reviews "Your Source for the Best in AA... (Online) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Menace (Paperback)

Menace is a series of five short stories by different authors that takes you into the life of sex, money, murder, and power. These stories are gritty, suspenseful and kept me on the edge of my seat from the time I opened to page 1 until the end. What would you do to protect your family and the ones you love? To what extreme would you use to get what was rightfully yours, and what at cost?

In the story "Cagney & Lacey," Cagney was a young and rebellious boy who came from a troubled life. As a delinquent youth, Cagney was charged as an adult and sentenced fifteen years to life for a violent robbery that went terribly wrong, leaving the son of Saudi Arabia president dead. Cagney changed in the moment of an eye from a young boy to a man causing havoc and chaos.

Lacey was a young Mexican girl on a warpath. She had just joined a gang and was no longer around due to the hands of her father. When her father marries another woman, Lacey blood boils, and secrets are revealed. Lacey commits the most indiscernible crime to teach her father a lesson.

Will Cagney & Lacey come together? The best way to describe Cagney & Lacey would be Romeo & Juliet in that their love story was not typical. They both came from different coasts, have different cultures and backgrounds, but the chemistry between them was undeniable. When they are both released from prison, they enter into the world of jewelry heists. With their love being tested many ways, it is clear that they will hold each other down to the end. When placed in a situation that causes Lacey to make a choice, will she hold her man down? Will Cagney give up his life for the woman he cares and loves?

In "Keep It Gangsta," we enter the world of Derrick "Dicer" Jordan, a death row inmate in his last hours of his life for murdering a police officer. For the gruesome crime, Dicer was sentenced to death, but there are always two sides to a story.

From the age of 10, Derrick was your worst nightmare. His motto was not to just get your respect, but to instill fear. He established himself as cold-hearted person who fought, killed, stabbed and shot at whoever caused a problem.

Althea Jordan loved both her children Derrick and Tonya. Tonya had made some bad choices when it came to her personal life, and Derrick and his mother always had her back and came to the rescue. Tonya starts dating Detective Robert Smith, the arch-enemy and police officer who is out to put Derrick away for life. Derrick's life changes forever when he receives a phone call from his mother. That phone call and Derrick's loyalty for his family causes him to stand as a man. Derrick took his fate and controlled his destiny...even until the very end.

The short stories in Menace all had the "survival of the fittest" mode. All five stories offer some excitement, but at the same time show how people handle different situations and how the choices affect them and their loved ones.

Reviewed by Kristin
for Urban Reviews