Customer Reviews

Menace

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

 

 

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

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 .

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

I enjoyed most of the stories. All of them had me wanting more. I am still stuck with the burning question of what's next. Great book. I truly recommend it as must buy.

This was a cool book. My favorite two stories were by Al Saadiq and Erick Gray. Mr. Gray put it down in Aniyah's love with Twilight and Ozzie going to war over Aniyah. It was gangsta and original. But overall, the book was a good quick read. Enjoyed it.

I was so excited to see this book was ready for purchase on Amazon. I ordered it right away only to find out it was not a Shannon Holmes' book. I read the first Menace II Society but I did not have palns to read the book twice. The only story I enjoyed was Aniyah's love about the dangerous love triangle. But the others stories I already read. I gave the book four stars because I did not get a chance to give a review on Menance II Society. But for those who have not read this book you will enjoy the short stories the author are some of the best. You won't be able to put it down.

Menace II Society has been re-released as Menace with an added story by Erick Gray called Aniyah's Love. The only story missing from the original anthology is The Hunted by Isadore Johnson. Readers who slept on this hot compilation are in for a treat with the re-release of these blazing stories!

The new story Aniyah's love focuses on two feuding drug dealers Ozzie and Twilight. But what some mistake as a turf war is really a feud over Aniyah that will leave plenty of blood shed in the streets of New York.


Anyone curious about the other stories just need go and check the reviews for Menace II Society and see what jewels the other four authors, Mark Anthony, Crystal Lacey Winslow, Al Saadiq Banks & JM Benjamin have dropped in this compilation.

but unlike the other review, I realized the book held a "FORWARD" from Shannon Holmes, and I also realized the book consisted of short stories from various writers. I wont give away the storyline of each story, but I will say this. All the stories were very good. It held my interest and on some I had to laugh, some all I could do was shake my head!!!...lol...Some may read the book straight through, some may read a few pages, put it down, go back and pick it up. Whichever is the way you tend to read your books, it's cool. Just pick up the book and read away!!! You won't regret your choice. Happy Reading!!!

YO Amazon played me. I pre-ordered this book and was under the assumption that it was going to be by Shannon Holmes but to my utter surprise Shannon Holmes did not and I repeat did not write this book. The only contribution he has too this book is the foreword....Okay now that I got that off my chest:
This is a book of short stories by:
Mark Anthony,Al Saadiq Banks,Eric S. Gray,J.M. Benjamin and Crystal Lacey Winslow

Eric S Gray pens Aniyah's Love which is about a love triangle between Twilight, Aniyah and Ozzie. Twilight is Aniyah first and true love and Ozzie was the rebound dude that she gets with why Twilight is locked up. Aniyah ends up pregnant by Ozzie and all hell breaks loose. Each man is trying to eliminate the other in order to obtain Aniyah's heat completely.

Mark Anthony pens Snake Eyes which is about Promise who is on the run for killing a cop and some bank robberies. After hiding out for a year Promise returns to New York looking for love from is boys only to find out that he truly alone out there. I think with this one Mark Anthony is probably setting us up for a full length or at least another short story because of the way he ends it. I don't know Mark Anthony can be hit or miss if he keeps up with story the way he's going it should be a good one.

Crystal Lacy Wilson pens Cagney and Lacy which is about Lacy a Black and Mexican felon on the run from LA and Cagney an ex con just getting out of jail after doing a 15 year bid. This was a wild from beginning to end. I can't give you too much because it will take away from the story.

Al Saadiq Banks pen Walk With Me which is about Tyson "Miracle" walls whom who on trial for his life. This is fire in true Al Saadiq fashion and that's all i have to say about that.

J.M Benjamin pens Keepin it Gangsta which is about Derrick "Dicer" Jordan who is on death row for murdering a cop. Actually it starts off on the day of his execution and takes you a journey of how and why he got there.

All five these story were excellent some i liked more than others but you can't love them all I give this book 4.5 stars go cop it it's one to have on the bookshelf.

reviewed by Kecia3207 for
Readers In Motion book club
[...]

AT LEAST 1 OF THESE STORIES I'VE READ VERBATIM, I FORGOT WHO DA AUTHOR WAS, I FEEL STRAIGHT CHEATED!!! YO MR AL-SAADIQ BANKS,WHERE YOU BEEN,YOU ARE ONE OF DA GREATEST(MY FAVORITE) STREET FICTION AUTHORS OUT THERE, AND YOU KEEP US WAITING FOR A SHORT STORY,AN EXCELLENT ONE NO DOUBT!!!!! WALK WIT ME IS A WORK OF ART, I LOVED IT, DAMN HAD ME ALMOST CRYING!!!THIS GUY COULDN'T CATCH A BREAK,IF ONE WAS THROWN DIRECTLY AT HIM ( DAMN)!!! J.M. BEJAMIN TALK ABOUT THROWING A CURVE BALL, YOUR STORY IS STRAIGHT FIYA, IT WAS NOTHING I THOUGHT IT TO BE A SUSPENSEFUL CHILLING, STORY OF DA MOST GREATEST LOVE,YOU'RE ANOTHER EXCELLENT AUTHOR THAT I SEEK OUT!! I'M WAITING FOR MY ALREADY ORDERED COPY OF RIDE OR DIE 2 ,WHICH I ALREADY KNOW IS GOING TO BE FIYA!!!!