Customer Reviews

Pipe Dream: A Novel (Strivers Row)

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book is the best!! The story line is great. A complete change from the "love stories" on the market now. The descriptions of the crack addicts and the effects that crack has on their lives is all so true. This book will keep you turning page after page and you will never be let down. It is a drug story, a love story, and a crime story, all in one. And very well told. The author has done a magnificent job of weaving together an intriguing story of drugs, murder, and police protecting their own. And in between all of this, the author actually puts a face and provides a voice to the crack addict that is rarely heard from. Everyone has a story to tell. This was indeed a surprise treat!!! This book is what makes reading so much fun!

Samuel Jackson a.k.a. Black is a brother who is no angel. Black is hooked on crack cocaine and he is a small time criminal. He abandoned his wife and child for the street life.

His best friend Leroy is a fellow crack addict. Together, they make their home in Philadelphia's crack houses. To Black and Leroy, getting high is natural as breathing.

Later, Philadephia career politician Johnny Podres who is a crusader against corruption, is found murdered in a crack house. Black and Leroy become the focus of the murder investigation.

Black and Leroy know that they are innocent, but who is going to believe two crack addicts?

They have no choice but to flee from the police and find the real killer.

They embark on an action packed adventure that goes from the depths of hell of the crack cocaine world to the corruption in the Philadelphia police department.

This gritty urban thriller is a definite page turner.

I would highly recommend this book.

This book in my opinion had just about all the ingredients that makes up a good book: Drama, Suspense, humor and a little touch of romance.

I'm definitely going to look for more books written by this author.

For a first book, I think that Solomon Jones has outdone himself. At first, I thought that I was not going to like the book because he was using a lot of termonology that I was unfamiliar with. But this book proved to be a page turner. I could not rest because I wanted to know what was going to happen to Pookie, Black, Clarisse, and Leroy. It has a lot of suspense and an ending that will leave you waiting for Mr. Jones' next book. You will not be disappointed with this book, I promise.

Pipe Dreams

Have you ever read a book and the desciptions were so vivid that you could see the scenes flashing before you very eyes...you could hear the person breathing down your back and you could see the dampness in their shirt or hear the screech of the tires as the car pulls off.

If you haven't read a book like this then you need to read Pipe Dreams. In this FAST-PACED suspenseful thriller, we walk in the shoes of Black, a known crack addict. Black and three fellow crack addicts are running for their lives as they try to find out who murdered a city councilman with a anti-corruption record out of this world is shot dead in a Philly crack house. Yep, you read it that correctly a politician dies in a crack house.

Once you pick up this book you won't be able to put it down as you travel with Black and his friends through all the twists and turns that this story will surely lead you to. This story also takes you into the minds of a many addicts and I found it rather interesting to see things from their perspective rather than my own.

I suggest you buy this book because it was truly a page turner and a treat to read. I could

Mr. Jones' loving dedication of Pipe Dream to his wife is a telling clue that the author has walked the walk. This novel is an amazing "film noir" that makes you forget that you are simply the reader. Instead you are standing in shadows and running for your life right alongside Black, Clarisse, Leroy and Pookie.

Interestingly, Mr. Jones is equally perceptive of the emotional make-up of a tired old detective on the verge of retirement who, throughout his career, has taken the time to know and, therefore, understand the people that he has vowed to protect - even the "pipers."

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever loved or sacrificed or lost hope because Pipe Dream will show you the truest meaning of these words.

I'm looking forward to Mr. Jones' next novel, The Bridge.

Pipe Dream is a true to life story of corruption and addiction. Black, Pookie, Clarisse and Leroy are four crack heads on the run for a murder neither committed. When Councilman Johhny Podres is found dead in a crack house it turns out to be a high profile murder case and the cops need someone to pin the murder on. Black and Leroy are the target eventhough neither could have been in two places at the same time.

I waited awhile before I decided to read this story because I didn't want to read about crack addition but after opening the book, I became engrossed in the lives of Black, Leroy, Clarrise and Pookie who were plain everyday folk who got turned out on the life destroying drug crack. Hats off to Solomon Jones for writing this realistic and emotional treat. I wish the author much success and look forward to your next release. Thanks for keeping it real.

God's Blessings.

Solomon Jones delivers big time in his crime drama Pipe Dream. Four innocent crack heads suspected of killing a politician attempt to outrun their demons along with the Philadelphia Police Department. Solomon Jones spins a crime novel reminiscent of James Patterson with characters from the hood that urban readers will enjoy rooting for. I'm sorry that it took me this long to discover Mr. Jones' talent but I plan on making up for lost time. Mr. Jones you just gained a new fan!!!!

NOT ONLY WAS THIS BOOK BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN, FILLED WITH INTENSE DESCRIPTIONS AND UNFORESEEN TWISTS AND TURNS, IT GAVE ME INSIGHT TO A WORLD I HAVE ONLY VIEWED FROM THE OUTSIDE. MANY OF US HAVE SEEN SMOKERS, AND OFTEN SHUN THEM OR SAY THEY'VE ONLY DONE IT TO THEMSELVES. SOLOMON JONES PORTRAYED THESE CRACK ADDICTS AS REAL PEOPLE, SOMETHING WE TEND TO FORGET. HE INDULGED US WITH THEIR PASTS AND PAINTED A PICTURE OF THE HELL OF THE PRESENT. THIS BOOK WAS WONDERFUL AND AN EASY READ, A PAGE TURNER, AND AN EYE OPENER.

Crack addicts are accused of a murder they did not commit. Now they have committed many crimes, but none of them is capable of murder, according to their police profiles and the testimony of their families. That's a pretty good premise for a story--a crack addict as a hero--and it keeps the pages turning as they are pursued by cops and they learn to depend on each other for their mutual protection. Trust me, you have never read anything like this book. The scenes involving crack smoking are excellent, instructive, and insightful. The only problems is that the writer bit off more than he could chew with the police corruption plot, and he was not able to resolve it effectively with the conclusion he gave us.