The Rap Factor [Paperback]

Delacorta (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 1996

Zulu, The Rap Factor's protagonist and Miami's hottest P.I., is badder than Shaft and gets more women into bed than James Bond. When a beautiful young rapper poised for the top of the charts is found dead in her apartment, not a mark on her perfect ebony body, Zulu is off and jamming. What ensues is fully worthy of the writer who has been praised by Vanity Fair for his "cool, stylish puzzlers" and by the Los Angeles Times as one capable of "four-star pop entertainment." "This novel has gas, written in the mile-a-minute, rat-a-tat style of rap. [Delacorta] mixes John D. McDonald, Dashiell Hammett and Mickey Spillane, along with a healthy dose of wit and pure fun, and comes up with one of the best reads of the summer." -- The Washington Post Book World

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Leaving Paris, Serge Gorodish and Alba behind, Delacorta ( Diva ; Luna ; Lola ; Alba ) tries something new: setting his neo-pop thriller in the rap-music subculture of sweltering Miami. Zulu, the lusty and ultra-cool mixed-race detective, aided by trusty sidekicks Lita and Roy ("everything between us ran as smoothly as synchronized orgasms"), is called upon to investigate the apparent murder of "Princess" Bashma, the hard-living queen of Miami rap. If Delacorta's style is wholly derivative of Chandler, the plot--involving Bashma's prostitute sister Mona and Haitian Voodoo--is so soigne and atmospheric that one hardly minds. At the same time, a number of faux pas quickly establish Delacorta as a stranger to Miami--detective Zulu is described as "the best lay on the Gulf of Mexico," though Miami is on the Atlantic--and consequently the story, after failing to establish its own credibility, collapses into Miami Vice -style violent sexist nonsense. One wonders how the darling of the downtown literary set, translator Catherine Texier ( Love Me Tender ; Panic Blood ), could get involved in such a project.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press (February 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871136171
• ISBN-13: 978-0871136176
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,813,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun and stylish, July 17, 2003

By 

Damian P. Gadal (Santa Barbara, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rap Factor (Paperback)

A fun and stylish read, that isn't meant to be taken seriously, just enjoyed! The story moves along quickly, and the characters are quirky and entertaining.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A MAJOR letdown., November 28, 2005

By 

William Sills "Clay Sills" (Smyrna, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rap Factor (Paperback)

I started reading Delacorta in 1988, when I found a copy of Luna in the bargain bin at Waldenbooks. Collecting and reading and re-reading the rest of the books in that series was a pleasant hobby for a few years. Delacorta has what it takes to write a French swindler and his near-Lolita paramour in and around Paris.

He doesn't have any of what it takes to 1) write rap lyrics, 2) write American underworld characters, 3) write American metropolitan feel. I showed up giving him the benefit of every doubt, and he disappointed again and again. I don't know if this nadir of his career has led to retirement or not, but it wouldn't surprise me.

My sweet Lord, the rap lyrics were so awful that at first I thought he was satirizing them.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Lowest common denominator, September 4, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rap Factor (Hardcover)

Slow moving because of simplistic plot and irrelevant libido of main character. Boring story line - reads like a cheap screenplay for a bad sitcom. Main character has unimaginative sex at least once a chapter - too bad these sex acts add nothing to character development or progression of the story as they ostensibly could have(a stretch), afforded the right artistic talent. Predictable in an unsatisfying way. Unoriginal. Kept reading, despite - hoped to find a fabulous twist to the ending, to great disappointment. This book goes straight into the recycling/trash bin. I wouldn't want anyone else in the world to waste their time reading it. Sorry, Delacorta, try again.