The Tragic Flaw (Strebor on the Streetz) [Paperback]

Che Parker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 4, 2007 | Series: Strebor on the Streetz

Following in his Italian father's gangster footsteps, the bi-racial Cicero Day has little problem rising to the top of the Kansas City underworld. He and his comrades deal with their enemies with all manner of weaponry: guns, knives, poison, trained beasts and even HIV. Yet, Cicero is haunted by recurring nightmares, and bothered with his mother's steadfast belief in God. Cicero, who is an atheist, feels there's no place for myths in a man's life who is trying to ascend to power. While he is the master of his domain and even viewed as a hero to some, there is an unseen kink in his seemingly impregnable armor.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After a lyrical opening that promises a profound and insightful look at life on the mean streets of Kansas City, Mo., Parker's debut loses its way. Cicero Day, illegitimate biracial son of one of the city's late mob leaders, plots to flood the U.S. with a new superdrug while looking for opportunities to kill and maim, purely for sadistic pleasure. Day's lack of interest in a news report that the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to ban religion from schools, libraries, privately owned businesses, and the Internet says less about his character than it does about the novel's scattered nature, as this implausible potential shift in the law appears without any context or follow-up. Readers should be prepared for some purple prose (The solstice bids farewell and the equinox comes to pass. Life explodes with vibrancy, then diminishes as the Earth tilts on its axis) and a story with little substance to offset the gore. (Sept.)
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About the Author

Che Parker has worked as a crime and politics reporter and staff writer covering national healthcare issues and Capitol Hill hearings. He is currently a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University. He works in public relations and lives in Alexandria, Virginia. Visit his website at www.cheparker.com or email him at [e-mail].

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Strebor Books; Original edition (September 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593091265
• ISBN-13: 978-1593091262
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,690,619 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Modern Day Tragedy, September 5, 2007

By 

Coulee Eidos "4YaSoul" (NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tragic Flaw (Strebor on the Streetz) (Paperback)

When I first began reading The Tragic Flaw, by Che Parker, I thought it was going to be a tough read. In the beginning, there were just far too many details on the setting, but in hindsight, I believe those details were there to give the reader a feel for the setting and to prepare them for what was to come because there were points in the story where the details were so grim, I was actually screaming, squirming, sometimes repulsed and crying in my seat as I read.

By the beginning of the fourth chapter, I was intrigued by the main character, Cicero Day. Cicero is the biracial and illegitimate child of a very well-known and respected Italian mobster. As a child, his father would often take him on some of his violent outings and Cicero would stare, intrigued at the power and respect that his father had on the streets. Cicero internally took this all in and despite being formally college educated; he took on his streetwise and brutal persona into adulthood. He wanted to be just like his father--thirsted for that same type of so-called "street respect."

Cicero made plans with former college buddy, Bradley, a very well to do computer designer and Kameron, Cicero's tough childhood friend, to distribute a new drug on the streets. They end up getting financial backing from old mobsters that Cicero's father used to run with. This is the start of events that is the beginning of hell for them all. They each have a tragic flaw that may have a part in bringing them all down.

The mob backs Cicero's proposal because he has a mean reputation in the streets just like his father once had. He also has one up on his father--his education and his business sense. Little do some of the guys in the mob know that Cicero has a few tricks and agenda of his own up his sleeves. His is a highly sophisticated yet complex game of the streets that consist of brutal methods of "payback" to those that cross him.

Despite this street power and respect, Cicero's tragic flaw may eventually bring him down. He thrives on living in his father's shadow and fame. Kameron thrives on getting high. Bradley thrives on using his "smarts" to create this drug that will be distributed and thinks that he can get over on his buddies. Each of them has a demon within that they are fighting, yet their thirst for money, power and respect keep them from focusing on their battles. Cicero is the ringleader. Will he "ring-lead" his buddies, his followers straight to hell? He is tormented on a regular basis with bad dreams and nightmares that he will fall but they do not scare him. His mother prays for him and warns him, yet he somehow things he is invincible.

Will this story end like most tragedies do? Will "The Tragic Flaws" bring the characters down and they forever burn in the inferno and be punished for their deeds on earth?

I give this one two thumbs up. It read just like a modern day "urban gangster" story with a twist. I definitely recommend it to others.

Reviewed by Coulee Eidos
APOOO BookClub

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Overman, October 5, 2007

By 

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

This review is from: The Tragic Flaw (Strebor on the Streetz) (Paperback)

Cicero Day is smart and athletic. His mom's refrigerator is overflowing with all kinds of accolades displaying his name. While his mom Ruth is a God-fearing woman, his father is an Italian mobster. After the murder of his father Antonio, Cicero transforms into a callous gangster himself with absolutely no fear...even from that of God.

Cicero is treated to disturbing nightmares. It appears that when he wreaks havoc in the streets of Kansas City, he's visited by one of his ghastly dreams. His mom is insistent that he needs to humble himself. Unrelenting in his lifestyle, Cicero continues to unleash hell on people who've crossed him. Is there redemption in Cicero's future?

Che Parker has written a flamboyant tale packed with torture, violence and very bizarre characters. While I was instantly put off by the overture of details, when the criminal element finally makes an appearance, it is definitely wild and worth the wait. Yet, vile creatures from hell make the story a little too warped for my own fondness. However, the message comes across clearly about the costly life of the ambitious. Remember, you will have to account for all the wrongs that you've done.

Reviewed by Nardsbaby
for Urban Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Che Parker, a new and upcoming author for the 21st century, October 15, 2007

By 

Wenona "Wenonallourlives" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tragic Flaw (Strebor on the Streetz) (Paperback)

The Tragic Flaw is a remarkable novel, well written and comparable to novels by seasoned authors. As a first time author, Che Parker has painted both a vivid and graphic picture of crime on the streets of Kansas City. His main character, Cicero Day, a bi-racial Black and Italian, is a multi-layered, very complex and confused young man. Parker portrays this character as a leader, someone his friends follow without questions.

This novel is both entertaining and enlightening. It confirms the old adage that you reap what you sow. Parker's ability to tell a story, keep you in suspense, have you cheer, then condemn a character, is compelling and brilliant. The Tragic Flaw is a modern tragedy that has the potential to rival existing novels to became a timeless classic.