Lady Sings the Cruels

August 14, 2006
Pete (Don't Get It Twisted
) traces the lives of three Houston residents in his fifth novel with mixed results. Waitress and aspiring singer Amelia is derailed when her boyfriend Bodie is sent to prison after his conviction in connection with the botched robbery of the pawn shop where he, accompanied by his thug friends, had gone to buy an engagement ring for her. When he gets locked up, Amelia tries to put Bodie behind her and follow the example set by her best friend Natalia, who has become a national sensation after appearing on a reality talent show. Ike, a corrections officer at Bodie's prison, meets Amelia at a club and, unaware that she's Bodie's ex-girlfriend, romantically pursues her. Bodie learns what is happening in the outside world and plans his revenge. The story has its slow patches and some of the plot points are too obvious, but the inner lives of the main characters and most of the supporting cast are well sketched. And though the sex scenes are awful ("parting my yearning walls," anyone?), Pete has a knack for describing budding romance. The last few chapters build to a satisfyingly bittersweet conclusion.