The Dopeman's Wife

May 27, 2009
Nautica's journey is way different than Dorothy's jaunt to find the Wizard. But like Ms. Gale, Nautica meets several, ahem, interesting men. Zion, a gangster who moves 20 bricks of coke to lock down Flint, MI, turns horrifyingly abusive. Using sex to trick Zion, Nautica relieves him of $80,000 and motors to Baltimore. But on the way she must deal with hookers, pimps, psychos, and, finally, stone-cold gangster Tical, the drug boss of B-more. Nautica is pleasured both sexually and financially until hoods from Flint show up. Tical might be able to save her, but chances of a happy ending are slim. Verdict Coleman, of the writing duo Ashley JaQuavis (Dirty Money, The Trophy Wife), strikes out on his own by opening his story with a hard punch to the gut. There's something to be said for an author bold enough to off a main character on the second page. The backstory sets streetwise Nautica on a journey powered by cocaine and ecstasy to phenomenal wealth dripping with bling. Marked by authentic street slang and up-to-the-minute hip-hop name-dropping, this hood tale's Romeo and Juliet theme will keep readers turning pages long into the night.--Rollie Welch, Cleveland P.L.

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