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honeybookworm's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A little slow in the beginning but once it gets going after a few chapters WHEW! I wish the reveal was a little different but I enjoyed it.
honeycoveredpages's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
andrewfontenelle's review
4.0
Tennyson Hardwick is a struggling actor, on a time male escort and a man estranged from his father, a retired captain in the LAPD. But with the death of a close friend and world famous singer/actor, Tennyson vows to solve her murder whilst negotiating the world of Hollywood film stars, Musicians, the LAPD and dirty cops little realising where things will lead.
Casangera is murder mystery and fast paced action adventure where our leading character not only uses all his skills to attempt to solve the murder but to also save his very life. And despite Tennyson Hardwick's many flaws he is also a very likeable character!
This was a great read where from the very start, the action and the mystery never seemed to let up!
Casangera is murder mystery and fast paced action adventure where our leading character not only uses all his skills to attempt to solve the murder but to also save his very life. And despite Tennyson Hardwick's many flaws he is also a very likeable character!
This was a great read where from the very start, the action and the mystery never seemed to let up!
locpressedbooks_'s review
3.0
As a man who was certainly being setup to take a murder rap, Tennyson was confident, surprising calm (for the most part), and knowledgeable about what to do and where to go to find the clues that would eventually lead him to the real killer.
As a first book in this series, Casanegra was a good read. The story flowed from beginning to end, and having three people write this book it never got confusing or even hinted in a change of voice. so I'm very pleased with that. I think I'm giving this a 3.0-3.5 stars. I liked the story, it was interesting and it even gave a voice to the public's feelings towards the LAPD during the time of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls death, by way of depicting what the LAPD sees as "just another dead rapper".
Tennyson was a smooth brother who wore many hats and friends in all the right places. good read.
As a first book in this series, Casanegra was a good read. The story flowed from beginning to end, and having three people write this book it never got confusing or even hinted in a change of voice. so I'm very pleased with that. I think I'm giving this a 3.0-3.5 stars. I liked the story, it was interesting and it even gave a voice to the public's feelings towards the LAPD during the time of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls death, by way of depicting what the LAPD sees as "just another dead rapper".
Tennyson was a smooth brother who wore many hats and friends in all the right places. good read.
thetarantulalounge's review
3.0
Black writers are woefully underrepresented in my Goodreads lists, and so I’m trying to add more African American authors to my regular readings, as well as black authors from around the world. My local librarians mentioned to me that Steven Barnes is a great sci-fi writer. When I was browsing his books I found out that he and his spouse Ms. Due have worked with actor Blair Underwood on this hard-boiled mystery/thriller series around a character called Tennyson Hardwick. Ten is the son of a respected and recently retired LAPD cop. Ten made the opposite choices of his dad in a lot of key ways – the main one being working as a gigolo. He also dabbled in being a bodyguard before becoming a struggling actor. Fortunately for Ten, he inherited his dad’s strong personal moral code and sense of justice.
That’s what leads him to uncover a city-wide scandal involving the death of a celebrity. Hollywood, the music business, the police – everyone might have had a role in the death and Hardwick is going to get to the bottom of things, one way or another.
I have to admit that prior to this series I wasn’t all that familiar with Blair Underwood’s acting. (I was familiar with his BU clothing line, though, as it’s reasonably priced, stylish, and available at K&G.) I think Underwood’s time in Hollywood definitely helped give the book an insider’s feel. Certain bars, hotels, and other behind the scenes things feel like they’re from his own experiences. Especially interesting was his discussion of The Face – the handsome face that opens doors otherwise closed to people, especially African American men.
I had fun reading this first book of four in the series, although some of the romantic scenes were a little too graphic for my preferences. (To be fair it says on the cover he was a gigolo. That’s really on me.) I will be reading the next book in the series, so it’s safe to say I enjoyed this one!
3.5/5 stars
That’s what leads him to uncover a city-wide scandal involving the death of a celebrity. Hollywood, the music business, the police – everyone might have had a role in the death and Hardwick is going to get to the bottom of things, one way or another.
I have to admit that prior to this series I wasn’t all that familiar with Blair Underwood’s acting. (I was familiar with his BU clothing line, though, as it’s reasonably priced, stylish, and available at K&G.) I think Underwood’s time in Hollywood definitely helped give the book an insider’s feel. Certain bars, hotels, and other behind the scenes things feel like they’re from his own experiences. Especially interesting was his discussion of The Face – the handsome face that opens doors otherwise closed to people, especially African American men.
I had fun reading this first book of four in the series, although some of the romantic scenes were a little too graphic for my preferences. (To be fair it says on the cover he was a gigolo. That’s really on me.) I will be reading the next book in the series, so it’s safe to say I enjoyed this one!
3.5/5 stars
mochagirl's review
4.0
Casanegra is Blair Underwood's latest novel that focuses on the adventures of a suave, male escort-turned- actor, Tennyson (Ten) Hardwick - yes, that is his name -- fitting for a former Los Angeles gigolo, huh? Ten, motherless at an early age, is also a former police academy drop-out who had a run in with the law during his escorting tenure. He views himself as a disappointment and embarrassment to his highly revered and retired police lieutenant father which not surprisingly fosters a strained relationship between the two.
Ten bumps into an old client, rapper-turned- actress, Afrodite and the two spend an afternoon of steamy sex together at her home where she kindly offers him bona fide acting work via her production company, Casanegra. When she turns up dead the next day, Ten finds himself as a suspect in the murder investigation. He reasons the best way to keep the LAPD from suspecting him is to find the real murderer and thus begins an escapade into rapper's rivalry, the seedy side of the sex trade, and a run-in with dirty cops. Ten's investigation has him digging into Afrodite and her associates' histories which lead him to the rough inner city where her childhood was less than perfect. Her salvation came via the idolatry of Shareef, a Tupac-like persona, who befriends Afrodite and propelled her to stardom. Ten notices similarities between Shareef's unsolved murder from years before and Afrodite's recent demise and with the aid of a reporter (and love interest) follows the clues that lead to Afrodite's sister, a rap rival who has a penchant for guns and underage girls, her childhood friend and business manager, and the mob. He haphazardly stumbles into a life-threatening situation where only his quick thinking and martial arts training save him.
Readers will love Ten because he is a good-looking, flawed, but easy-to-like hero whose heart is in the right place. Readers will like Casanegra because it is a fun, hip, page-turner that borrows from today's entertainment headlines blending the right amount of suspense, sex, and action to form a great summer read.
Ten bumps into an old client, rapper-turned- actress, Afrodite and the two spend an afternoon of steamy sex together at her home where she kindly offers him bona fide acting work via her production company, Casanegra. When she turns up dead the next day, Ten finds himself as a suspect in the murder investigation. He reasons the best way to keep the LAPD from suspecting him is to find the real murderer and thus begins an escapade into rapper's rivalry, the seedy side of the sex trade, and a run-in with dirty cops. Ten's investigation has him digging into Afrodite and her associates' histories which lead him to the rough inner city where her childhood was less than perfect. Her salvation came via the idolatry of Shareef, a Tupac-like persona, who befriends Afrodite and propelled her to stardom. Ten notices similarities between Shareef's unsolved murder from years before and Afrodite's recent demise and with the aid of a reporter (and love interest) follows the clues that lead to Afrodite's sister, a rap rival who has a penchant for guns and underage girls, her childhood friend and business manager, and the mob. He haphazardly stumbles into a life-threatening situation where only his quick thinking and martial arts training save him.
Readers will love Ten because he is a good-looking, flawed, but easy-to-like hero whose heart is in the right place. Readers will like Casanegra because it is a fun, hip, page-turner that borrows from today's entertainment headlines blending the right amount of suspense, sex, and action to form a great summer read.
freeformlady's review
5.0
CHECK OUT MY THOUGHTS ON THE ENTIRE TENNYSON HARDWICK SERIES
https://youtu.be/Z7R29L-S9Ig
https://youtu.be/Z7R29L-S9Ig
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