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A review by mochagirl
Casanegra by Tananarive Due, Steven Barnes, Blair Underwood
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.