BURN

Black Artemis
New American Library a division of Penguin Group Inc. (2006)
ISBN 0451218574
Reviewed by Ronald J. Martin for Reader View (6/06)

 

As the reader rides shotgun with bondswoman Jasmine Reyes you follow her life: court appearances, bail jumpers, cigarettes, whiskey, keeping clients in line, love affairs, and office politics are all a small portion of a regular day at Reye’s Bonds.

Jasmine is the bail agent with a heart. She believes in second chances and will post bail pro bono for clients with low flight risk and good possibility of rehabilitation.

When Jasmine runs into Malcolm “Macho” Booker, a graffiti writer charged with armed robbery for his theft of spray paint, she gets a wake up call from the past. Macho reminds her of her late twin brother, who was also a graffiti artist and killed himself while in lockdown.

Malcolm is a low flight risk, and has a contract to do his graffiti legally for a local health clinic. So after Jasmine posts the bail and Macho takes off, she has a mystery to solve and $10,000 on the line!

 She has a feeling that Malcolm’s running away might have something to do with the high rolling humanitarian doctor running the clinic, who might not be as saintly as most think.

This book was a good read and has an ending that ties up the loose ends, which in my opinion is a good writing style. If you like books that tell a story and don’t just setup for part two then you won’t be disappointed.

Unfortunately some of the social commentary had me groaning out loud. A lot of it was really out of place and seemed to come out of left field (pun intended). For example, discussing the faults of Mayor Giuliani in a book about graffiti is appropriate. He was a big enemy in the world of a graffiti writer and it makes sense to bring it up. On the other hand, having the main character Jasmine discuss with her employee the issue of Gender Identity Disorder and if it exists or not, was a pretty far stretch and didn’t advance the plot.

“BURN” takes the reader twisting and turning on a journey that is entertaining and also explores a plethora of social issues.

Please note that this is an ADULT fiction book. Coarse language and adult themes are used. I would recommend it for the 20-30 age range with an interest in graffiti and hip hop.

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