Whatever it Takes

Dwayne Murray, Sr.
Madbo Enterprises (2007)
ISBN 9780976985518
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (2/09)


By the end of the first page, I was keenly interested in Dwayne Murray, Sr.’s careful development of the characters and background for the plot of his novel “Whatever it Takes.” By the end of the second chapter, I was hooked. Murray’s gut-wrenching drama grabbed my attention and held me spellbound.

Butch and Zig Steel became orphans at ages eleven and ten. Their parents were killed in a tragic accident. As wards of a state-run facility they were physically and emotionally abused. The boys were filled with hatred and resentment. Twenty-five years of allowing vengeance to fester until their loathing, and simmering feeling of resentment turned the Steel brothers into bitter, violent, depraved adults.

Melvin Baker, the object of the Steel Brother’s revenge, was the cause of their parents’ death.  Melvin showed no remorse and had grown to be a self-centered, egotistical, and wealthy man, whose greediness ultimately backfired on him. Melvin’s greed impacted his home and produced a dysfunctional family. His egotistical actions against the Steel brothers accelerated their rampage of revenge, torture, kidnapping, and murder.
 
The introduction of detectives Jesse James and Brenda Simple involved several minor plot twists that established their stamina, perseverance, savvy, and reputation and introduced characters who later became intricately involved in the action.

In a thwarted attempt by the Steel brothers to extort $25 million from Baker’s secret bank account, Penny Baker, Melvin’s adopted daughter, becomes the target of a kidnapping attempt. The pace picks up with no letup until the final dramatic, climactic ending.

Murray has captured something of the painful realism and intensity of life in the urban community, specifically, the Bronx. Murray uses graphic language, explicit sexual scenes, and detailed acts of violence, to describe the shocking realities in the language of the streets. This realism is used to get the readers attention and to help them understand the depths of depravity of the Steel brothers and their cohorts. This is also used as a medium for moving the story along and to pick up the fast-paced action of the multilayered plot. Murray’s vivid descriptions leave the reader with visual images depicting the horror of the Steel Brother’s perception of justice.

“Whatever it Takes” has an underlying theme of family values, work ethics, and persevering in times of adversity. Already a “Best Books Award Finalist,” Dwayne Murray, Sr. has already become a favorite and is destined to become a household name among readers of the genre of urban action thrillers. “Whatever it Takes” is creative and imaginative, moving and dramatic suspense at a new level.

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