Thug lovin'

Back in the hood but movin' on up, Tasha and Trae Macklin have reformed somewhat but are still in urban grit mode. In Clark's latest street lit, her fourth novel in the Thug series, the couple's moved to L.A. although Trae briefly returns to the East Coast for some revenge killing after his cousin Shaheem's murdered. Three years later, Tasha has three children and it's all good except Trace opens up a flashy nightspot, Club New York. To do this, he makes a connection with Charles Li, a Chinese mobster, and his dangerous daughter, Charli. Then Sabeerah, a devious young witness to Trae's New Jersey crime, moves to L.A. and tries to blackmail Trae. In another plot line Det. Rick Bryant, the couple's neighbor, gets involved with Kyra, Tasha's old friend, whose hubby, Marvin, is using drugs. Clark, who started her writing career while incarcerated, depicts Tasha's travails and Kyra's problems with a brutally honest squint, but it's hard to care about extra thuggy Trae. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Picking up from Thug Matrimony, Clark escorts us into the personal lives of Angel and Kaylin's closest friends, Tasha, and her husband, Trae. After beating a huge drug case that would have landed partners Trae and Kaylin in jail for many years, Trae moves his pregnant wife, Tasha, to the West Coast to retire from the game and settle into a peaceful new life. Then a tragic phone call lures Trae and Tasha back home to Queens, NY, confirming Tasha's greatest fears about her husband's old connections. The couple's ride-or-die love may have been strong enough to remove them from the East Coast, but can it keep Trae from sinking into a deep hole of lies as he tries to cover his tracks from a vengeance murder? Will thug lovin' sustain them through the drama? Verdict In true Clark style, the author jumps right into the action, reintroducing fans and newbies to the criss-crossed relationships of Angel, Kyra, Jaz, and Tasha. With authentic dialog and well-written flashback scenes, nicely interwoven with the present-day drama, this novel will keep readers on the edge of their seats. The fourth entry in Clark's popular "Thug" series (after Thugs and the Women Who Love Them, Every Thug Needs a Lady, and Thug Matrimony) is essential for Clark and street lit fans.-Vanessa Morris, The iSchool at Drexel University, Philadelphia (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.