Stained cotton

Verdict: Alternating between first-person narratives for his main male characters, Qu'ban Cartez and his brother O'ban, and the third person for the women's side of the story, Carter's no-frills prose depicts a thug's mindset in a no-holds-barred world. Marked by hard-core, brutal sex scenes, this gritty tale is not for the squeamish, but the author's name will stir patron demand. Background: Qu'ban is a Kansas City, MO, crime figure and takes nothing from anybody, including his main woman, Lady. When she drunkenly borrows his black-on-black '72 Cutlass for a cruise, Qu'ban grabs her in a choke hold. After their fallout, Qu'ban hooks up with three different women, hitting them for quick sexual releases and moving on. One of his conquests tells Qu'ban, "Don't worry about mine, just make sure you get yours." Carter crowds his story with setup after setup, but Qu'ban learns it's difficult, but not impossible, to extract revenge from inside a prison cell.--Rollie Welch, Cleveland P.L. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.