Karma Wears Versace by Rod Palmer (Book Review)
Thanks for stopping by. Are you new to Black and Bookish? Please take a look around. Here are the books I've read and reviewed, or you can start here to get an overview of who I am and what I do. Don't forget to subscribe to get news and posts sent straight to your inbox.
“Only a husband’s death is worth something.”
*****
A Veteran of the Business
There is no doubt that Rod Palmer has this process on autopilot. With the release of his fourth book earlier this month, the South Carolina native is tapping into his Gullah Geechee heritage to bring his stories to life. His new book is a twist in the who-done-it and his response to making a change within the genre of Urban Fiction.
Karma Wears Versace chronicles Detective Aisha Sawyer of Atlanta as she works diligently to catch the killer of one of hip-hop’s moguls, Kendal “Trap” Miller. But when everyone from her captain, to her partner, dismisses Sawyer’s prime suspect, she knows she has to use every trick in the book to prove the real killer is much more dangerous than anyone realizes. Can she convince the right people to go after the correct killer, or will she lose her job and her marriage in the pursuit of justice?..
*****
It Never Stops
This book is a fun ride. A little intellectual know-how mixed in with fast-paced scenes of action, slow jam moments, and well-placed comedy. It mixes thriller and drama well while also staying grounded in realities surrounding the Black community. It isn’t your typical predictable procedural, so you’ll never know where the next turn will take you.
Karma Wears Versace has excellent imagery and keeps you guessing page after page. I experienced the scenes in ways I wasn’t expecting. And I was able to catch my breath with the pacing of the novel. Palmer was also able to keep his book in the third person AND use informal dialogue (slang) in a way that didn’t make my head hurt. All of these things kept me looking forward to picking up this book and making it to the end.
The women of this book held their ground against all the men that had more power and privilege. Sawyer was reminiscent of Luke Cage’s Misty Knight- total lack of regard for people giving her the runaround. Her energetic personality and added vulnerability jumped off every page she was on. If Palmer’s goal was to make the women in his book multifaceted, he succeeded.
For readers of fast-paced dramas, I would highly recommend this book. With the strong female leads, the realities of life in the music scene, and more twist than a kid’s amusement park slide, Karma Wears Versace should be your next read. And for those who can’t get enough, Palmer is in the works of a sequel also starring Detective Sawyer. Rod Palmer currently lives in Columbia, SC where he runs Black Wren Press. You can stay in contact with him on his site: http://www.rodpalmertheauthor.com/.
Use the link above to purchase your copy of Karma Wears Versace today!
About the Author
Black & Bookish is the brainchild of Antoinette Scully, educator and lover of all things bookish. She is on a quest to fill your bookshelves with beloved authors of the African Diaspora. When she's not hanging out online, she's living it up as the mother of two rambunctious girls and wife of a local filmmaker.
