The Importance Of Being Dangerous

Description

In the 1990s, as the Internet boomed and investments soared to unthinkable heights, many people were left with their feet planted firmly on the ground, looking enviously up at the more fortunate winners in life's game of roulette. This is the era in which we meet Sidarra, Griff, and Yakoob-hardworking folks who can't seem to get a toehold while wealth explodes around them. Each has personal struggles, but when they join the Central Harlem Investment Club, a plan to restore a little justice to their lives takes shape. It seems Yakoob has found a way to siphon off funds from wealthy individuals-the kind of people who are well insured and will probably barely notice the missing money. But in order to justify personal gain at others' expense, the group decides to pick their victims based on people who have done harm to the black community in the past. A plan hatched in a dark pool hall could be a way to escape their drab lives and bring some equality back to the world. But when the group takes in Yakoob's shady neighbor Raul, their scheme takes a sinister twist. Now, with murder in the mix, and the possibility of serious consequences, their best-laid plans may spiral into much more dangerous territory. . . .

David Troutt, a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School, is the author of numerous works of fiction and non-fiction. His first published collection of short stories, The Monkey Suit (The New Press, 1998), fictionalized ten actual legal controversies involving African Americans from slavery to the present. His non-fiction includes legal and political commentary and analysis for national periodicals and legal scholarship about poverty, race, urban development, and intellectual property.

"A fine, textured novel with three characters--Sidarra, Griff, and Yakoob--who hold us spellbound from start to finish." -- James Patterson "A sexy thriller" -- Washington Post Book World "red -hot" -- Ebony "...earns good marks for its nifty premis, crisp dialogue and well-handled plot..." -- Kirkus Reviews "...intelligent thriller, sharp as a razor..." -- Tananarive Due, American Book Award-winning author of Joplin's Ghost "There's plenty here to quicken the pulse and even tug on our sympathies..." -- Washington Post Book World