Black Lotus 2: The Vow

by K'wan

Overview

After the death of a police officer, assassin Kahllah (aka the Black Lotus) is forced out of retirement in an attempt to clear her name while outrunning a mysterious enemy.

“[A] riveting read from start to finish . . . Excellent.” —Exclusive Magazine

It’s been months since Kahllah El-Amin, aka the Black Lotus, hung up her pistols, retired from the murder-for-hire business, and finally found peace. But when a police officer is murdered and a familiar flower is left at the crime scene, all signs point to it being the work of the Black Lotus. Someone is trying to frame her. Things get more complicated when the case is handed to Detective James Wolf, a former adversary who has since become a friend.

To clear her name, Kahllah is forced out of retirement and once again must don the mask of the Black Lotus. She races against time to catch the real killer while trying to outrun her most formidable rival. Their deadly game leads to a shocking truth buried under a mountain of lies, as Kahllah attempts to find justice in a world devoid of light.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781617757679
Publisher:	Akashic Books, Ltd.
Publication date:	11/03/2020
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	186,204
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 6.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

K'WAN has become one of the most beloved, iconic Black writers of the last two decades with his artful, suspenseful storytelling and over a million books in print. He has penned more than two dozen best-selling novels, including the widely popular Animal series, as well as The Reluctant King and Black Lotus. K'wan's writing has been featured in Vibe, Pages, King, Library Journal, Entertainment Weekly, and Time, to name a few. He was the recipient of the Street Lit Book Award Medal in adult fiction in 2012 and 2013 for Eviction Notice and Animal, and has been a recurring guest on TV One's Celebrity Crime Files.

Editorial Reviews

09/14/2020

Set in New York City, K’wan’s swaggering sequel to 2014’s Black Lotus finds the eponymous assassin—real name Kahllah El-Amin—retired from vengeance-for-hire and effecting justice through journalism at the magazine she runs with her best friend, Audrey. Kahllah endeavors to ignore the coded contact requests that keep appearing in the Village Voice classifieds; she has no interest in renewing her association with the Brotherhood of Blood. But when someone frames Black Lotus for the murder of crooked cop Francis Cobb, Kahllah realizes she has no choice but to unpack her blades, re-don her mask, and track down Cobb’s true killer. Not only is her honor at stake but one of the NYPD’s finest—hard-nosed detective James Wolf—is hot on her trail. Readers new to the series may initially find themselves scrambling to suss out Kahllah and James’s respective backstories, but on the whole, K’wan delivers a lean, tightly plotted tale that balances noir aesthetics with comic book flair. Fans of pulp and urban lit will be well satisfied. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"Black Lotus 2: The Vow is full of the cinematic action and drama that K’wan is known for. Readers will be anxiously waiting for the next installment."

Urban Reviews

"K’wan follows up 2014’s Black Lotus with another furiously paced work of urban pulp that fuses 1970s camp with violence, vengeance, and gore. Series newcomers may need a beat to familiarize themselves with the battle-scarred characters and their blood-soaked backstories, but come the closing cliff-hanger, they’ll be every bit as invested in Kahllah’s future as K’wan’s longtime fans."

Mystery Scene Magazine

"From page one to the last, Black Lotus 2: The Vow is a high-wire act with no net. A smart refiguring of hard-boiled with a nitro injection of new-age sensibilities."

Reed Farrel Coleman

"Like a cool, hip, and fun evening at a vintage drive-in, Black Lotus 2: The Vow takes me back to a time when Jim Kelly, Pam Grier, and Fred Williamson graced the big screen. Throw in some Bruce Lee and a little The Last Dragon and you have a hell of a butt-kicking, action-filled ride."

Ace Atkins

Critical praise for the first Black Lotus:

Selected for the Library Services for Youth in Custody 2015 In the Margins Book Award List

One of Library Journal's Best African American Fiction Books of 2014

Included in Written Magazine's "Publisher’s Picks: 30-Books-in-90-Days" list

"[A] heart-thumping thriller...K'wan does a masterful job of keeping readers on their toes right up to the very last page."
—Publishers Weekly

"Fans expecting another thug-in-the-street story will be pleasantly surprised at this rough police procedural."
—Library Journal

"K'wan steadily builds to a frantic, movie-worthy climax."
—Entertainment Weekly

"Yet another heart-thumping thriller by this Hip Hop author who delivers."
—Library Services for Youth in Custody

"This book features the sublime story and character development that K'wan is known for."
—Urban Reviews

"One of hip-hop fiction's hottest authors."
-King

"The legacies of Iceberg Slim and Donald Goines are forever preserved."
—Upscale

"Black Lotus is an absolutely riveting read...an edge-of-the-seat nail-biter...you won't be disappointed."
—Zachary Mule

"Well-written at a fast pace...the suspense is cutting edge and cunning. Even if you are on top of your sleuth game, you will not figure out the game players or assassin until the end...Hats off to you K'wan."
—Ski-wee's Book Corner

From the Publisher