The Reluctant King

by K'wan

Overview

The King family is on the political rise in New York City, but must weather the violent storm wrought by their darkest secrets.

"K’wan is exceptionally gifted at ratcheting up suspense . . . There’s no denying the writer’s talent for dark, gritty fiction. It’s a page-turner."
—Kirkus Reviews

"Just when you think you know how this story is going to end, K’wan hits you with one his infamous curveballs that will stop you in your tracks. The Reluctant King by K’wan is an enjoyable start to this new series and will make you anticipate the second installment."
—Urban Reviews Online

Meet the Kings, one of the most influential families in New York City. In the power circles of the movers and shakers, they are regarded as modern-day royalty. A politically connected father, a socialite mother, and three promising children: they look every bit the all-American family...but every family has secrets. Some darker than others.

Of all the children, Shadow is the least like the rest of the Kings. To call him soft wouldn’t be quite accurate, but he lacks the leadership qualities of his older brother, Ghost, or the ruthless tendencies of his sister Lolli. Shadow is just...Shadow. Instead of accepting his role in the "Monarchy" created by his father, Shadow would rather spend his days chasing women and hanging out in the hood with his best friends, Fresh and Pain. He is totally oblivious to the perils that come with his last name—until danger introduces itself.

On the night of their mother’s fiftieth birthday gala, their father, Chancellor, is set to announce his plans to turn his political focus beyond his current position as a member of the city council. He has tasted the benefits that come with holding office, and has the power and influence to make a serious run at climbing the political ladder.

The future is looking bright for the King family. That is, until the devil comes to claim his due, and threatens to destroy everything Chancellor has worked to build. To survive the coming storm, each member of the royal family will have to make a sacrifice, even those who are reluctant to wear the crown.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781636140148
Publisher:	Akashic Books
Publication date:	09/14/2021
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	332,861
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

K'wan is the best-selling, award-winning author of more than thirty novels, including the wildly popular Animal series, Black Lotus, Black Lotus 2: The Vow, Gangsta, Road Dawgz, Street Dreams, Hoodlum, and Section 8. He has been featured in Vibe, King, Entertainment Weekly, and Time magazine. K'wan was the recipient of the 2012 and 2013 Street Lit Book Award Medals (SLBAM) in adult fiction for Eviction Notice and Animal. His credits also include featured commentary in the documentary Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp (produced by Ice-T) as well as a recurring role as an analyst on TV One's Celebrity Crime Files. K'wan resides in New Jersey.

Editorial Reviews

07/19/2021

Set in present-day New York City, this derivative crime novel from K’Wan (the Black Lotus series) focuses on the King family, “players in the New York underworld since the 1930s.” The familiar cast includes a violent son, Ghost, groomed to inherit the criminal empire; another son, Shadow, reluctant to get involved in the family business; their sister, Lolli, who wants her potential as a crime boss acknowledged by her father; and a significant character betrayed by a relative and gunned down in a hail of bullets. Current patriarch Chance King, a councilman, is planning a run for Brooklyn borough president, which he hopes will be a stepping-stone toward the mayoralty and, eventually, Washington, D.C. To get elected, Chance must distance himself from his illegal enterprises and designate someone else to keep them running. A predictable struggle for succession follows. Awkward prose (“Christian’s eyes flickered sinisterly as he applied pressure”) and sloppy details (New York City has not had aldermen since 1938) don’t help. Fans of the Godfather saga looking for more of the same may want to have a look. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

2021-07-10
A crime family prepares for a birthday party.

K’wan focuses on a powerful, violent family in his latest urban thriller. The Kings live in a large home in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, but control a political and criminal syndicate in Manhattan's Five Points neighborhood. The novel takes place during a single day in which the family prepares for a birthday party for the matriarch, Maureen, that will also serve as an announcement by her husband, Chancellor, that he’s running for Brooklyn borough president. The book focuses on the couple’s three children: Ghost, a violent sociopath and gangster (“Men who ran afoul of him left the world of the living”); Lolli, a savvy and ambitious nail salon owner; and Shadow, a 17-year-old with ”little stomach for the family business.” Ghost spends the day taking care of the criminal side of his family’s business, while Lolli tries to convince a politician to endorse her father’s campaign, and Shadow goes in search of a missing family member at his mother’s request. It won’t surprise readers to learn that the birthday party, when it happens, doesn’t go quite as planned. K’wan is exceptionally gifted at ratcheting up suspense, and his dialogue rings mostly true to life. Some readers might be put off by the novel’s unending machismo, in particular two sex scenes that read like transcripts of male-fantasy porn clips (“Mike plowed into her like he was drilling for oil”), but there’s no denying the writer’s talent for dark, gritty fiction. It’s a page-turner.

Suspenseful, gritty, and (sometimes painfully) macho.

Kirkus Reviews

Critical Praise for Black Lotus and Black Lotus 2: The Vow by K'wan:

Black Lotus was selected for the Library Services for Youth in Custody 2015 In the Margins Book Award List

Black Lotus was one of Library Journal's Best African American Fiction Books of 2014

"[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

"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

"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, New York Times best-selling author of Walking the Perfect Square

"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, New York Times best-selling author of The Shameless

"Black Lotus 2: The Vow is a thrilling roller-coaster ride of a mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat!"
—Bernice L. McFadden, author of The Book of Harlan

"An intensive read."
—Journey of a Bookseller

"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."
—Publishers Weekly

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

From the Publisher