I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A battle-hardened veteran navigates a treacherous path to save his community from corruption and inequality in the novel “The Emancipation of Limits” by A. Paj Turner.
The Synopsis
Richie, a visionary and an entrepreneur, returned to Chicago to help build businesses in the black communities. He provided better opportunities for his people by recreating the success of Black Wall Street using profits from the drug trade. Richie planned to exit the game once he felt the communities could flourish without his assistance. However, his connect takes extreme measures to solidify Richie’s ties to the business. Richie’s ability to adapt to any situation is tested by the unpredictability of the violence of the game, which leaves him vulnerable and pressured to stay the course. To add to his already difficult situation, an opposing crime organization and Chicago’s deadliest gangs aim to knock him off his path toward emancipating his people from society’s controlling influences. Can Richie overcome the obstacles and roadblocks placed before him? Or will he and his team fall victim to the streets, sending their revolutionary plans up in a blaze?
The Review
This was such a compelling and gripping crime thriller meets urban fiction drama. The visceral imagery and atmosphere that the author laces throughout every chapter make the story come to life on the page. The rich settings, from the cold streets of Chicago to the warm yet deadly underbelly of Belize and beyond, make this novel feel cinematic in its delivery, keeping readers enthralled with the growing narrative from start to finish.
The driving force behind this narrative was the dynamic character development of the protagonist, Richie. The author first introduces him as a cold, heartless mobster, but slowly unravels the layers of this character to reveal a heartbroken soldier who is willing to use the path society has put him on to create a better world for his community, even at the expense of his soul. The shocking realities of the life of criminality he is immersed in and the twisted games that opposing gangs and organizations play to drive a wedge in his plans create the tension and heart-pounding action that drives any great crime thriller, yet shines a light on the injustices and inequalities so many in the African American community face every day at the same time.
The Verdict
Memorable, engaging, and thrilling, author A. Paj Turner’s “The Emancipation of Limits” is a must-read crime thriller that blends urban fiction elements. The twists and turns the novel takes, the vast cast of characters, and the dynamic attention to detail in bringing the gritty and chilling nature of crime and its impact on communities to life make this one novel readers will be hard-pressed to put down. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
About the Author
My name is A. PAJ Turner and I was born on the 29th of December, 1971, in Chicago, IL. My parents are Russell Leon Turner Sr. and Joann Turner. They divorced when I was two and he was an absent father to my brother and I. He died in 2002, of natural causes, but had two strokes that probably aided with his passing. He was fifty-two when he passed. My older brother, Russell Jr, took the role as my guardian and protector as he ensured if harm ever came our way, he would shield me at all cost. He was my first superhero and I looked up to him because he had abilities that I felt I could never obtain.
My early childhood was a typical middle-class environment in the 1970’s. My mom worked for Illinois Bell and my grandfather, Richard Watson Sr., who lived with us was my first and the example of what a man should be like. I did everything an inner-city kid would do for fun. Ring doorbells and run, play hide and go seek, kill-the-man, baseball, and other mischievous things. Snowball, rock and crabapple fights,was the thing to do in our neighborhood. When Michael Jordan touched down in Chicago, every child dream was to be like Mike, so basketball became my dream.
My mom did not want Public School education for my brother and I, so she sent us to catholic schools from Kindergarten through High School. I wasn’t the best student, I understood the work, but school just didn’t interest me. My grades showed it and my brother, my defense attorney pleaded his case to mom on why my grades was the way they were. I was proud that he would represent me. As my mom stood there, frowning with her hands on her hip with her leather belt folded in her right hand, she listened. When he told her, my F wasn’t really an F, what he did wrong was or trying to drag a teacher’s work ethic through the mud…. In short, he never won a case. It would have made more sense for my brother to tell her that I was adopted. He never hesitated to tell me that. He reasoning was because I didn’t have many baby pictures.
Eighth grade was the last straw for my mom and grandfather. I remember my grandfather and I was having a conversation about my grades. He said that he didn’t want to die knowing I was doing bad in school. That destroyed me! They last thing I ever wanted was for him to die and not showing him what I could become. I honor rolled in High School and went on to Kennedy King Jr. College on a basketball scholarship. One night, heading to a home game, I got held at gunpoint. I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. My uncle, Richard Watson Jr., convinced me to join the military and don’t look back. I did just that.
