T.J. Williams 5 Minutes and 42 Seconds

5 Minutes and 42 Seconds

T.J. Williams

Harper Collins, Jun 2006, $14.95

ISBN: 0060837683

The Douglass brood is trained to dispose illegal drugs and wads of cash in 5 Minutes and 42 Seconds from the time the trumpet sounds warning them the Feds are coming. The family members are precise and never fail to carry out the assignment in such a way that the military would be proud. This ability to destroy the evidence in a timely manner has enabled the patriarch Fashad to maintain his position of drug lord though he has many law enforcement people wanting to lock him away and rivals wanting to take over his lucrative trade.

However, there has been a subtle change in relationships within the family. Fashad's wife Cameisha is angry with her husband whom she feels is cheating on her with an unknown younger woman. She decides when the next drill occurs to abscond with the loot and leave the drugs for the cops to find. Fashad's right hand man Smokey also has plans to eliminate his boss, whom took him sexually as a teen though he currently dates Fashad's daughter Dream. When the trumpet blows Fashad finds himself left behind to face the law with only his lover Xander trying to protect him and he has an agenda too as he sets in motion a plan to eliminate Cameisha as the drugpin's significant other.

This is an intriguing crime caper in which the participants plan double and triple crosses using the law and human foibles as tools to achieve their objective. The characters are avaricious and nasty using love as a rationale for their actions. Fashad is a fascinating mix as readers and his wife will be shocked by who his lover is though the hints are obvious from Smokey's reactions towards the drug king. Fans of wild character driven crime thrillers like Get Shorty will appreciate 5 MINUTES and 42 SECONDS.

Harriet Klausner