Gotham Diaries by Tonya Lewis Lee and Crystal McCrary Anthony

When I interviewed author and journalist, Tia Williams a few years ago she mentioned that one thing that niggled her was that the Black middle and upper class were not portrayed in the media. I had to admit that she had a point - TV. films and books are surrounded with images of working class Blacks, single mothers and men in jail while images of high brow African Americans remain unseen. So when a fellow blogger mentioned a book called Gotham Diaries I had to check it out on Amazon. The book is about the upper elite of Manhattan who lead very privileged lives; characters such as Tandy Brooks who is a respected socialite is admired for her refined beauty and class. Manny Marks an ambitious social climber from Alabama who is bidding his time as a real estate broker, praying that he makes that one deal which will allow him to join the upper ranks. Gorgeous, Lauren Thomas is married to billionaire, Ed Thomas and lives the life of luxury but her husband's wandering eye marrs her perfect life. Together Tandy and Lauren enjoy the traps of wealth and position - with Manny riding at their coat tails - while their peers look on in admiration. However, when Tandy's husband dies suddenly her fortune takes a turn for the worse and she is forced to start selling her possessions. Tandy has worked too damm hard to give up her lifestyle and status and comes up with a cunning plan in order to get her life back on track. Unfortunately this involves ripping off Lauren and roping in Manny. 

I got into this book as soon as I finished the first page. It is totally compelling and seductive to read - the style is not too different from Snapped by Tracy Brown which reviewed a few weeks back as both books possess the bling factor. Gotham Diaries portrays the haves and the trying so hard to haves; the life of Lauren who has it all, Tandy who had it and lost and Manny who is trying to get it. I also love the minor characters such as the oh so fabulous NBA player, Daryl and his delectable wife whose newly acquired millions have granted them a place in the social elite pile. After reading this book I only realised that one of the authors is Tonya Lewis Lee aka Spike Lee's wife. The other author is Crystal McCrary Anthony, former wife of NBA star Greg Anthony so if anyone knows what it is like to mix and mingle with the upper crust of African American society then it is  more these two women. Interestingly enough both Tonya and Crystal are lawyers turned writers and TV producers. It makes sense now though as it is evidence that both women are taking us into their own worlds thus taking upon the best writing advice  - write about what you know. Gotham Diaries is wickedly written and takes cattiness to a new level. You will really dislike all the characters but at the same time be really intrigued by them. The book was actually released back in 2006 and I am shocked that I am only hearing about it now. I really hope someone makes it into a TV series or movie one day because these are stories that need to be told.

Gotham Diaries is available to buy on Amazon. 

Snapped by Tracy Brown

I am a great lover of contemporary fiction featuring modern Millies jiggling careers, love lives and family and as a Black lady I always seek out stories about women of African descent whether they are based in the UK, Canada or the US. The last one I read was The Accidental Diva by Tia Williams which was a few years ago. While I was getting my flight from Atlanta to New York I came across Snapped by Tracy Brown in the bookstore. I have never heard of the author but a quick read of the synopsis and the first chapter had me riveted so I bought it. I read the book in a few days ( mostly when I was travelling around New York on the subway) and it was everything I hoped it would be; compelling, intriguing and a lot of fun. Snapped is about four female friends who inhabit New York City who are very different but all have a driving ambition to attain the perfect life. There is Camille Bingham, a former model who is married to the powerful Frankie Bingham and lives a life of luxury and opulence. Waited on hand and foot, she does not have a single care in the world however her perfect life is threatened when Frankie starts getting closer to another woman. Misa is Camille's sister and is as sassy as they come. A recent divorcee and a single mother means that Misa cannot afford the same lifestyle as her big sister but will stop at nothing to get it. Then there is Latoya who is a sharp mouthed lady with all the answers in life. The last thing on her mind is finding Mr Right and she believes that the only way for woman to survive is to concentrate on her career and keep her feelings in check. Dominique is also a single mother of a teenage daughter but despite this she has carved out a successful career for herself as a music exec. The only downside is her love life which is a bit of a mess as her boyfriend is serving a prison sentence for dealing in drugs.

Aside from the four ladies there are other minor characters who feature in the book. They are all very well developed and you can easily relate to them whether they are good or bad. This is one of Tracy Brown's strengths, creating strong characters and presenting them well. My only criticism is that there are too many minor characters who we did not really get to know. Snapped gives us a great insight into the criminal underworld and the people who are involved in organised crime such as drugs and fraud. A quick browse through amazon tells me that all of the author's books are about the crime world so it makes me wonder if that is a scene that she is familiar with after all the first rule of fiction is that you write about what you know. It looks like we have another Martina Cole on our hands. Snapped is a really gripping book that kept me hooked and wanting more, I really had no idea what was going to happen next and the book combines romance and intrigue seamlessly. Unfortunately I was not happy about the ending; there were too many loose ends left and the shock ending came out of nowhere. It was like the publisher had just yanked the two last chapters from the book and left us with a botched ending. It was really sad because up till then it had the makings of a great novel and one of the best I have ever read. Shame about the anti-climax.

NB: Ok I have done some digging around and there is a sequel being released next month. It is called Aftermath and picks up where Snapped left. Phew!! I cannot wait to read it.