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Hidden Secrets, Hidden Lives
If we live long enough, eventually our past will catch up to us.
After escaping a life of running dope by moving to a new city to attend college, Travis Moore has succeeded in hiding the secrets of his life. Now, twelve years later, he believes that he can return to the city of his youth without facing his past. Travis is making peace with his past by putting in an honest day’s work and mentoring young men that are at risk of traveling the negative past that he once traveled. Jarquis “Baby Jar” Love is teetering on that path and unknowingly becomes the bridge to the life Travis Moore was leaving behind.
On the other side of the bridge is Kwame “Bone” Brown. All those years ago, he was running side by side with Travis until he took the fall to protect his boy. When Bone gets back in the game, he is alone and abandoned by Travis. Bone builds his own private world where he manipulates all the moving pieces and is motivated by revenge. Kwame is set to expose Travis’ past, which is much deeper than the dope game and uses Baby Jar as a pawn to rob Travis of his life.
Travis Moore is on a collision course with the hidden secrets of his past life and tries desperately to hold on.
After escaping a life of running dope by moving to a new city to attend college, Travis Moore has succeeded in hiding the secrets of his life. Now, twelve years later, he believes that he can return to the city of his youth without facing his past. Travis is making peace with his past by putting in an honest day’s work and mentoring young men that are at risk of traveling the negative past that he once traveled. Jarquis “Baby Jar” Love is teetering on that path and unknowingly becomes the bridge to the life Travis Moore was leaving behind.
On the other side of the bridge is Kwame “Bone” Brown. All those years ago, he was running side by side with Travis until he took the fall to protect his boy. When Bone gets back in the game, he is alone and abandoned by Travis. Bone builds his own private world where he manipulates all the moving pieces and is motivated by revenge. Kwame is set to expose Travis’ past, which is much deeper than the dope game and uses Baby Jar as a pawn to rob Travis of his life.
Travis Moore is on a collision course with the hidden secrets of his past life and tries desperately to hold on.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 11, 2011
42 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 27, 2011
So this author was actually endorsed and promoted by popular Urban fiction writer Zane who I read long before Goodreads and is quite popular, so naturally I was intrigued Then when I found out the author actually did some screenwriting and acting I wanted to know what he had to say..and so I read. This is the story of Perry Travis Moore--and his life or moreso the one he created after leaving his murdered drug addict mother and the streets of North Carolina (Pause: It is here that I found the most trouble, not that North Carolina can't have gangsta areas but as a urban hot spot it holds no rank, really a nonfactor, kinda lame location but we can go with it..) Okay so Perry Travis Moore left his best friend and partner in crime after high school and went away to school, dropped the name Perry, got married and lived life legit after being a major drug kingpin ripping and running the streets. He left it all in the past and his wife of five years and mother of his child had no knowledge. Aside from his distance and secrecy on his past things are fine until he decides to move back to his old town, secretly join a mentoring program for boys in need of guidance to get out of the street life, that his past finds him..Like this was surprising his old best friend is still in town, slanging rock and causing trouble while also harboring a mean, hateful grudge against the boy who left him to take a fall while he went away and bettered himself. Perry's nemesis Bone (oh yeah another thing everyone in the book has these goofy "street" nicknames to lend them some street cred--not needed at all) plots and schemes and implicates himself in Perry's life any way he can--through his work, his wife, his daily routine and his house, all for some Dr Evil like painfully drawn out revenge he never even fully discloses. There were some aspects of this book I really liked, it told the story well and though it didnt fully flesh out the characters and relied a little on stereotypes (Lisa is every hood chick personified with her negativity and gold digging) at least there was some time given to explain themselves and their motives..I found Perry a little weak and not believable at all and Bone was kinda corny but it works somehow and its actually a good book to read for fun. The book loses some points for me really on authenticity--as I stated they try to portray North Carolina as a packed city with real drug and lawless activity and me, a New York hood princess ;) find it hard to believe their claims of gunplay and drug dealing or real money making seriously.. Bone's lame ass actually paid a jump off chick $100 in twenties for a night slumming in a crackhouse and that chick took it--like for real what girl in 2011 does that, maybe he meant $1000 because for real money does not get it like that today, not even from the sleaziest trick. And I do think there is present day as there are references to newer albums--Shout out to Drake's Thank Me Later CD--..But seriously aside from the unreal aspect of drug life in NC and a few WTF moments I enjoyed this book and would read another..Recommended.
March 13, 2011
Is the Past Ever Really the Past?,
Everyone has a past, but not everyone's past can harm their present like Travis Moore's. Travis, as a teen, felt that the streets were his only option. He did what he had to do. Now fast forward several years and Travis is nothing like the person he once was. College educated with a good job and married with a child, Travis Moore is an upstanding citizen. He even volunteers his time at a treatment/recovery center. No one in town knows, not even his wife, about his past, or so he thinks. Someone from Travis' past is bent on systematically destroying all that he has.
"Hidden Secrets, Hidden Lives" is a good story with one exception - it is very slow. Good storyline...check. Interesting characters...check. Intrigue...check. Pacing...hmm. The mystery of the main character's past may build tension at the outset of the story but soon weakens because of the slow pace. Pridgen's writing is solid and steady, but again, the pace is very slow. The story picks up in spurts. As a result, this reader's attention waned often, which at times made reading cumbersome.
"Hidden Secrets, Hidden Lives" is a worthy read for those willing to take the long, leisurely scenic route. Not a bad read by any means, but had the pacing been better distributed, this could have easily been a more powerful and impressive debut.
Reviewed by: Toni
3.5 stars
Everyone has a past, but not everyone's past can harm their present like Travis Moore's. Travis, as a teen, felt that the streets were his only option. He did what he had to do. Now fast forward several years and Travis is nothing like the person he once was. College educated with a good job and married with a child, Travis Moore is an upstanding citizen. He even volunteers his time at a treatment/recovery center. No one in town knows, not even his wife, about his past, or so he thinks. Someone from Travis' past is bent on systematically destroying all that he has.
"Hidden Secrets, Hidden Lives" is a good story with one exception - it is very slow. Good storyline...check. Interesting characters...check. Intrigue...check. Pacing...hmm. The mystery of the main character's past may build tension at the outset of the story but soon weakens because of the slow pace. Pridgen's writing is solid and steady, but again, the pace is very slow. The story picks up in spurts. As a result, this reader's attention waned often, which at times made reading cumbersome.
"Hidden Secrets, Hidden Lives" is a worthy read for those willing to take the long, leisurely scenic route. Not a bad read by any means, but had the pacing been better distributed, this could have easily been a more powerful and impressive debut.
Reviewed by: Toni
3.5 stars
May 26, 2011
37 chapters to cover a couple of days of action. The unraveling of Perry Thomas Moore's hidden past. Fueled by obsession of Kwame Bone Brown. Author should have took his time to really develop the story and to draw the reader in. I felt as if I was being rushed to get to the end. It was interesting to find out Travis's secret but it was revealed to soon and too quickly. There was no development of Travis and Kenya's marriage. We were not really taken on the ride of the breaking down of the marriage. Lisa was just plain stupid and unbelievable. Flake was the character that grew and developed the most in the story. He took you by surprise. He was the door mate or flunky that turned on its master.
April 18, 2011
I really enjoy this book.It had me on the edge of my seat.I couldn't believe the twist and the turns the story had.Mr.Pridgen did his thing.This is 5 stars hands down.
Go into the life of Travis Moore a ex-dope boy going to a new city to start college. After 12 years later he thinks he can go back to his old city and his past life will be forgotten big mistake. Bone is in the the background ready to expose everything.I guess the saying is true you can run but you cant hide all secrets come out eventually.
Go into the life of Travis Moore a ex-dope boy going to a new city to start college. After 12 years later he thinks he can go back to his old city and his past life will be forgotten big mistake. Bone is in the the background ready to expose everything.I guess the saying is true you can run but you cant hide all secrets come out eventually.
July 13, 2011
It was mor violent than I'm used to, but overall a pretty good book. I think I followed it more because it's based out of my hometown and a lot of the places seemed familiar. Thanks for putting Charlotte on the map!
Want to read
July 28, 2011Looked at this one several times on the shelf and I kept passing it up. Finally after reading several decent reviews on it I've decided to give it a try. So, I'll be be back shortly to write my review!
August 20, 2013
Boring!!!!!
July 18, 2011
Good read.
Starts off a little slow, but good story line.
Starts off a little slow, but good story line.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews