Legacies

by J.L. Williams

Emerson James used to be a dangerous man, but you’d never know it. To everyone who knows him now, he is the distinguished Dr. James, respected professor, scholar, and lecturer. To accomplish this, he had to change his life completely.

Thirteen years ago, after participating in unspeakable violence, Emerson left Chicago and never looked back, escaping into the world of academia. Since then, he has desperately avoided anything connected to his former existence.

But he is about to learn that you can’t run from your past forever.

When tragedy strikes, he is forced to return home, and, no matter how hard he tries, going unseen is not an option. As one of the infamous “James Boys,” a family name synonymous with one of Chicago’s most dangerous street gangs, people constantly seek to test him. Soon he discovers that the longer he stays, the more his life is in jeopardy—from enemies, old friends, his own family, and a new breed of street gangster who would love to make a name by taking him down.

On top of that, there is someone waiting in the shadows—a patient killer seeking revenge who has just one question: How do I make them pay?

As the bodies start piling up, Emerson begins to realize that a string of gruesome murders connect back to him. Now, whether he wants to or not, in order to discover who is killing the people he once knew, he must again embrace the violence he grew to abhor. And the more he looks into their deaths, the more he recognizes that a complex message is being laid out for him by a vicious killer who not only wants his attention, but his life.

510 pages, Paperback

First published October 13, 2014

About the author

Like my character Emerson, I was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. Thanks to my parents—who were desperately attempting to distract me from the “call of the streets”—I have spent my entire life in school. Since kindergarten, I have been, to varying degrees, a student. As an academic (That’s actually what they call you when you teach higher learning professionally. I know, it teeters on sounding obnoxious.), my areas of expertise are American Literature, Feminist criticism, social commentary, popular culture, and religion. I have published, lectured, and presented at conferences around the world in these genres. Whenever I teach, I always try to bring the authors’ words or the issues examined to life—material that students often initially think are too mundane to be of any real interest, until we start to strip away the layers and they see that everything, every discussion, is actually relatable. Some say I’m good at it. Because of this, I’ve found a comfortable niche, a smidgen of success.

But what I want to fulfill, what keeps me up nights, is my quest to become a fiction writer.

I respect the mystery/detective/thriller genre. So much so, I actually designed and teach a course on it. Over the years, I have read and re-read thousands of these books, and I have studied the giants who have had not only success but longevity—Burke, Paretsky, George, Lee, Mosley, Conolly, Grafton, Baldacci, and Sandford. I now want nothing more—besides good health and an extended vacation at a five star hotel in Hawaii (in February)—than to be mentioned in the same breath as them. My story, my series, seeks to extend the genre’s base and explore a different urban world while highlighting one of the largest cities in America: Chicago, a city long known for its deep ties to every dark alley of organized crime.

When I am not teaching and writing, I take pictures. My focus on film, like my writing, captures the underbelly of society. I don’t shoot flowers or sunsets. Instead, my shots are gritty and capture the forgotten and abandoned surfaces most ignore.

I live in Manhattan, but I return for extended visits to Chicago frequently.

Reviews

[Ad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it. The characters were well developed and I was really able to relate to the location, the characters and the culture that was depicted. Being from the south side of Chicago and having traveled trough New York I was able to really relate to various settings the author presented. There were moments I could not wait to find out what was going to happen next. The author hit my high points......sex, drugs, violence, suspense, family, urban culture. He wrapped it all up leaving you with a surprisingly suspenseful ending. I can't wait to read the next edition. I hope he does not make me wait too long.

[N. Sari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the reviews on Amazon says it was long. Personally I enjoyed the development of the characters and the story. This is Book 1 so I am glad the author gave us background on many of the characters. It certainly gave me a reason to love or hate the characters. That kind of passion for characters is what good books are made of.

I love a good mystery with action and twists and turns and Legacies did not disappoint. I have to say there are parts that are very violent and graphic. There is also a lot of cursing, however the book surrounds a fictional gang so without violence and cursing the story wouldn't have rung true. I tried and failed many times to figure out who was behind the killings. I don't want to spoil the ending for anyone so I will leave it there.

If you are a read the last page first person you will still be guessing till the end about who did it. I am glad I took a chance on this author and I hope Book 2 is in the works! While the primary mystery was resolved the author left many tid-bits for future books.

[Dan Jackman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway.

A truly captivating read that I couldn't put down. The story builds in a tantalizing way pulling the reader along to an action filled climax. The characters are well developed and if not likeable, at least believable. I admit I did figure out who the killer was before the end but I was still satisfied with the way the story was tied together to provide a plausible motive. A large and imposing book that dragged me so far into itself that I finished it in 2 days. I had my doubts that this could be a character that could go on to be featured in subsequent work but I sure am glad that there are more in the works. I heartily recommend it.

[Kristopher Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good effort. Not sure I'd read it again, but this book got me from New Jersey to London, and it was interesting enough that I didn't sleep the whole flight. To me, that's all I want in a book.