The Syndicate

by Brick, Storm

They were just kids when Claudette McPhearson took them all in. Eight of them all together, all different races and ethnicities, but she loves them as her own. One woman has taught them how to love, trust, and respect one another. Claudette is their light at the end of a long, troublesome tunnel, and she shines so bright.Then, one dreadful day, it all comes to a crashing halt. Claudette is walking to the bus stop from the juvenile correction center where she volunteers her time, and she is gunned down in a seemingly random drive-by shooting. In the blink of an eye, Claudette’s kids are without a parent once again, and their lives will never be the same. They now own a house, and a $500,000 insurance policy is to be split between eight kids. However, they soon discover that they have also inherited enemies no one knew existed in Claudette’s world. Uncle Snap was well aware of those enemies, and after one of the children happens upon a lockbox with keys, codes, and monetary figures, Uncle Snap presents them with a video Mama has left, revealing the truth about her nefarious activities. A secret bunker underneath the house opens their eyes. It is filled with money, drugs, and specific directions from Claudette, who built an empire from the ground up. “The Syndicate” is what Uncle Snap calls it, and since Claudette is dead, it is up to the kids to keep it going. The Syndicate is a criminal enterprise that traffics millions of dollars of drugs throughout the United States. From the Port of Miami to the border of Canada, The Syndicate is a force to be reckoned with. Unbeknownst to them, Claudette has been training every one of them for this moment. She honed in on each of their skills to develop them to the fullest. Now one of them must step up to become the leader, so they can take over the Syndicate and run this city.

Genres: Urban

400 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 30, 2016

Reviews

[OhhSlimmm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding!! Javon is a masterpiece! Can't wait for part 2

[Megan (ReadingRover) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somehow this audiobook got lost among the hundreds I’ve downloaded to my Audible app and I am just getting to it now. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long. The audiobook production was awesome. Each character had a distinct voice and personality. Once I started listening I couldn’t stop. It was fast paced and full of action. The story was unique and full of unexpected twists and turns. Each character had depth and a thorough back story. There were some aspects of the book that were far fetched and less believable than others but I don’t think that they took away from the story itself. I actually enjoyed it much more than I thought I would based on the brief summary that I read. Now that I’ve started the series I feel pretty invested and can’t wait to start the next book.

I would like to thank the author/narrator/publisher for generously providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an unbiased and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Denise Gilliam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg this book was off the hook from page one. Those kids are one point from day one. Javon was the man from the start he know he had to do to get his family to where they hard to be. He did it too. I really liked Shanelle was on point too. Miss Claudette McPhearson was one special lady she raise those kids to the best of her ability and taught them the game and they didn't even know it until her death because they all had to use what they to be able to keep The Syndicate running smoothly. Great book 5 stars for real.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read. I was anticipating the next move for each of the McPhearson clan in every chapter. Some parts were really sad, but it's one of those books that when you start you want to finish. My one and only complaint is the editing of this novel is horrible. There are many errors that a editor should have caught. As African American authors, you must do better. Your counterpart authors spend time &money making sure their work is as close to perfect as possible. I've said it time and time again, you truly get what you pay for. Overall a very good read looking forward to the sequel as you are definitely left hanging!

[Drenna Gurl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good storyline. Typical of a good series where the author or authors are setting the foundation in book 1 to either fall in love with or hate a character. Right now I have a strong like for Javon. He is already making boss moves in his new position yet there is still a level of humility about him. Anxious to see what he evolves into with the next book.

[Deedee Henson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a epic read! I couldn't put it down. Loved me some Javon

[LaShonda Menique · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Syndicate starts with 60-year-old Claudette McPhearson. She just finished volunteering at the juvenile detention center, and is now waiting for her son to pick her up. Since he is late, per usual, instead of lighting a fire under him to hurry up like she usually does, she decides to take the bus home instead.

As she is walking to the bus stop, a stranger attacks her. She is able to defend herself, which is where you discover she is not some ordinary elderly woman, to the point of gaining the upper hand. Unfortunately, she eventually becomes outnumbered and gunned down. Before Claudette meets her end, she discovers something haunting that will leave you in suspicion for the rest of the pages.

Claudette leaves behind her best friend Raphael (Uncle Snap) and eight children who she has adopted over the years. Mourning over their loss, Claudette (or Mama Claudette as they call her) left them the house, a substantial insurance policy, and a lock box, which is found by one of the kids. The lock box contained items that would lead them to a secret bunker, and a video given to them from Uncle Snap that will change their lives forever.

The video is the beginning of their chaos. They watch their mom explain to them about why the bunker, that was located underneath their family home, contains nothing but drugs, money, and monetary transactions. They are in awe when they find out that Mama Claudette left behind more than just her loved ones, she left behind her throne.

It turns out that Mama Claudette is the Queen Pin of The Syndicate, and has been for over 30 years. With Uncle Snap as her right-hand man, they actively head a 12-man table that controls the traffic of drugs throughout the entire United States.

Unsure of what to do with this information, and completely blindsided by who their mother really was, they discover that unbeknownst to them ever since she took them in she has been grooming them to take over and dominate the multi-million dollar enterprise. Not only does she expose her secret, but she leaves behind instructions as well.

She tells one of her children, that she wants them to take over her chair as the head and become the new King or Queen Pin, and the rest of the seven children have their roles to play as well.

At this point the kids (well young adults, with the youngest being 16 and the oldest 25) have the choice to take on and continue to man what their mother has built for majority of her life, or walk away from it all, but either way they will still be a threat to a world they never knew existed.

I am going to start off with typing that The Syndicate is now a trilogy, and I am sure there are more to come; and YES, I have read all three books. Do not worry, there are no spoilers in this review.



Now, I personally like crime and mystery books, but I tend to stay away from black characters being stereotypical criminals, especially ghetto, hood-rat drug dealers. The Syndicate does have a little bit of that, but there is nothing ghetto or hood-rat about this book. Once these children find out that their mom is dead, of course they are sad, and lost. Every single one of her kids are throwaways that were either brought to her from broken homes filled with abuse, and destruction, or she found them herself and saved them from that same sorrow.

Since she could not have any children of her own, she decided to adopt. They each came into her life at different points of theirs, but they all embraced one another as brother and sister, and more importantly her as their mom. Spending years of their lives together, they each have their own issues, but Mama Claudette gave them the tools to have an outlet and a better opportunity for their future lives. They just did not know it was so they can be successful drug dealers.

The book is instant action. Since we already know that Mama Claudette dies in the synopsis, it is interesting to begin the story through her eyes, and her last moments before her death. This prelude sets the tone for the entire book because we find out that she knows who her killer is. Now I know you think this may be a spoiler, but Mama Claudette is a Queen Pin of a major criminal organization, and just got gunned down in the street, so it’s obvious she was a target.

The book is written where every chapter is a new person. We are taken through different perspectives from chapter to chapter going through each emotion of the kids. We find out how they are taking in their newfound inheritance, and some of them not so well.

There are eight children: Javon, Shanelle, Inez, Cory, Monty, Melissa, JoJo, and Naveen; who we learn about, plus some members of The Syndicate, including Uncle Snap. This story comes to life by discovering each personality and each mistake that is made through conflict and negligence, and believe me there is a lot.

I highly recommend this book. It is interesting to read about how each kid came into Claudette’s life, and what they went through in their previous lives. There are so many moments where there is betrayal, secrets, and even business moves that needed to more closely monitored after Claudette’s death, but nothing but chaos is in full affect once the family shows their hand on what they are capable of as a unit, or lack thereof.

Now that there is going to be a new lead, it is interesting to see who Claudette chooses and why, and what each kid does as a result of their new findings (and remember they are now millionaires as well). I personally like who she choose, and they definitely bring a lot of anticipation to the read.

There were so many moments where I wanted to jump through the book, and make different decisions for each character. Where I wanted to physically put my hands on some of the characters, and just pull the trigger when there was hesitation. It is a great book, and it really comes down to how The Syndicate is handled, and how they can live a normal life, knowing that they are essentially heirs to a thrown.

It is a great journey to watch them ‘try’ to figure it out and what to do, and I will say the most important part of the book, is trying to break down who would kill such a powerful woman; and more importantly why.

This book will take you through so many perspectives, and you will not be overwhelmed, you will just want more, there will be moments you may even get mad that the chapter ends and starts anew with someone else. Most of the time, I couldn’t handle the switch. I would just stare at the new name coming up, and was just be sickened that I can’t just stay with the previous person.

While I was reading the Syndicate, I never knew that it was going to be a series, so when it ended I was confused to why the Authors would be so disrespectful, but my Aunt reassured me that it will not end in deception, but instead continue on. AND BOY OH BOY THE SYNDICATE 2 IS … WWWHHOOOOAAAA !!

Downfalls: I will say that I felt like they focused on two people’s perspectives more often than other characters. The only reason why I say this is a downfall is because I would’ve liked to have read about what others’ were doing at certain times things were going down, but I understand that it adds to the suspicion, and it makes the NUMEROUS climax’s in the book worth it, because what’s done in the dark always comes to light.

Overall Rating of the Book: #LOVEDIT5 … (this rating is based on reading The Syndicate 1-3; as an overall rating)

The Syndicate alone I would rate #LikeIt4, only because I personally got confused about certain things (sorry can’t tell you) and I also felt like certain information was irrelevant to what I really wanted, but maybe I was just seeking answers, and the Authors knew they were making another book, so they refused to satisfy me this go-around, HOWEVER they did make up for it in The Syndicate 2 and 3.

[BernieMck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good book, that I started several times, before actually committing to. The foul language in it, was a huge turn off for me. But when I sucked it up and forged ahead, I found that I actually enjoyed this exciting fast-paced read and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read, on to part 2.

[KayBee's Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this book on audible. I was given just enough detail to become interested in the characters , their background and outcome. The intro to this series was laid out fairly well. There was a time or two that you could get lost if not paying attention. Unfortunately that had more to do with the narrator that portrayed one of the male characters, but I won't say which. Jevon is a boss and more importantly the descriptions of him and the way his character spoke and was portrayed made it believable. The pace was decent and kept waiting for something to "pop off". I think this group of flawed characters, if handled properly, will make for a nice trilogy. They were developed enough in my opinion that I have a clear view of who was presented in book 1. After 3 books, I think things can get murky.

[Renee Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Javon is THE MAN! He's fearless and has a swag about him that I just love. He has stepped into his role as head of the household quite nicely and won't let nothing get in the way of their success. If you haven't tapped into Brick and Storm then you are clearly missing out.

[Yolanda Knight- Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book!!

[✿Bettina✿ ~BOoK FieNd ~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too Fake.

[S. Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book via audible some time ago and I liked the journey that the book had taken readers on.
I liked that Claudette had taken in so many children from different backgrounds, & felt that some of the children who were considered or at least raised as brothers & sisters probably should not have explored more intimate relationships with each other (Javon &Shanelle/Cory & Inez-which had been the most troubling given what occurred within their relationship-,etc.).
I liked the closeness between Naveen & Jo Jo, & liked Monty's position in the family.
I DID NOT LIKE NOR DID I TRUST MELISSA--PERIODT! And, I was CORRECT IN MY FEELINGS ABOUT HER!
I still didn't understand why what occurred for Claudette had to occur, well not in this installment but after reading the other two books I had a better understanding of what was going on with Claudette. I kind of felt badly for Uncle Snap.
I liked the first installment &, dare I say, the entire series as well.

[Eboni · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay read. It held my interest which was great. It showcased how the hunger for power can produce enemies, even those blood related to you. My only problem is with how easy it was to sway the siblings into a life of crime. It was strange how the mother saved them from a life of abuse only to force them until a lifestyle where they would once again have to fear someone trying to hurt or kill them. I did like however, how the siblings who thought they knew each other like a book realized that that wasn't the case.

[Emily L. Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!

Reading this book was exciting at its best. Mama was no joke and to hide her
outside dealings while raising her foster kids and everyone else. I was saddened at how Cory and Inez life ended. Jovan was the man. Jovan had a laid back appearance but when he was riled move out of his way. His quietness was enabled by Shenell, his girlfriend. What was going on with Michelle? Did she get into some type of trouble and sold the McPherson family out? Loved this book and it was very hard to put it down.

[Doniel Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good read. I love how you're first focused on Claudette being a savor, to finding out she was conditioning the kids all along for something different. I love how she humbled them as people and allowed them to focus on being just kids before she passed away. I felt the hardship of them transitioning to their new lives without her especially since they had come from such terrible backgrounds individually. I'm about to download part 2. 👏🏾🤧☺️

[Critiques Corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed By: Lee
In the first installment, we are introduced to Mama Claudette McPhearson and are led to believe that she is just an elderly grandmother type raising her kids. They're from all different backgrounds seeing as she has adopted them raised them as her own. Each being groomed to have a career in different fields of their liking. And then their mom is gunned down in a seeming robbery gone wrong.

[Velma Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 2 is going down like a dirty dog this was an must read before I got to chapter 4 I was calling my sister to tell her girl you better get on this book I hope that I have already downloaded it because after I finish review book two is going to be cracked open love it great book Carl you always are right on time for a good read keep them coming

If the next book is like the first then lord have mercy all hell is about to break lose yes

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first book by Brick & Storm and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Loved the characters. Miss Claudette was an awesome foster mom among other things. She was a crime boss and was filthy rich. Passed this conglomerate to her foster kids whom she loved, protected and killed for. Uncle Snap loved mama Claudette. I hate Cory & Inez were killed after Claudette. Getting ready to read part 2.

[Queen E. Turner-Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a book.

Carl Weber has done it again.
I can not wait to read part 2.
Momma was some lady. She was a great foster mother. How she raised her children to take over her empire. Each one she molded into the job they were to do. Javon had a lot on his shoulders but he is proving no task can not be fulfilled. Can not wait to read book 2.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Syndicate

This was a great read. I loved it from the beginning until the end. Javon, Shanelle, Jojo, and the rest of the gang are adopted by Mrs McPhearson. She takes these kids as her own and raises them to be outstanding adults. When tragedy strikes, things change and secrets come out. Can’t wait to read part 2.

[Ty buckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true must read

This book has the urban appeal, the love/hate relationships of family and a level of suspense any urban reader should want. Although the siblings are big blood, they were raised as family. So the romantic relationships a few have developed is a hard part to handle. But over-all, this should be in everyone’s library.

[Dee Cherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Claudette was genius in her plans for her kids. Good detailed introduction to the family. Javon was a true boss when it came to planning and delivering. I liked the fact each sibling had an educational background along with a criminal one. Now that the pieces have been added, I'm looking forward to see how they move. Great story.

[Kb]

I am in no way the intended audience for this book, but I wanted to expand my horizons by reading genre fiction by African-American authors. I was hoping for something along the lines of Walter Mosley, or Joe Ide (who is not African-American, but his main character is). This book, unfortunately, falls short of my expectations.

The author does not write women very well, despite using one as first person narrator for several chapters, usually alternating between Javon and his fiancée, Shanelle. Shanelle’s narrative voice is indistinguishable from Javon’s—which makes it awkward reading when she is describing how sexually attracted she is to him. (Oh, and by the way, they grew up in the same household as foster siblings, which I find somewhat disturbing.)

Surprisingly, though, I was able to absorb a lot of the more fantastic aspects of the plot by thinking of the foster family as a sort of Umbrella Academy, where each child was allowed to develop an area of expertise that they naturally had within them. That aspect of the book was one I enjoyed. It was the author’s clueless depiction of an ideal woman that killed the story for me.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

I loved the book. At first with so many characters I thought I'd have a hard time keeping track or getting into it but nope. It was great and followed multiple plot lines without a problem

[Cora Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Family, Money, and drugs! A well written story but sometimes it felt like parts were missing. Jovan stepped into his position with ease and that's what I loved about it. Even with the heavy weight on his shoulders he still made sure to take care of family.

[Vivian Byfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow

Not sure what I was expecting but this book surpassed it. What a ride, a great thriller, there are so many twists and turns in this book one just never knows what is coming next. Can't wait to read the next book.

[missme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book1

For some reason I am taking my time with this book. Mama left these kids is a lot of mess. Wish the siblings wasn't romantically involved just a little to much! Hope they don't loose anymore family members !Javon is a little hot headed

[Tynika Reads 🌺 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was speechless at the end & now I’m hooked...I can’t rest until I read part 2 & 3 of this book!!! I can’t even say too much but it’s more to Melissa...something is not right with her!! But I’ll find out soon!!