Crime Partners

Kenyatta #1

by Al C. Clark, Donald Goines

Goines' powerful first novel lays bare the bloody, brutal world of crime in the black ghetto, where, as Goines put it, "kindness was the sweetest con of all." Here is the gusty and often shocking world of Billy and Jackie, prison buddies on the streets and hot n the trigger.

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Mystery, Urban, African American, Noir, Adult Fiction

159 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Pseudonym of Donald Goines. All of Goines' Kenyatta series was first published under this pseudonym.

Reviews

[Kurt Reichenbaugh]

Short and brutal crime novel about a pair of ex-cons who take down drug dealers for their cash. Along the way they get hooked up with Kenyatta's paramilitary street gang. Kenyatta will appear in 3 other Goines novels, so this one is the first in the Kenyatta series. As with the other Goines novels I've read, the writing isn't the most polished and there are plot discrepancies that occur. Goines wrote this one and several others in 1974. It's a good story but the ending is rushed, as though Goines wanted to just wrap it up and get it off to the publisher. I liked it but I would recommend that readers interested in checking out Goines's books try Daddy Cool or Dopefiend first. Also, the first chapter is extremely graphic and upsetting for casual readers of crime fiction. It's not a book for everyone.

[CARLEEN]

I first heard about Kenyatta almost 28 years ago. My second born son's grandmother was a Black Panther and it was her idea to give my son the middle name Kenyatta.

Crime Partners is an action packed, fast read about the leader (Kenyatta) of a black militant organization and their attempt to clean up the ghetto by getting rid of racist cops and drug dealers by way of street justice.

The first chapter of this book had me feeling so many emotions (from endearing, sadness, rage and finally pleasure) I connected with Billy and Jackie aka Mutt & Jeff and wanted to read more about them and their adventures; I didn't see that ending coming; at least not in book one of this four book series; that ending was too fast and BANANAS!

Thus far, I am not impressed with Kenyatta, but there are three more books in this series. (Death List, Kenyatta's Escape and Kenyatta's Last Hit) and I will be reading/reviewing all of them.

[Essence Cropper]

This book to me wasn't as good as Dopefiend. I am looking forward to reading more Donald Goines work.

[Jen]

Good first-novel, with interesting characters and insight. Main complaint is that the ending is rather abrupt; the last 30 pages are a sample from another of the author's books, so I had thought the story was going to go on longer than it did. Without giving too much away, the main characters' plotlines are resolved but there are too many others left hanging. There are two other characters - police counterparts to the titular crime partners - who could have had a bit more to do at the end. While it lends to realism, a coda showing them giving up or even relentlessly continuing their investigation after the novel's last events would have been more satisfying.

[Mark Frazier]

I thought it was a pretty good crime story with two thugs with compassion, with some very interesting turn of events going on.

[Chad Montabon]

The beginning is outstanding. Goines does well when he creates emotional pictures and this one grabs you in the same way 'Black Girl Lost' did for me.

I will say the plotline, which I think introduces Kenyatta, is formulaic - but it is a formula I like. Excellent pacing and overall a very good example of Goines writing for the pulp market.

I have created a Blaxploitation list if anyone is interested, I think that this one will be below 'White Man's Justice, Black Man's Grief', 'Whoreson', 'Black Girl Lost' but above 'Swamp Man'.

[Eric Brasley]

A quick read, with some fast-paced action. One can find fault with characters without a redeeming bone in their actions or the tacked-on ending that comes too quick. But if your standards for pulp aren't too high, this is an interesting throwback.

[Mike]

This does lack some of the more polished feel of more established writers but the raw energy of the this book is hard to deny.

[Andrea]

unforgettable opening

[Mason Jones]

Very quick, fast-moving read that could be an entry in the encyclopedia under "gritty crime noir". We follow a pair of criminals and a pair of cops through a series of murders, some deserved and some not. Besides the fact that the characterizations are terrific, what makes this most interesting is that it's equally sympathetic with the cops and the crooks, and in some ways leans towards the crooks. It's probably because they're somewhat more interesting characters, but we spend more time with the killers and really get to know them. "Crime Partners" is a great artifact from the '70s and a fun, though harrowing, read. You'll need to be okay with lots of swearing, off-hand murders, and raw talk, but it's worth it.

[Jenee Rager]

As I read this book I definitely felt like it was the setup for a series. There was lots of skipping around, and some parts (like the visit to the farm) were unnecessary, and out of place for this story, but I'm guessing will come into play in future novels from this series. The writing was okay, although I paused a bit at grown, hetrosexual men continually referring to each other as "baby". It might be a regional thing, but it's not something I've ever heard where I'm from, especially from gangsters. All in all it was a fairly uneven read, but I'm guessing if I read more of the series it will payoff.

[ᴹᵗᴮᵈ멘붕]

ᵈᶦˢᶜˡᵃᶦᵐᵉʳ: i'm not the best writer of reviews nor do i claim to be.. i'm just a fan of reading..

i have read many Donald Goines novels, while Dopefiend remains to be my first read, and favorite of his titles, i really enjoyed Crime Partners. it is very well written, very well put together. the storytelling is fast-paced and will keep you wanting all the way up until it ends before you know it, literally.. i was so wrapped up in reading i didnt even see the end coming until i reached the last page and ran out of book i dont remember when the last time thats actually happened. i can't wait to sink my teeth into the next 2 books in the 'Kenyatta' series.

[Larry Singleton]

Within the first 10 pages of this book Donald Goines punches you in the gut and doesn't let up. Great writer. The only reason I'd rate this a 3 is that the ending felt rushed and isn't as good as the first like...IDK.....90% of the book or so. Plus, if you're a Goines fan it's not one of his strongest. But still worth a read!

[Pam]

I read this for my library based book club. While I think it is an important book that reveals what the black ghetto and the alliances formed among criminals are like, it was too upsetting for me. I found the language and the blatant sexual scenes offensive.

[DeMario]

Great series

[Benjamin Parra]

I always liked Goines. Very graphic and gritty. I Liked this book too. Enough to make me wanna finish the Kenyatta series.

[Egghead]

Junkie killers join
militants for robbery
short lives get stolen

[Mrslee]

A quick and gripping read. I enjoyed it, but the ending was abrupt and seemingly unfinished.

[Brett Coleman]

Goines does it again. Raw as hell fella. Quick book one, pumped for the next adventure.

[Matt]

I used to work at a bookstore where Goines' books had a weird reputation-- I guess that they were thought of as hood books, and more likely to be stolen than other books, but we also sold enough of them to keep them in stock. But they had an aura of being bad, unreadable, unredeemed, I think in contrast to someone like Chester Himes.

This book definitely isn't fun in the way that Himes' books are. Jackie and Billy don't really banter, and there aren't comic characters here, really. Instead, there's some real ugliness-- the opening child murder chapter was almost too much for me. But the seemingly amoral tone suits the storytelling, which is sleek and does not play. Things happen quicjkly in this book, with an impressive economy of language. It might not be funny, but the writing communicates a lot in a few words. It's a solid well-crafted product you're getting here.

This book comes with preview pages at the end so I didn't realize how close to the end of this book I was. The resolution is hella abrupt, so much so that I'm kind of puzzled by it.

[Tammy Benton]

Crime Partners by Donald Goines. It was a good book I really enjoyed it. It was about Billy Good and his partner in crime is Jackie Walker. It start off they are hired by Kenyatta to kill some racist police officers. Both Billy and Jackie serve time and they pulled jobs to survive. It also was full action cold-blooded murder mayhem. Both Jackie and Billy found women they ended up fall for and then the trouble being. Kenyatta wanted them to get rid of a drug pusher name Little David little did they know one of the addict seen them. Little David work for a by the name King Fisher he was the head man in charge.

[Corto]

More a novella than a novel, this is the first part of a tetralogy.

It's a very angry book: a militant revenge fantasy with "utopian" elements (of a sort) by an African-American ex-con. Given the subject matter- and how the impetus of its acrimony is playing itself out in a very real way in the life of today's America- it's not worth criticizing its substance, style, or structure.

I didn't enjoy reading this book (I wasn't supposed to), but somehow I feel compelled to complete the overarching story.

[Eva-Marie Nevarez]

I was a little concerned about reading Goines' first book because I've read enough debuts that sucked where the author got into his or her groove as time went on. There is no reason for concern with Crime Partners.
The story goes back and forth between to cops buddies and Billy and Jackie and neither part is more interesting than the other. I don't know how he did it but Goines can make ordering pizza fascinating to me. The writing is awesome, like I've always seen so far with his books.

[Andrew Arbow]

Donald Goines is alway an entertaining author but there really aren't much too his books. They are really to me Louis L'amour stories set in the ghetto instead of the west which lends itself pretty well. But he really wrote to get paid and buy more heroin. They have a limit to how good they are going to be.

[Brent Shelton]

This book is as addicting as one of it's main themes, I can almost guarantee you that if you read the first chapter you will not be able to not finish the book, it will punch you in the soul that hard.

[John]

Classic african american literature.

[Varrsity]

I think this was the first book that I read of his.

[Mahasin]

this book is a compilation of all of the negative stereotypes that white people believe about African Americans

[Lunden]

This book was just ok for me. I read it in a day but it lacked depth. No twists or turns and it ended rather abruptly. Just OK for me.

[J]

Nothing bad or exceptional about it.