Kalif is everything his adoptive family wanted him not to be: treacherous, conniving, and coldhearted. As much as he wishes to please them, he can't deny who and what he is destined to be. The hot-tempered young man is indeed his father's son.
While off his meds, Kalif discovers the circumstances surrounding the brutal murder of his birth parents. In a matter of seconds, he totally snaps, ignoring the possible consequences. His rage and thirst for power increases. Deep off into the zone, Kalif develops zero tolerance for nonsense. Quickly, he rises through the ranks of the Motor City crime underworld, proving to everyone, including himself, he deserved the hard-earned title of kingpin of Detroit.
Book Review: Carl Weber’s Kingpins of Detroit by Michelle Moore
So I read this book while I was at the National Book Club Conference in a day and a half and boy was it good!
This was a part of a series, however, you do not need to read the series to follow this story due to the way it was written with the detailed flash backs!
This book touched on mental illness and the consequences of it going untreated and undiagnosed. One of the biggest take aways were the people who knew these people had problems but enabled them to continue to go on their destructive path by making excuses and cleaning up theirs messes, instead of encouraging them to get help..
You have a family being torn apart by a son who has become so unhinged, from a very young age that one parent is deathly afraid of what he may do to them, while the other parent makes excuses for the outbursts and destructive behavior which are intentionally directed at the other parent. The behavior does not get better, it actually gets worse until there are some changes in the household that upset the balance of the family where sides are being chosen and the common bond of family has been broken!
Then there are the so called outsiders that cause a further rift in the family due to the relationship they have with the two brothers that cause a negative effect that further splits the family right down the middle. While the family blames the outsiders for the rift, who is really the blame for the decisions that were made??
Oh and the delusions! Seeing things that really are not there but convincing yourself that they are, with devastating consequences.
There is a woman in this book that is so throwed off until when you think she commits one unthinkable act, she outdoes herself as the mania sets in and does something both gruesome and horrifying.
This book was filled with anger, jealousy, deception, misdirected blame, murder etc. pretty much everything that would keep you glued to the pages.
There were three acts committed in this book that had me asking the author HOW COULD YOU!!!! Just heartless to the core with this one. But that’s what made it a five star read for me! It started off fast paced and continued to pick up momentum until the very end!
Just wondering why are all (10) of the reviews I can see are dated Mar 29 at 4:43 am (weird)? The first 3 chapters were a struggle. I plan to research author Ms. Michel Moore and the Detroit. I will add more as I continue to on with this book. The story came together. It was decent. Lots of unanswered questions.What did the papers say? Kenya never stated how London and Storm came together if Storm was her man. Was this a delusion, a part of the psychotic break? Perhaps it doesn't matter. Not certain of how Storm died. "Brother-in-law" trust fund, insurance policy, and rape(?) nothing supports this vocabulary. Rasul being dedicated to Kenya is one thing but Kalif was not Kenya's son. No need for a sequel.
King Pin Detroit is a Hood tale of a young man destined to follow in his biological parents footsteps. Although his father tries to steer him clear of the underworld, it was embedded in his DNA. The author made you feel as you were riding along with the characters as she was referencing various landmarks in the City. I enjoyed this rollercoaster of a read right to the end, where she gave a final twist. If you're looking for good read I definitely recommend this book.
I have no stars to give. This book was awful. Too many characters and not enough character development. I hated every part of this book. But if I start a book I finish it. I wish I could get all the time back I wasted reading it.
Love the mental health aspect of the book. Very good story with no cringey sex scenes and characters where everybody looks great. Just lots of drama and a crazy ride.
WOW!!! THINK MENACE TO SOCIETY MEETS NEW JACK CITY🙌🏾
From conception to birth…Kalif Abdul Akbar was born into utter madness and destined to one day grow up to be a menace to society. As a man FOCUSED STRICTLY on getting his money up…Kalif is only hinged by daily prayer and fearlessness. And this combination makes this untamed, unmedicated man one of the most unpredictable, dangerously fragile, ticking time bombs to EVER RULE THE STREETS OF DETROIT.
Starting off with an INTENSE BANG…”Kingpins Detroit” yanks you right into SHEER CHAOS! I absolutely loved how the story started with the ending and brings it back full circle. And highlighting the ups and downs of mental illness, the consequences of going untreated, anger, jealousy, murder and mayhem makes for a well rounded MUST READ!
This was my first time reading the work of Michelle Moore. And having grown up in Detroit…I can say, Michelle did and awesome job bringing detailed imagery to the treacherous streets that I once walked. From the streets to the school, Greenfield Plaza to the mall, Eastside to Westside, factories and restaurants…I felt like I was right there every step of the way. And then that ending! POW! WOW! I HIGHLY SUGGEST YOU 1-Click NOW!
Carl Weber's Kingpins: Detroit by Ms. Michel Moore deals with the current issue of war on drugs, alcohol and substance abuse, theft, and mental illness all that are plaguing the inner city of Detroit. I love when Detroit is the center the of a book and it is always nice to have a point reference when reading about the city you grew up in. Whether it was the intersection of Linwood and Davison, a gas station on Joy Road, Somerset Mall, I-696, or the major players in the funeral home industry I could believe this fictional body of work because I could relate to references placed in the book. I also thought Moore did a good job of addressing and incorporating the followers and customs of Islam in book.
This book took me back to the day when we would sneak Donald Goines’ books through the hood and read them when parents’ eyes weren’t looking. But why not 5-stars? Bad editing. Look, I get the street language and the slang. My problem was the typos and bad grammar. Missing words. An “an” that should’ve been an “a”. I love the plot. The flow was exciting. However, bad editing just makes me cringe. I hope there is a sequel...with better editing.
As a Christian Detroiter, this story background was one that I've never been exposed to. In a book or in real life. It was a unique read that intertwined Islam faith, mental illness, and hustlin. Kalif was definitely a character I loved to hate. His fate was well deserved. Bye boy! EyeCU Approved
Where do I begin. Great page turner although the ending had me a tad emotional. I wanted the relationship between Kalif and Jada to be mended. I hope there is a part 2 (SPOILER) where Kalif is not really gone. I know that sounds a little far fetched but it is what it is!
As a native Detroiter, it brought joy to my heart to be able to read and recognize all of the familiar places in this novel. Michel has intertwined some memories that were deeply stored in me. The book was flat out awesome!💕🥰💕
This story was very good. I was familiar with the back story of Kalif's parents so I was intrigued. The story kept my attention and I was floored at the ending