Trouble in Rio: A Family Business Novel

The Family Business #5.25

by Carl Weber, M.T. Pope, Ace Bentley (Narrator)

Rio Duncan is one of the youngest children of the Duncan clan. With no solid position in the family business like his other siblings, he has been feeling out of place and decides to disappear. Rio leaves his Duncan identity behind and goes on a search for friends and family who can relate to him. His destination is Baltimore, and he is sure to find what he is looking for in the city with a community like no other. There, he also finds unexpected trouble. 

Corey Grant is making a name for himself in Baltimore with an inherited drug empire and a complicated relationship with his right-hand man. With plenty on his plate, Corey has almost no time for the romance he wants with Dre, and he feels like they are growing apart. That brings about a jealousy and insecurity that he doesn’t know how to control.

Diana Black is Corey’s girlfriend-for-hire, and she has a taste for bad boys. She is loyal to Corey’s cause, but how long will that last?

 Rio’s personality and flair instantly gains him entrance into Corey’s circle. Rio says he’s looking for friends, but Corey is sure that other motives are on the table. When Rio has a change of heart about his newfound crew, he needs an escape plan. There is one problem: his family doesn’t know where he is. Did he inherit any of the ruthless traits he observed in his father and brothers? Can the most colorful Duncan son get out of Baltimore and back home safe and sound now that he’s on his own?

Genres: Fiction, Crime, Audiobook, African American

Audible Audio

First published February 26, 2019

About the author

Carl Weber is a New York Times and #1 Essence® bestselling novelist.

In addition to his writing, Weber is the founder and publisher of Urban Books and in 2005, he was named Blackboard's Publisher of the Year. He is the owner of the Urban Knowledge chain of book stores and a past recipient of Blackboard's Bookseller of the Year award.

Weber graduated from Virginia State University and holds an MBA in marketing from the University of Virginia.

Reviews

[Sparklin C Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

So out of the Duncans Rio and Paris are by far my two favorite characters. So glad Carl gave Rio the crazy diva fun going Duncan his own story. Loved reading about Rio and all his "fun" while taking a min vaca to help improve his self worth again.

[Queen Rosalind · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Rio and Paris sibling relationship! They are awesome!!! The novel is the best just like I expect from Carl Weber!!!

[Stacey Labissiere · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5*

I have come to love everything that is the Duncan family. Rio is one of my favorites, so I was happy he got his little spin-off story.

While I enjoyed this book, I was slightly disappointed with some of the story. I felt like there were some very unnecessary characters within the story that did NOTHING to drive the plot. For example, Ashton and Mona were extreme because the story would have moved along just fine without them.

I wish this story did not have any of the other Duncan siblings pop in because it just felt like it was saying that Rio couldn't stand alone in any way, but that's just something personal for me. Overall, it was still an excellent addition to the Family Business Series, and I hope this means that we get to see Rio stand in his power in the future.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another installment of the Family Business saga, featuring youngest son Rio. I enjoy that the author takes the characters and spotlights them in adventures of their own. There are great supporting characters in Diana, Corey and Pierre, whom he encounters in Baltimore. If you like the Duncans, read this one! 6 out of 10.

[Twyla Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read and exciting as always!!

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Rio in this series. The Duncans are not a family to mess with. The Family Business series is a good series to follow up if you like murder and mayhem. A family that hustles together stays together. This book has action and family drama with a little drug game and murder. Great read!

[Kingtchalla83 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trouble in Rio is a spin-off from The Family Business series that follows the Duncan family. If you've read the series you know how the Duncans get down.

This book follows Rio the most underdeveloped character in the series. Rio feels unloved and alienated from his family due to sexuality. He believes the disconnect between him and his father and brothers can't be breached. Consequently, Rio decides to take off and finds plenty of trouble in the process.

Now I found the book lackluster until about 60% into the novel. Rio's characterization emphasized every gay stereotype: a sassy, flamboyant, and well-dressed man. I was shocked he didn't stop to style someone's hair in the middle of the book. The novel's conflict cleverly introduced in the beginning fell to the wayside for club-hopping and shoe shopping. However, once real tension is brought back into the text and Rio begins to be portrayed as more than his sexuality things get interesting. He displayed competency never shown before in the past. I had no clue he possessed the insight to analyze people. Rio proved to be an unlikely that will hopefully be developed further beyond the sassy gay brother.

Overall I found the ending satisfying with a mad crazy twist. Surprisingly, Rio learns a valuable lesson about family.

[Norman LaVelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weber is one of my favorite authors. I have read all of the Family Business Novels and this installment in the series is one of the best I have read so far. It focuses in on Rio the gay son who seems to not really have a significant place in the family's real true business. After going through some things at home, Rio decides he needs a break from the norms of his life and takes an impromptu trip to Baltimore to unwind and have a little fun. What he finds when he gets there is everything he was looking for and more. He finds a new friend, a new love interest, a new place to shop and few couple new places to party. What he didn't mean to find was himself in the middle of a power struggle within a local drug organization. This book was fun to read and would probably make an excellent movie. If you are a fan of Weber or not I recommend this book to be added to your reading list.

[Millie Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rio Duncan feeling unappreciated decides to go on vacation for himself not telling his family he’s going to Baltimore. At first when he arrives, everything goes smoothly like a vacation supposed to. Rio staying in a fancy hotel, clubbing, shopping and making friends. Yet, the vacation turns to a business opportunity that goes awry in so many ways and not just for Rio. Weber never disappoints when it comes to the Family Business series and his characters are always amazing. This is one is no different. The action, thrill, and the hint of erotic scenes make it hard to put it down. It doesn’t matter what a person’s race, sexuality or gender, this is relatable for anyone and everyone to enjoy.

The reason why I gave it 4/5 because I felt like there was a few things left out in the end to complete it for me. Still loved it though!

[Wanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was drier as compared to the other books in The Family Business franchise. Glad they threw Rio a bone and gave him a book, but nothing he’s got going on is as interesting or explicitly crazy as his siblings. As far as I’m concerned, he’s a very unnecessary character.

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

Finally, the youngest Duncan gets the spotlight. Rio travels out of town to get away from the overwhelming burden of being a Duncan. So off to Baltimore, he goes where he makes fast friends with Diana and Pierre and unknowingly makes an enemy or two. Corey, the head of the drug organization his father left to him, is attempting to make his mark in the drug game while keeping his secret life secret. He has gone as far as to have a girlfriend for hire, Diana. His righthand man, Dre, who is also his "best friend" is revealed to have a secret connection to Corey's father and Rio.

Rio with his usual flair is able to make fast friends with members of Corey's team. Corey and Dre believe he has ulterior motives, which someone uses to their advantage to take down Corey's team one by one. Now, Rio has to clear his name all on his own because his family does not know where he is exactly. As the story unfolds, we get to see a new love interest for Rio, the demise of a secret relationship and the demise of a parent/child relationship.

The authors took their time building the story by focusing on character development as opposed to story development. This approached did nothing to pull me into the story. It took me a few weeks to finally get into it the audio. I think the story could have done without the extra attention on a few characters or storylines that added nothing to the story i.e. Ashton. When the story reached its climax and ultimately became interesting, it wrapped up quickly. The last 30 minutes of the almost 7 hour listen was fantastic. There were moments when the story could have pulled me into it and breathed life back into the story. Rio's character while not given the same respect as the other characters when it came to presenting his romance, he did find that his family did care for him.
I will say that the narrators (Ace Bentley, Dylan Ford, Morae Brehon)chosen for the audiobook did a good job. I do hope that with the ending and Rio's traveling companion returning home with him that their romance receives the same respect as the others and is not relegated to the background as he has been for the majority of the series.

All in all, this was a decent addition that could have been so much more with the colorful character that was the focus.

[kilobyyte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enter Rio Duncan one of the youngest in the Duncan clan along with his twin sister Paris. Rio is the son that is often overlooked and cast aside compared to his brothers Junior, Vegas and Orlando. Rio is pretty much in a rut and wants a getaway no drama no family just fun or so he thought... well this book was more laid back than the other Family Business side stories. To me, Rio should have had more flare and excitement but the story line did not set the scene for him to be Rio in full character. We do see into Rio's life and his personality which we could have explored more into for his story. Going into the characters, Corey seemed very rushed and there could have been more insight to him not being out yet or maybe for dramatization someone could have clocked him and outed him. (It was good that they did not really do this... I think they did okay without going overboard). I wanted a bit more from Corey.

Diana aka Di was a bit much for me.... it is very typical to have a character who is the finest one in town and she could've been a regular girl that just had it like that lol.

The side characters Dre, Mona, and Ashton... sigh Dre was very telling early on, Mona was annoying and Ashton was unnecessary HIGHLY unnecessary. I do not understand his purpose really.
Paris did not have to make an appearance in the book at all. Rio is supposed to stand alone and not have his siblings run in to save the day, however, it was alright when they showed him support when the time came but Paris was not needed it was a little funny though.

One thing that did not happen was correcting Diana on the nickname she gave for gay men and that should have been done to make it realistic. You could also tell that not one actual LGBTQ person was involved in the writing because all of the descriptions sounded extremely tacky and nothing of what someone like Rio would wear even Diana's descriptions did not sound very fashionable.

All in all, I would like to see Rio in the next installment and show some growth in the Duncan family treating him like he is a member of the family and not an outsider. The brief words of LC in the end did show some kind of closeness. It was a quick and fun read for the most part definitely could have used more excitement.

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid three stars. It only received that many because it was a Duncan family book. I wanted to know more about Rio but this book was all over the place. The storyline and quality of writing didn't match up to the previous books.

Rio Duncan is the flamboyantly gay twin to Paris and I was ready to learn more about him. Rio was feeling undervalued and unappreciated by his family. He decides to go to Baltimore and have some fun. This where the story takes this weird turn. Rio meets Diana while shopping in a boutique called Chic World. They hit it off. Chic World is a front for Diana's boss Corey and his partner Dre to launder money and drugs. Diana and Rio decide to party together. Through this association, Rio becomes involved with Pierre a gay bar owner who does business with Corey and then gets mixed up in a drug war.

We get this back story with Diana, her white friend's with benefits Ashton and her naive sister Mona. I have so many questions. Ashton became a stalker and showed up during a shoot out at Pierre's club but that was NEVER addressed. Corey and Dre had a strange relationship and to prevent spoilers I won't say more.

This book seemed rushed and did not deliver. I was disappointed in this one. In my opinion, don't waste your time. Rio Duncan deserved a much better story.

[Salandra Singleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trouble in Rio is one of my favorite books from the 'Family Business' series. As a young adult, I'd say that I'd recommend to any of my friends who want to be kept on the edge of their seats. In the book, the black sheep of the Duncans, Rio Duncan, travels from New York to Baltimore to have a change of scenery, meeting new friends, new business opportunities, and a potential lover. While in B-More, he befriends Diana, a store boutique worker who pushes more than just pretty pieces.
And we all know, the 'Family Business' novels are always going to have some involvement around drugs.
"Yeah, I was in school completing my degree and working at one of the hottest boutiques in the city, but I was also doing something I never thought I'd be doing. I wasn't just selling clothes at the store. I was also selling drugs and working for Cory." (16)
I personally love the excitement from reading anything of Carl Webber's and I think the plot and dialogue were very well written and shocking. And with Baltimore being a hot scene for gay men clubs, the book also tackles homophobia within the DC area.

[S. Reid]

Though I appreciate M.T. POPE's attempt at making the character of RIO DUNCAN more interesting than what he had been known for in the previous THE FAMILY BUSINESS series, I DON'T FEEL THAT RIO NEEDED HIS OWN BOOK.
I may be alone in my written reverie but RIO is A SUPPORTING CHARACTER member NOT A STARRING ROLE CHARACTER member! THEREFORE, HE DIDN'T NEED HIS OWN BOOK. IF MR. WEBER SHOULD HAVE GIVEN ONE OF THE DUNCAN BROTHERS THEIR OWN BOOK PERHAPS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN VEGAS DUNCAN-WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN A PROPER STORY THAN WHAT WAS AIMED FOR HIM IN TFB3:RETURN OF VEGAS DUNCAN", THAT TURNED OUT TO BE ABOUT EVERYBODY BUT VEGAS.
Maybe I'm looking at it from a different standpoint than what or WHO the BOOK MAY HAVE BEEN AIMED AT. Given the character of RIO DUNCAN was a member of the LBGTQA+ Community, perhaps THAT was the community that the authors were aiming to entice with this book. If so, I guess ..... the book & story line may have been needed.
I didn't enjoy it though.

[Helen Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rio Duncan feels like the odd man out in his family because he doesn't have any assigned jobs and never fit it because of his lifestyle choices. He decides to leave town for a while and find a place where he fits. He takes a trip to Baltimore looking for new friends.

Corey Grant inherited a drug empire from his father who is in prison and runs it with his right hand man Dre. Corey keeps his secret life on the low in order to maintain an image. He also will learn some shocking truths.

With these new friends that Rio has discovered comes also some problems that will bring some heat on his back. Even though he feels like he doesn't fit in his family his sister Paris and his brothers Orlando and Junior will show up and have his back when he needs it. Rio starts to realize that maybe be can be his authentic self and still be accepted in his family.

[Shaunda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trouble in Rio was a FAST read, which I enjoyed. It gave more insight to this super fly Duncan.

Rio is a little misunderstood, according to him because he's gay. But so what, right? Family is Family & love is love.

But Rio thinks getting away will resolve things, not.
You can't ran away, you need to deal with the problem.

But Rio decides to go to Baltimore, where he meets some lively people. Diana, Pierre, Corey, & Dre to name a few.

Of course, mess start to pop off. Guess who is at the center of it all. Right, Rio

Boy can't you go anywhere and be low key? Nope, because you're Rio. I feel you there.

But if you want to know more, you already know. That's right, you will need to read it yourself.

But like I said, it was a fast read & I enjoyed it.

Until my next review, Happy Reading!!!

Ciao💋

[Michael Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I was homophobic, I would not have read this book. That being said, it was a weak sequel to any of the Family Business novels. Rio was bored with his lush life and went to Baltimore with cash and his second hand car. He mad a friend who just happened to be a beard for the local drug dealer. He had some 'sprinkles' which I guess equate to mollies or some other stimulant. He still had to call home to get a stash for a promising venture in Baltimore. Sadly, the dealers dad had a bloodlust to kill any supposedly gay dealers which included his son. Paris showed up at the right time. Rio never got to flex on his own. I need another family business novel.

[ShayBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again Carl Weber did not disappoint. Rio feeling like he doesn’t belong or isn’t as significant as his siblings decides that he needs to get away let loose and have some fun, Rio sees a blast from his past and he is determined to find him and receive an explanation.


I love The Family Business Series and was happy to see Rio get his own book, I was hoping it was going to be kinda a flashback with some new but that is what happened. I enjoyed Rio story it fit right in.

[Allene G Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great as usual, but I'm sure there will be a sequel to "Trouble in Rio". A little unfinished business seems to be missing. What's up with Rio and Pierre, Dianna and sister Mona, did Corey and Tay become a pair and the club's, did they close or what. Loved the teaser need more as usual

See above
Need more!!!!
You books are truly captivating.
Thank you for keeping me company during the pandemic..much needed,Thank you

[Francine Bremer · Rating 2 out of 5]

No

I didn't like the book,Rio was a disappointment. It was boring and uninteresting. I just read it because I like the Family Business series. Beside the Family Business. I must say, I enjoyed the Grand Opening series. I lobe it. The spin off of the characters was a no no. Look forward to FB 6. Wouldn't, recommend the Rio, or Nevada. Again Grand Opening I would recommend highly..

[Alison is probably reading smut · Rating 4 out of 5]

"What kind of business are you in? "...Family Business".

I love Rio I am so glad he finally got his own novel! The new setting was a breath of fresh air, Baltimore was the perfect backdrop to deal with family business. I love all of the Family Business characters but I really enjoyed all of the new characters that were introduced in this one. I can't believe this series is almost over they're definitely one of my best reads in 2023. Quick and easy read, finished in a matter of hours.

[Robin Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super fast read!!! Its only 211 pages!
The Duncan family never ceases to amaze and entertain readers. Kudos to Carl Weber for another amazing Duncan family story! However, towards the ending, it was almost predictable of who was responsible for the turn of events (no spoilers).
All I can say is ....WOOOOWWWW!!!!!

[Shannan Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

After hearing some feedback from others, I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy this read, but I'm glad I did. I really liked reading about Rio, the youngest of the Duncan family. Everyone else has their story, and I was glad to finally get a chance to read about him and all the drama that seems to follow him.

[Dawn “D-Love” · Rating 4 out of 5]

This and Grand Opening are my favorites from the entire Family Business series. The reason only four stars is because it was too short and I’m not sure of how it ended with Diana. I wanted her and the white guy to end up together because he really loves her. That was proven but the ending didn’t do justice for the story.

[Anita Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

The baby boy of the Duncan Clan, Rio, is feeling neglected & sets out for some soul searching with a little R&R. He finds more than a potential love interest & slamming night clubs in Baltimore. Just like a true Duncan, trouble finds him. Paris, Junior, & Orlando bring the familial support to help Rio out of a jam proven I be more than he can handle.

[Denisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This storyline was hard to get into until like 80% of the book. I’m glad Rio got his own story and was able to show a different side than the fun, club hopping character he has been portrayed in previous books. I definitely enjoyed his story over Paris’s.

[Charlotte Bembry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Family Business Hit! I really enjoyed reding this book. It put Rio in a new light and showed that he could really live up to the Duncan name. I’ll never get tired of reading the Family Business Novels and can’t wait to read more. Carl Weber is an excellent author and I love his work!

[Cherise Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was another great saga to the Family Business Series. It has a good plot and interesting characters ! I really enjoy the books about the Duncan’s and I hope Carl Weber does not stop delivering these fascinating characters anytime soon.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Rio’s story. Just like his siblings Rio has his own special skills but he moves and shakes by his own rules. His encounter in Baltimore proves that he is truly a Duncan asset that can hold his own in the Family Business.