What do you think?
Rate this book
No One in the World: A Novel
From bestselling authors E. Lynn Harris and RM Johnson, the evocative story of twin brothers—one a straight man, the other gay—who find each other in adulthood and struggle to uncover many questions about themselves and one another, while also becoming entangled in a plot thick with deceit and suspense.A spirited and tender novel, No One in the World focuses on two seemingly different men—Cobi Winslow, a gay, educated, affluent social climber, and Eric Reed, a straight, career criminal raised in the foster care system—who, separated as young children, reunite upon their parents’ death after thirty years apart. Their reunion, however, is marred by the crooked plans of Eric’s former cellmate and Cobi’s struggles to raise enough money for his campaign for city council. With corruption, drug deals, and homophobia rearing their ugly heads, the two brothers may face the most difficult test of their relationship. This thought-provoking, honest, and page-turning tale is not to be missed.
322 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2011
32 people are currently reading
654 people want to read
About the author
E. Lynn Harris
47 books743 followersE. Lynn Harris was born in Flint, Michigan and raised, along with three sisters, in Little Rock, Arkansas. He attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville where he was the school's first black yearbook editor, the first black male Razorbacks cheerleader, and the president of his fraternity. He graduated with honors with a degree in journalism.
Harris sold computers for IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and AT&T for thirteen years while living in Dallas, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. He finally quit his sales job to write his first novel, Invisible Life, and, failing to find a publisher, he published it himself in 1991 and sold it mostly at black-owned bookstores, beauty salons, and book clubs before he was "discovered" by Anchor Books. Anchor published Invisible Life as a trade paperback in 1994, and thus his career as an author officially began.
Invisible Life was followed by Just As I Am (1994), And This Too Shall Pass (1996), If This World Were Mine (1997), Abide with Me (1999), Not A Day Goes By (2000), Any Way the Wind Blows (2001), A Love of My Own (2002), I Say A Little Prayer (2006), Just Too Good To Be True (2008), Basketball Jones(2009), and Mama Dearest(2009),all published by Doubleday, and In My Father's House(2010), published by St. Martin's Press. Ten of Harris's novels hit the New York Times bestseller list, and his books have also appeared on the bestseller lists of the Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times. In 2003, Harris published his first work of nonfiction, a memoir entitled What Becomes of the Brokenhearted, which was also a New York Times bestseller. Today, there are more than four million copies of his books in print.
Harris's writing also appeared in Essence, Washington Post Sunday Magazine, and Sports Illustrated, as well as in the award-winning anthology Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America, Go The Way Your Blood Beats. His novella, "Money Can't Buy Me Love" was published in Got To Be Real: Four Original Love Stories. Freedom in This Village, a collection of short stories edited by Harris, was released in the fall of 2004. His short fiction appeared in Gumbo: A Celebration of African American Writers (Harlem Moon), a 2002 collection he edited with writer Marita Golden.
Harris won numerous accolades and prizes for his work. Just As I Am was awarded the Novel of the Year Prize by the Blackboard African-American Bestsellers, Inc. If This World Were Mine was nominated for a NAACP Image Award and won the James Baldwin Award for Literary Excellence. Abide with Me was also nominated for a NAACP Image Award. His anthology Freedom in this Village won the Lambda Literary Award in 2005. In 1999, the University of Arkansas honored Harris with a Citation of Distinguished Alumni for outstanding professional achievement, and in October 2000 he was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. He was named to Ebony's "Most Intriguing Blacks" list, Out Magazine's "Out 100" list, New York Magazine's "Gay Power 101" list, and Savoy's "100 Leaders and Heroes in Black America" list. Other honors included the Sprague Todes Literary Award, the Harvey Milk Honorary Diploma, and The Silas Hunt Award for Outstanding Achievement from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Harris was a member of the Board of Directors of the Hurston/Wright Foundation and the Evidence Dance Company. He was the founder of the E. Lynn Harris Better Days Foundation, a nonprofit company that provides support to aspiring writers and artists.
E. Lynn Harris passed away in 2009.
http://us.macmillan.com/inmyfathersho...
Harris sold computers for IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and AT&T for thirteen years while living in Dallas, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. He finally quit his sales job to write his first novel, Invisible Life, and, failing to find a publisher, he published it himself in 1991 and sold it mostly at black-owned bookstores, beauty salons, and book clubs before he was "discovered" by Anchor Books. Anchor published Invisible Life as a trade paperback in 1994, and thus his career as an author officially began.
Invisible Life was followed by Just As I Am (1994), And This Too Shall Pass (1996), If This World Were Mine (1997), Abide with Me (1999), Not A Day Goes By (2000), Any Way the Wind Blows (2001), A Love of My Own (2002), I Say A Little Prayer (2006), Just Too Good To Be True (2008), Basketball Jones(2009), and Mama Dearest(2009),all published by Doubleday, and In My Father's House(2010), published by St. Martin's Press. Ten of Harris's novels hit the New York Times bestseller list, and his books have also appeared on the bestseller lists of the Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times. In 2003, Harris published his first work of nonfiction, a memoir entitled What Becomes of the Brokenhearted, which was also a New York Times bestseller. Today, there are more than four million copies of his books in print.
Harris's writing also appeared in Essence, Washington Post Sunday Magazine, and Sports Illustrated, as well as in the award-winning anthology Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America, Go The Way Your Blood Beats. His novella, "Money Can't Buy Me Love" was published in Got To Be Real: Four Original Love Stories. Freedom in This Village, a collection of short stories edited by Harris, was released in the fall of 2004. His short fiction appeared in Gumbo: A Celebration of African American Writers (Harlem Moon), a 2002 collection he edited with writer Marita Golden.
Harris won numerous accolades and prizes for his work. Just As I Am was awarded the Novel of the Year Prize by the Blackboard African-American Bestsellers, Inc. If This World Were Mine was nominated for a NAACP Image Award and won the James Baldwin Award for Literary Excellence. Abide with Me was also nominated for a NAACP Image Award. His anthology Freedom in this Village won the Lambda Literary Award in 2005. In 1999, the University of Arkansas honored Harris with a Citation of Distinguished Alumni for outstanding professional achievement, and in October 2000 he was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. He was named to Ebony's "Most Intriguing Blacks" list, Out Magazine's "Out 100" list, New York Magazine's "Gay Power 101" list, and Savoy's "100 Leaders and Heroes in Black America" list. Other honors included the Sprague Todes Literary Award, the Harvey Milk Honorary Diploma, and The Silas Hunt Award for Outstanding Achievement from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Harris was a member of the Board of Directors of the Hurston/Wright Foundation and the Evidence Dance Company. He was the founder of the E. Lynn Harris Better Days Foundation, a nonprofit company that provides support to aspiring writers and artists.
E. Lynn Harris passed away in 2009.
http://us.macmillan.com/inmyfathersho...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
May 17, 2012
This was an entertaining read, but not as thrilling or edge-of-your-seat as a true E. Lynn Harris novel. The ending was hurried along, and the book would have definitely benefited from a prolouge. I really want to know how Teresa and Blac's sister and nephew handled things and whether a certain character actually does go to prison for a crime he didn't commit (don't want to give too much away!). I could even see a sequel to this book because so much was left unfinished at the end.
January 27, 2019
2.5 stars
The book started off slow and just kind of stayed there. The book was predictable at times and ended ambiguously.
The book started off slow and just kind of stayed there. The book was predictable at times and ended ambiguously.
July 16, 2012
It was a few months ago when I first started reading this book, and just a few minutes ago when I finished it. After I read the part in the beginning about what happened to the man and his son on the street, I seriously considered putting it down and leaving it there. While I (sadly) know things like that happens, whenever I hear about or read something like that I can't help but think about my son. And that kind of kills my desire to continue reading something that would bring me such thoughts. But, I eventually continued with it...I'm big fans of the late Mr. E. Lynn Harris and R.M. Johnson so I knew the story would be good, if not always pleasant. And I was right.
It wasn't until tonight that I got to the point where I didn't want to put the book down. The extremely short chapters might have had something to do with that; they were like little teasers, which might or might not have been the intent. In any case, I found myself sucked into what was going to happen between Cobi, Eric, Austen, and Blac. I found myself wanting to personally wring the neck of the character who shares my name for doing what she did to Eric, and convincing her family to go along with it. I found myself actually wanting Blac to succeed in his task against the senator or even Cobi, because I couldn't bear the idea of another child (his nephew) getting harmed. I wanted someone to bitch-slap Sissy, just once. I loved how the relationship between the long-lost twin brothers developed over time, and if I'm honest about it, I found myself kind of attracted to Eric, myself (hey, it happens. lol) And at the end, I was actually disappointed and kind of felt like I was left hanging, but was glad that there was at least an inference of a happy ending, if you choose to take it as such. And I do.
If I do read this book again, I'll be skipping over the first couple of chapters, but I think that Mr. Harris and Mr. Johnson really did a great job on this one. I hate that we won't get any more of E. Lynn's brilliance but thankfully, we still have the books. :)
It wasn't until tonight that I got to the point where I didn't want to put the book down. The extremely short chapters might have had something to do with that; they were like little teasers, which might or might not have been the intent. In any case, I found myself sucked into what was going to happen between Cobi, Eric, Austen, and Blac. I found myself wanting to personally wring the neck of the character who shares my name for doing what she did to Eric, and convincing her family to go along with it. I found myself actually wanting Blac to succeed in his task against the senator or even Cobi, because I couldn't bear the idea of another child (his nephew) getting harmed. I wanted someone to bitch-slap Sissy, just once. I loved how the relationship between the long-lost twin brothers developed over time, and if I'm honest about it, I found myself kind of attracted to Eric, myself (hey, it happens. lol) And at the end, I was actually disappointed and kind of felt like I was left hanging, but was glad that there was at least an inference of a happy ending, if you choose to take it as such. And I do.
If I do read this book again, I'll be skipping over the first couple of chapters, but I think that Mr. Harris and Mr. Johnson really did a great job on this one. I hate that we won't get any more of E. Lynn's brilliance but thankfully, we still have the books. :)
May 24, 2011
Cobi Winslow is a district attorney and one of the heirs to the successful Winslow Products hair care empire. His decision not to go into the family business coupled with his sexuality has always been a sore spot in the relationship with his father. Right before his parents are killed in a car crash, Cobi, who is adopted, learns that he has a twin brother he never knew about. He now is compelled to search for him. To make matters worse, his father's will states that Cobi will receive shares in the the family company only if he marries a woman and stays married for two years. His sister, Sissy, who is now CEO of Winslow, desperately needs those shares to help stave off a takeover of their family legacy. Added to this mix is Cobi's love affair with a closeted state senator, and this book is full of drama! Is your head spinning yet?
There is enough drama here for at least 2 or 3 books and sometimes it felt a little overwhelming. I've never read any books by RM Johnson, but fans of E. Lynn Harris will recognize the character development that he was known for. Cobi suffers greatly from being a disappointment to his father and a secret in his lover's life, but he also is comfortable with himself and who he is.
There is enough drama here for at least 2 or 3 books and sometimes it felt a little overwhelming. I've never read any books by RM Johnson, but fans of E. Lynn Harris will recognize the character development that he was known for. Cobi suffers greatly from being a disappointment to his father and a secret in his lover's life, but he also is comfortable with himself and who he is.
March 12, 2012
Cobi is really really rich and adopted and learns just before his parents die that he had a twin brother who was not adopted. His (adopted) sister Sissy runs a black hair products company and will lose it if she can't get Cobi to inherit his shares. In order to inherit his shares, Cobi must get married but he is gay. Cobi meets his brother by accident in prison (Cobi is a lawyer) and when Eric gets out, he comes to live with Cobi. Eric's best friend Blac, gets out of prison two days later than Eric but he owes $150,000 to a drug dealer and so he tries to blackmail Cobi with pictures of Cobi and his closeted and married Senator lover. Sissy sets up a marriage with Austin is who about to lose her house. Austin tells her friend that this stuff doesn't happen to real people...
Does this sound like literary fiction to you? Nope, not me either. This is soap opera and I hated it. And the ending was stupid too. I thought the reader was a bit wooden too - does a nice job of the characters but the narrative isn't so great.
Does this sound like literary fiction to you? Nope, not me either. This is soap opera and I hated it. And the ending was stupid too. I thought the reader was a bit wooden too - does a nice job of the characters but the narrative isn't so great.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2011
This book was exactly what I was expecting and hoping for. E. Lynn Harris was an amazing writer and I am extremely thrilled to have had this opportunity to read what may have been his very last work. RM Johnson is also a very talented writer and thanks to his endearing friendship with E. Lynn Harris, another wonderful book has been born. For anyone who is familiar with Harris' books, you will find that this one too will thrill you as much as all of his other books. RM Johnson has definitely proved that he too has the ability to enrapture his readers. I feel so very fortunate to have found this book and assure everyone that they will enjoy it as much as I did.
October 14, 2011
Just okay. Was very predictable. Not the usual E. Lynn Harris book that I'm used to. However, my standards for his books may be a bit high. I do realize that this was a collaboration.
One pet peeve of mine is when there are several characters with similar or same names. There were two Austins in this story--one male, one female. Perhaps the print version specifies a difference. However, on the audio version, the narrator pronounced them both the same. That annoyed me.
Can't win them all...
One pet peeve of mine is when there are several characters with similar or same names. There were two Austins in this story--one male, one female. Perhaps the print version specifies a difference. However, on the audio version, the narrator pronounced them both the same. That annoyed me.
Can't win them all...
July 18, 2011
This book was a very well written page turner by both E. Lynn Harris and RM Johnson. I very much enjoyed the plot and the characters were well developed. Reading this book made me sad because I know that E. Lynn Harris is no longer alive, and we will no longer be able to enjoy his works. I am grateful that I will continue to have the works of RM Johnson to keep me entertained. This book is about twin brothers seperated at birth and a chance encounter that tested the bonds of brotherhood.
June 2, 2012
This book was shit. The ending was horrible. I am sad this is the last book Ill read that E lynn was apart of. He write complete books though and this was not complete. The point of the book was never even answered which I thought was saving the family company. I have never seen such a character like sissy that never changed throughout the entire book in an E Lynn book. She lacked depth. The end of this book left me filling unfulfilled.
March 18, 2013
First I need to say the book left me hanging. No good book should leave a reader with so many questions. The story built up but then ended left me wondering about the company and all the characters. A epilogue would have helped wrap things up and probably answered those questions.
August 9, 2018
I thought this book would start and end with a bang! It, however was not the bomb because the bomb fizzled out! How do you write a book with over the top action but it ends so...so...confusing? Very disappointed.
June 19, 2011
WAS ****, until the crappy ending :-/ You can tell its unfinished.
January 23, 2012
Awesome last book by a great Writer you are truly missed.
February 24, 2018
story was all over the place. voice actor for audio book was annoying. never changed his voice. felt very monotone
May 27, 2023
I have read three or four other E. Lynn Harris books in the past.
Always a “guilty pleasure” - this book does not disappoint. It’s a bit of a steamy romance novel. But also somewhat of a thriller with a twisted plot. Interpret the word “twisted” as you will!
I’ve not read books by RM Johnson, so I really don’t know what he is known for . . . but this collaboration was certainly satisfying. From what I understand it was published after the death of Harris so I may have to read some more books by Johnson to see what he is all about.
Always a “guilty pleasure” - this book does not disappoint. It’s a bit of a steamy romance novel. But also somewhat of a thriller with a twisted plot. Interpret the word “twisted” as you will!
I’ve not read books by RM Johnson, so I really don’t know what he is known for . . . but this collaboration was certainly satisfying. From what I understand it was published after the death of Harris so I may have to read some more books by Johnson to see what he is all about.
June 18, 2020
No One in the World is outside of my usual genre preferences, but it was an interesting read. The writing is strong, and it is an intersting book nevertheless. Something that struck me about this book was how well potential future problems are set up. It's no mystery what's inevitably going to happen in several situations, which makes the ride to get to that point all the more suspenseful. Ultimately, I didn't feel like this book had a strong ending, but maybe it wasn't supposed to.
August 13, 2019
Such an amazing story as always was with an E. Lynn Harris book. I will say that I’m a little disappointed with the ending as I feel it left on such a cliff hanger that you have no idea what happened to Cobi. I wanted to know how it worked out. And such a sad loss to the world with E. Lynn Harris having passed and this being his last book published.
June 3, 2021
Having read great things about this author, I wanted to like this book. But everything, just everything was so predictable and trite. And annoying voice of audiobook narrator made it worse. But reading other reviewers comments that the author’s other books are so much better than this one tells me I should read a different one.
May 8, 2017
This was definitely full of ridiculous drama, much like a soap opera. I haven't read something like that in awhile so I enjoyed it. However, I do not recommend the audio. The narrator was pretty bad.
October 14, 2017
This book started out very slow for me so I had to put it down for a while. When I started back reading it, I enjoyed it. The book really picked up in the middle and the end wasn't what I expected. over all good book.
July 13, 2018
Somewhat predictable but engaging. The characters are believable and nice developed. I would have liked to see the sister's character developed a little more though. Not happy the ending was a cliff hanger.
November 10, 2025
I have never read a book quite like this. It hooked me by about 50 pages in, but about 2/3 in it became intensely rushed. I suspect this had something to do with one of the authors passing before it was published. Perhaps they had only fully developed the first 2/3.
August 2, 2017
couldn't but it down great read for a buck "Dollar Tree" store
August 27, 2017
This was an awesome read. Thank you momma for allowing the publication. I hope there's a sequel. I can't wait. Hey , you must read , this book ...
January 19, 2018
Completely ridiculous ending. Trite writing style and dialogue. I really thought it would go somewhere, but just irritated me.
March 13, 2018
I think that I would have liked this book a little better had I read it. I am having the hardest time getting into audiobooks.
October 28, 2018
I've been having this book for years, and just decided to read it. The collaboration between the two authors was incredible. Very suspenseful story.
January 22, 2019
This book has an interesting storyline and it ends leaving me wanting to know what happened next. I would recommend this to other readers.
February 17, 2019
I felt there was a lot of wasted potential in terms of character development, however the plot really picked up at the end.
September 13, 2019
Absolutely loved it! I heard his books were good and I’ve never read one until now. R.I.P. Mr. Harris! Your legacy is definitely left in your books!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews