Every city has an underworld leader. In the Kingpins series, each author will take us to a different city and introduce us to a new Kingpin who rules the streets in their respective city. Then after every author has written about their select city, Carl will end with a compilation of all kingpins in one book.

    Louis Kingpin, King David, has left a vacuum in the underworld. He leaves behind his vast empire to his surviving heirs, David Jr. and Davita. Born barely ten minutes apart, they were raised very differently.David Jr. is college educated. His mother always pushed him to do the best he could so he could one day legitimize and run the East St. Louis crime family. She thinks she's above and beyond the game. All she wants is the money that she believes she and her son are due.She taught Davita a different set of rules. Davita has been raised to use anybody and everything to get that money by any means necessary. She has embraced the business of the streets, and she is ready to ascend to the throne that her father has unexpectedly left behind.The question remains: will the family ties that bind keep the family together, or will sex, greed, drugs, and their mother's divisive ways tear it all to hell, bringing St. Louis down with them? David Jr. and Davita have decisions to make!

    Gang lords Blanket and Guerilla have been growing their numbers, never beefing until Guerilla decides to expand, thanks to the help of his enemy s own rook. Caught in the middle of this battle from different sides of the track are London and Saint.Spoiled rich Roanoke girl London Royal is no exception to the old saying that every girl loves a bad boy and his ways. When she visits the downtrodden Jonesboro neighborhood of Goodman with her best friends, her privileged world changes drastically with one party and later, a tow-truck pickup by bad boy Santana Black.Santana "Saint" Black is anything but a saint. Caught up in the drug game, Saint is a runner and enforcer for Blanket not to mention he s from the wrong side of the tracks to have his sights set on London.Can they find love in the middle of a kingpin war, or will both fall to the game of the streets?"

    There is only one man bold enough to deliver multiple orgasms yet never tell a soul his real name. He has overpowering strength, a top-notch reputation, power like no other, and a bite that will hurt more than a dog. Who is this man? The streets of Chicago know him as the One and Only. . . ."

    Ty and Terry share everything, including their women, until they meet Megan Saint James, a beautiful Jamaican temptress. Megan isn't just beautiful; she's smart, classy, and a con woman who has set her sights on the boys from Hollis in a big way. She plans to divide and conquer the two inseparable young kingpins."Love Seldom, Trust Never" by Ty Marshall: While attending his estranged father's funeral, East is approached by the legendary Ricardo Wheeler, who offers him the opportunity of a lifetime. Wheeler takes the young man under his wing, but when Wheeler's son and heir-in-waiting becomes jealous, his excessive ambition and quest for power lead to betrayal. A treacherous war is set in motion that will force the powerful legend to choose between his two sons. Anything built on a lie will eventually crumble. When no one and nothing are what they seem, who can you trust?"The Bag Is In" by Marlon PS White: Slow grinding for years, Greedy and GiGi are ready to step up their game, with a thirst to be Detroit's King and Queen of the Trap. The struggle is real, but the payoff will be major. After cashing out their middleman up front, the couple's hood dream tragically turns into a nightmare. The middleman is popped, and the infamous Mexican pipeline is broken. Greedy and GiGi devise a seemingly flawless plan to not only recoup their invested cash, but to link up with one of the most notorious cartels across the border. What seems like sunshine quickly turns to rain, however, and chaos erupts.

    Things appear to look up for Roman when Billy Bob Adams, a career criminal, finds him and whisks him to Baltimore, Maryland. With modern day slavery as his motive, Billy Bob teaches Roman every villainous trick he knows...including murder. From the moment Yoko was born she was unwanted. Born with a visible handicap people judged her upon first sight. Before long they turn the sweet child into a bitter young adult who does anything she can for attention. Even if it means taking responsibility for crimes she didn't commit. When Roman and Yoko meet they become an escape for one another. Since an idle mind is the devil's workshop they put their skills together and become living nightmares for unsuspecting drug dealers. Many years later, Roman vows to trade his turbulent childhood and crimes for a family of his own. Which means leaving Yoko and her volatile love of blood behind. When Roman must rely on his murder game to provide for his family, he excels and becomes the primary assassin for a multi-million dollar drug operation. But what happens when Yoko returns with a request that Roman doesn't want to honor? Explosive drama. Goon is an action packed thriller with unpredictable twists and excitement! Enjoy!

    When he must decide if he’s ready to leave his childish ways and become a man. For these four childhood friends that time has finally arrived. As choices start to become tougher, will life, love and new relationships force them to be the men their loved ones need them to be or will they fold under the pressure? If you are in need of a changeup of your normal reading and ready to get into the mind of the men you love. “What Kinda Man Would I be” is your next read!!!!

    Whenever push comes to shove, Desire will go and get it by any means. At 19 years young, she’s no rookie to the streets and she’ll do whatever it takes to survive. The brutal death of her parents, and being repeatedly raped by her uncle for years is to blame. All she needs is money, and her best friends Isyss and Reign by her side. Everything else is irrelevant until she meets a young savage by the name of Yung. With all that has happened in her life, Yung becomes her knight in shining armor, she becomes the air that he breathes. As a kid, Yung was left in the care of his poor excuse for a father; Big Rah, when his mother decided that she no longer wanted to be a mother anymore. She may as well had left him for dead because Big Rah’s only concern was drugs, leaving Yung home alone many nights to fend for himself, and that’s exactly what he did. Down to Ride Til the Very End is sure to take you on a ride; a ride that is filled with love, triumphs, trials, and betrayal. Do they have what it takes to ride until the end or will these challenges break this unstoppable duo apart?

    When Gina and Princess meet and realize that they share a common problem, they sent into motion an unforgettable plot that will solve all their problems…

    For a 17-year-old, Amina has a decent life. But after meeting her father and 23-year-old brother for the first time, things take a turn for the worse. Amina ends up alone, trying to fend for herself and save her boyfriend, Kayne, from 3 years in jail. Amina must prove her loyalty to Kayne, but can you be a Down Chick without being locked down yourself? This is a question that never crosses Amina’s mind, leading her to make the ultimate mistake of her life. Author Mallori McNeal began writing Down Chick at age 14, during the summer before she began her first year in high school. She completed Down Chick and was accepted for publishing at age 16. Mallori currently lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

    From the "Essence"-bestselling author of "All That and a Bag of Chips" and "What Goes Around Comes Around" comes a riveting page-turner about an NFL coach who's forced to choose between his love and his freedom.

    She doesn't give her goodies to just anyone though. She prefers wealthy Caucasian men. Brothers are not to her liking. She has a thirst for the good life that she feels they cannot fulfill. That is until she crosses paths with Thrill. Initially uninterested Kaliyah has no words for Thrill but once she finds out about the paper that he is sitting on it changes the game. Will her thirst end up being her downfall?

    After Tamar damn near killed Rozalyn a little over a year ago; the couple decided to cut their losses and move on. Rozalyn does her best to become a better, independent woman being she no longer has Tamar to depend on. She goes to school, opens her own beauty shop, and is even thinking of starting her own clothing line. Everything is going good especially when she meets Messiah; he sweeps her off her feet and shows her what true love is. Tamar feels since he's gotten rid of all of his enemies he's ready to jump back in the game. With a new lady on his arm, things are looking up and of course the cash is flowing nicely. That is until Messiah comes home and looks to reclaim his spot as the King of Miami. Messiah is messing with Tamar's paper and his woman. With the two men fighting for the crown and the girl; things will get rather ugly. Who will Rozalyn choose in the end? The guy that she bared three kids with and has gone through hell and back with, or the guy that treats her better than royalty? A choice must be made, but will that choice be a deadly one? This is the end and endings aren't always happily ever after.

    As the days go by, Jameeka realizes that Levi isn’t the man she thought him be, but it’s too late because she’d already done the unthinkable, and Seth would never get back with her in a million years. Now that Seth and Dreka finally are in a committed relationship, is it enough for her to leave the pole alone and finally settle down in the palace where she belongs? Dreka promised herself that once she let those three words, I love you come out of her mouth, that she would hang up her dancing shoes, but is that true? In addition to everyday relationship problems, she is now faced with deep, dark secrets that she thought she had left behind in her past, but she now has to bring those secrets to light. This second installment is filled with drama, laughter, and secrets. Some will make it out in the end, but others won’t.