Payback: The Return of C.R.E.A.M.
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Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books (March 17, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 031234838X
ISBN-13: 978-0312348380
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches

Karima "C.R.E.A.M." Thomas stands before a judge as an accomplice in the murders of two drug dealers. Suddenly, a scream tears through the courtroom, and when the smoke clears, her mother lies dying on the floor. Soon, others in Karima’s family are targeted, and one thing becomes clear: Unless she finds the killer first, Karima will be the next to die. With the help of Captain Kevin Lynch, Karima races to untangle a web of family secrets that threaten her very life. As she unlocks the shocking truth about her past, Karima closes in on the killer, and in a deadly struggle against an enemy as ruthless as herself, Karima is determined to get one thing – payback.

Marilyn Johnson has fought to make it in the rough-and-tumble world of Philadelphia politics. After ten years on the City Council, she’s finally made it to the president’s seat, but she’s had to forge some questionable alliances to make it there, including her long-running affair with the married mayor. When Karima asks for help in finding a job, Marilyn is caught off guard. Her niece’s criminal record is one of the many secrets she has hidden from the public, but seeing an opportunity, crafty Marilyn hatches a plan to get rid of Karima once and for all. The mayor is murdered in cold blood and Marilyn is sworn into office, bringing Karima’s criminal past to light. She is quickly the prime suspect in the murder investigation, and in order to save her own name and get to the bottom of the story, Karima must return to the streets.

Seventeen-year-old Keisha is the beautiful, sheltered daughter of an activist pastor with a checkered past. Handsome, ambitious Jamal-a street-savvy crack dealer-is the son of North Philly's most notorious drug kingpin. A history of violence and betrayal lies between their fathers, who are now bitter enemies. After one of his church members is gunned down-with a bullet he is sure is meant for him-Pastor Anderson goes after Frank Nichols, determined to drive him from the neighborhood for good. There's just one problem: Keisha and Jamal are in love.

When the families face off on opposite sides of an anti-drug demonstration, a high-ranking police official is killed in the crossfire, and Jamal becomes the prime suspect in the murder. Keisha is left with a choice. Will she stay with her father, in the confines of the sheltered world she's known, or will she venture into the unknown in order to help Jamal clear his name? She chooses Jamal, and in a whirlwind flight across the seamy underside of Philadelphia, Keisha will risk everything for love. Even her life.

Sometimes, Philadelphia Police Detective Kevin Lynch feels like he has spent his whole life trying to put his past firmly behind him. But a harried call for help from a childhood friend whose child has gone missing changes all that. Now Lynch must summon the courage to return to his childhood home, the infamous housing project known as The Bridge. As the case unfolds and the search for Kenya, the missing girl, intensifies, the secrets guarded by her family and friends begin to emerge. The hidden truths are more sinister and malevolent than Detective Lynch could ever imagine, and once again, The Bridge threatens to be his downfall. Solomon Jones's The Bridge sets a new standard for the modern crime novel, one in which the root causes of crime must share the stage with their tragic consequences.

The lawyer turned on the tape recorder, handed his client a cigarette, and lit it for him. Black drew hard, squinting as the smoke rushed into his lungs.
"Where do you want to start?"the lawyer said, lighting a cigarette of his own.
"I guess there’s only one place to start; at Broad and Erie."

Johnny Podres, a politician whose record against corruption had been propelling him straight to the mayor’s office, is found murdered in a North Philly crack house.

Enter Samuel Jackson, a.k.a. Black, a drug addict who knows better, a man embittered by the fact that he can’t seem to escape from his addiction to crack cocaine or, for that matter, from himself. Though he was once a family man with a wife and son, Black’s only concern these days is getting his next high, that is, until he stumbles across a friend and fellow addict, Leroy, and both become prime suspects in the Podres murder. Black and Leroy hook up with two female pipers: Clarisse, a registered nurse who is slowly losing to crack any semblance of a respectable life, and Pookie, who already has lost it. Soon the hunt is on for all four as they try to stay one step ahead of a police department under tremendous pressure to solve the case—because if a killer isn’t found soon, this could blow up into one of the biggest scandals in Philadelphia history. 

Solomon Jones weaves a suspenseful story against the backdrop of corruption in the Philadelphia police department and centers it on a group of drug addicts who, in the process of fleeing the law, come to terms with their own addiction, leading to some devastating consequences.

Bernie Mac meets Dave Barry in Keeping Up With The Jones a humorous look at marriage, family and life by critically-acclaimed novelist Solomon Jones. Taken from Joness award-winning column of the same name, Keeping Up With The Jones is filled with universal truths that promise to make readers laugh out loud.

With Hip Hop and R&B tracks that are sure to make listeners bounce, Wisdom attacks controversial issues head on. Get Your Hands Off That Sista addresses the taboo subject of domestic abuse. I Don’t Love Them Hoes addresses the subject of men having respect for women. Friends speaks to the issue of bad choices costing children their lives.

“I believe that it’s time for writers to take the next step,” Jones says. “It’s not just about entertainment anymore. It’s about helping to save people’s lives. That’s where Wisdom comes from.”

Jones is the author of the critically acclaimed urban mysteries The Bridge (St. Martin's Press, 2003), Pipe Dream (Random House, 2001), Ride Or Die (St. Martin’s Press, 2004) and Keeping Up With The Jones (Sola, 2004). He has been published in Newsday, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Philadelphia magazine. Jones, who holds a journalism B.A., teaches creative writing at Temple University. He is at work on his next novel.

Flemuel "Fleetwood" Brown III is one of Philadelphia's most creative minds. As a producer, songwriter and director, he is so unique that people are paying close attention to his vision. His music reveals a range of music genres and styles so diverse that it's difficult to believe that the songs and production come from the same person. But theyt do.

That flare for creating music has allowed Mr. Brown to gain major notoriety as a producer and songwriter. Along with his vast knowledge of music production and music technology, he has worked with various recording artists such as Boyz II Men, C-Knowledge of Digable Planets, Roy Ayers, Mystikal and Gerald Levert, just to name a few. He had a top-ten single on Billboard charts as well as on European charts.

Mr. Brown has his sights set on having a hand in every facet of the entertainment industry. His vast track record shows that he is indeed on his way to achieving that goal.

He is making his directorial debut with the multi media stage play entitled, “Real Men Talking.” This production poses the question, “What is a real man?” This multimedia theater production is shaping up to be a true success, with bookings already pouring in from across the country.

Flemuel Brown III is ultimately a man with a vision for the new millennium.


Listen to 45-second audio clips from Solomon Jones' new Spoken Word CD, "Wisdom."