"A king can't be a king without the strength of his queen." After Dez is arrested, Karter is stuck on the outside trying to hold it all together, not only for herself, but for her unborn child as well. When it feels like the universe is working against her, can Karter keep her head above water? Or, will her constant stress and worrying cost her and Dez the one thing they both so desire, a child? Dez's first priority is always to protect his family, even when he's not in the best position to do so. But, with a detective on his back with an ax to grind, can Dez stay a free man? Or, will he have to get his hands dirty one last time to show why he was the king to begin with? "You'll never make it anywhere in life without a degree." The words her father said to her still rang strong in Melodee's ears, even eight years later. Setting out to prove her parents wrong, Melodee focuses on doing what she has to do to secure her future. But, will she allow Dame to step in help, or will her 'I can do it myself' attitude run him away? In this final installment, this crew is struggling to keep the family together. But, one thing about the Wright brothers, they always have some tricks up their sleeves, and for the women they love, they'll paint the town red. Find out why Karter and Melodee are still in love with the King of Chicago.

"A king can't be a king without the strength of his queen." After Dez is arrested, Karter is stuck on the outside trying to hold it all together, not only for herself, but for her unborn child as well. When it feels like the universe is working against her, can Karter keep her head above water? Or, will her constant stress and worrying cost her and Dez the one thing they both so desire, a child?Dez's first priority is always to protect his family, even when he's not in the best position to do so. But, with a detective on his back with an ax to grind, can Dez stay a free man? Or, will he have to get his hands dirty one last time to show why he was the king to begin with?"You'll never make it anywhere in life without a degree." The words her father said to her still rang strong in Melodee's ears, even eight years later. Setting out to prove her parents wrong, Melodee focuses on doing what she has to do to secure her future. But, will she allow Dame to step in help, or will her 'I can do it myself' attitude run him away? In this final installment, this crew is struggling to keep the family together. But, one thing about the Wright brothers, they always have some tricks up their sleeves, and for the women they love, they'll paint the town red. Find out why Karter and Melodee are still in love with the King of Chicago.

Love is physically addictive, and falling in love activates areas of the brain that gives you the same feelings one would get from doing cocaine. This was definitely the case for twenty-six-year-old Karter Martin and twenty-nine-year old Dezmund "Dez" Wright.Dez had been a money-making machine since he was nine years old, and he took over being the 'man of the house'. The streets sucked him in, but they didn't destroy him, like they did many before him. With his brother, Dame, by his side, they were able to take over Chicago. But, after almost twenty years, they stepped down from the throne and opened a nightclub in the heart of the city. Dez's mind was always on his paper, and he didn't think twice about love, but when he laid eyes on Karter, there was something unexplainable that drew him to her, and he didn't want to let it go. This could be the perfect love story for Dez and Karter, but we all know those don't exist.At a young age, Karter knew all about heartache. At five years old, her parents dropped her off with her grandmother and never looked back. That year, Big Mama put Karter in dance class, and she hasn't stopped dancing since. For the longest, it had been just Karter and Big Mama, until Big Mama passed, and it turned Karter's life upside down. When Karter meets Dez a year later, it gives her a reason to smile again. Even when they were hit with situations meant to tear them apart, they pushed through and proved to everyone who doubted their relationship, that they were in it for the long run. Loving a man like Dez, you need to have tough skin, and Karter learns that the hard way.Melodee's razor-sharp tongue and 'don't give a fuck' attitude is enough to run any man away. After getting her heart broken, she shuts herself down from any type of relationship. But, Damien "Dame" Wright was the guy who set out to change her mind on that. Melodee's focus was on chasing a bag, but it was hard to do with a man like Dame in the way. At twenty-eight years old, Dame was ready to settle down and be that one-woman man. After years of running through random females, he meets Melodee and changes his entire way of thinking. Trying to break down the wall that Melodee had up became too much for him, and he was ready to give up. A traumatic event brings these two together, and hopefully it'll make them realize that they needed to give their relationship a fighting chance. But, can they keep it together long enough to explore being a real couple?These brothers went from running an entire city effortlessly, to struggling to get their own lives under control. The women in their lives didn't have it any easier as they dealt with the consequences of being In Love With the King of Chicago. Can they make it work, or will these two relationships be another failed attempt at love?

After Me Comes the Flood has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

2020 J. ANTHONY LUKAS PRIZE WINNER From the bestselling author of There Are No Children Here, a richly textured, heartrending portrait of love and death in Chicago's most turbulent neighborhoods. The numbers are staggering: over the past twenty years in Chicago, 14,033 people have been killed and another roughly 60,000 wounded by gunfire. What does that do to the spirit of individuals and community? Drawing on his decades of experience, Alex Kotlowitz set out to chronicle one summer in the city, writing about individuals who have emerged from the violence and whose stories capture the capacity--and the breaking point--of the human heart and soul. The result is a spellbinding collection of deeply intimate profiles that upend what we think we know about gun violence in America. Among others, we meet a man who as a teenager killed a rival gang member and twenty years later is still trying to come to terms with what he's done; a devoted school social worker struggling with her favorite student, who refuses to give evidence in the shooting death of his best friend; the witness to a wrongful police shooting who can't shake what he has seen; and an aging former gang leader who builds a place of refuge for himself and his friends. Applying the close-up, empathic reporting that made There Are No Children Here a modern classic, Kotlowitz offers a piercingly honest portrait of a city in turmoil. These sketches of those left standing will get into your bones. This one summer will stay with you.

Book OneMONEY... POWER... RESPECT...These three meaningful words describe what being a kingpin is all about. Couple that with being the king of a major city and you can't imagine the pressure. For Amon Rivers, the rise is slow but the money is fast.Starting in the game at the tender age of thirteen, Amon goes from rebuilding his associate's dying empire, to creating a thriving business that makes millions within a year. Like in many situations, with the money comes the women and with the women comes the problems. Although he is well beyond book smart, his young mind must try to grasp the deep comprehension of love. This is when Ty'Keisha comes in and tips the scales.Just when Amon thinks that he has gotten all his female issues under control, he hooks up with his connect who just happens to be an older woman. She possesses all the qualities he needs in order to make him a leader in this game. He has to have her...With Milagros on his side, Amon is determined to take on the new role as King of Chicago. He knows that it is going to be a worthy challenge but what he doesn't anticipate is what his first love left behind for him.When feelings begin to fade and skeletons start to fall out the closet, what will Amon do? Will he be able to keep the flames high and still be able to prove why he's called the King of Chicago or will he give it all up?

Long before the guillotines of the 1789 Revolution brought a grisly political end to the ancien régime, Jay Caplan argues, the culture of absolutism had already perished. In the King's Wake traces the emergence of a post-absolutist culture across a wide range of works and genres: Saint-Simon's memoirs of Louis XIV and the Regency; Voltaire's first tragedy, Oedipe; Watteau's last great painting, L'Enseigne de Gersaint; the plays of Marivaux; and Casanova's History of My Life. While absolutist culture had focused on value directly represented in people (e.g., those of noble blood) and things (e.g., coins made of precious metals), post-absolutist culture instead explored the capacity of signs to stand for something real (e.g., John Law's banknotes or Marivaux's plays in which actions rather than birth signify nobility). Between the image of the Sun King and visions of the godlike Romantic self, Caplan discovers a post-absolutist France wracked by surprisingly modern conflicts over the true sources of value and legitimacy.