K'wan

Paperback (1 to 2 lbs)

New York

A crime would bring them together, grief would bind them and love would make them famous. Parish “Pain” Wells is a man freshly reintroduced to society, after serving time in state prison. Prior to his fall, Pain had been a heist man who showed the promise of someone who could go on to be a legend. His trajectory changed on the night he had made the mistake of accepting a ride from a friend, and found himself behind bars for the one crime he hadn’t committed. Several years later, Pain returns home to a world that wouldn’t piss on him if he was on fire. The only one who still remains in his corner is his ailing grandmother. It’s for her sake that Pain tries to stay on the straight and narrow. He’s tired of breaking her heart and vows to be a good grandson, but when her medical bills start mounting he finds himself backed into a corner. He needs money, fast, and there’s only one way he knows how to get it. Since her parents died and Passion Adams found herself a ward of her estranged uncle, a gangster who everyone calls Uncle Joe, her life has been on a constant downward spiral. She moves like a ghost from one day to the next, numbing her pain with drugs and alcohol, while seeking thrills in unsavory places. One morning Passion finds herself the victim of a robbery and the thieves snatch from her the only thing of value that she has left in the world, a locket containing the ashes of her deceased parents. Passion is devastated, fearing she would never see the locket again until it shows up later in the hands of a handsome stranger, who brings something into Passion’s life that has eluded her since the death of her parents... hope. The two broken souls find themselves inescapably drawn into each other’s orbits, and begin their journey of finding lives outside the ones of poverty and sorrow that their worlds had condemned them to. But when shadows from both their pasts threaten their happiness, Passion and Pain set out on an adventure that would make them hunted by law enforcement and celebrated by the underworld. What initially starts out as a mission of vindication quickly turns into a fight for survival. "K'wan delivered another classic." -Mark Anthony, Essence bestselling author of Paper Chasers "Make way for the Donald Goines/Iceberg Slim of our era." -Tracy Brown, author of Black, Dime Piece and Criminal Minded “Wait until you read this! K'wan is raising the stakes." - Kashamba Williams, author of Blinded and Grimey

Passion for the Heist  UNRELEASED UNTIL 8/2024

11eaa633-aded-4d5e-9ff5-a244337f405c-0

Connecticut

Passion for the Heist 2024

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

A Novel

Four very different young women--larcenous Yoshi, who possesses a talent for playing with men's hearts as well as their pockets; Billy, a former sports star who seeks comfort in the arms of other women; promiscuous Reese, pregnant and desperate to stand on her own; and Rhonda, a single mother looking for the easy life--turn their Harlem neighborhood upside down. Original. 50,000 first printing.

Hood Rat

1992ba70-cde2-4378-9b54-fba9e2d1fd7c-1

Passion for the Heist

“It's the penthouse or the morgue."

This is the philosophy adopted by Keshawn Wilson, a.k.a. "K-Dawg',' self-proclaimed lord of the streets. Keshawn is the youngest of five kids and one of only two that doesn't belong to his mother's husband. As a little boy he feels the distance between he and his stepfather, and life becomes increasingly difficult for him as the years pass. His childhood and young adult years are spent in a home for boys and state prison, where he serves time for manslaughter. It's during his time behind bars, amongst hardened criminals, that the seeds of evil take root in his life and mercilessly transform him from an innocent child into a heartless, conniving menace.

K-Dawg decides that the world owes him something, and when he is released from prison he intends to take it. He comes up with the ultimate power move that is sure to put him on top of the game or under the Earth. He wants it all, and he is dead set on having it - no matter what the cost. He has nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Heavy Paperback (2 to 4 lbs)

North Carolina

Triple Crown Collection

It's the penthouse or the morgue. This is the philosophy adopted by Keshawn Wilson, a.k.a. K-Dawg, self-proclaimed lord of the streets. Keshawn is the youngest of five kids, and one of only two that don't belong to his mother's husband. As a little boy, he feels the distance between him and his stepfather, and life becomes increasingly difficult for him as the years pass. His young adult years are spent in a home for boys and then in state prison, where he serves time for manslaughter. It is during his time behind bars, amongst hardened criminals, that the seeds of evil take root and mercilessly transform him from an innocent child to a heartless, conniving menace. K-Dawg decides that the world owes him something, and when he is released from prison, he intends to take it. He comes up with the ultimate power move that is sure to put him on top of the game or under the earth. He wants it all, and he is dead set on having it, no matter what the cost. He has nothing to lose . . . and everything to gain.

 On the tenth anniversary of its release, K'wan's Road Dawgz has a gritty, raw realism that will remind readers how he earned a place at the top of the urban lit game.

This is the 10th Anniversary edition of Road Dawgz from #1 Essence bestselling author K'wan.

Road Dawgz

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No Shade: No offense (as defined by the Urban Dictionary). Ex: “Don’t tell her I told you, but your little cousin is a ho, no Shade.” Every little girl dreams of a happy ending to their stories; a home, children and a man who loves her enough to share his life and last name. When Billy’s longtime boyfriend Marcus finally pops the question, it’s one of the happiest moments of her life. To stand with her on her special day, Billy calls on her childhood friends Reese and Yoshi. Several years passing since they’d last all come together, and some unresolved issues have driven a wedge between the girls, but they agree to put their difference aside for the sake of Billy’s wedding. The truce is a short one when Billy has to decide on a Maid of Honor and both her friends expect the position to fall to them. Just when things seem to be coming together they quickly begin to fall apart, and at a time when Billy is supposed to be basking in the sunshine of her approaching wedding she finds herself the target of shade being thrown from the most unlikely places. While Billy is going through her drama, Marcus is dealing with issues of his own. An old crime partner of his blows into town unexpectedly and his presence threatens to destroy the legitimate life Marcus has worked so hard to build. Even with the universe seemingly working against them, Billy and Marcus are determined to have their dream wedding, but first they have to survive the nightmare of planning it. There goes the neighborhood...again.

Every little girl dreams of a happy ending- a home, children, and a man who loves her enough to share his life and last name. When Billy's longtime boyfriend Marcus finally pops the question, it's one of the happiest moments of her life. To stand with her on her special day, Billy calls on her childhood friends, Reese and Yoshi. Several years have passed since they last came together. Some unresolved issues have driven a wedge between the girls, but they agree to put their difference aside for the sake of Billy's wedding.

The truce is a short one when Billy has to decide on a Maid of Honor, and both friends expect the position to fall to them. Just when things seem to be coming together, they quickly begin to fall apart, and at a time when Billy is supposed to be basking in the sunshine of her approaching wedding, she finds herself the target of shade being thrown from the most unlikely places.

While Billy is going through her drama, Marcus is dealing with issues of his own. An old crime partner blows into town unexpectedly, and his presence threatens to destroy the legitimate life Marcus has worked so hard to build.

Even with the universe seemingly working against them, Billy and Marcus are determined to have their dream wedding, but first they have to survive the nightmare of planning it.

There goes the neighborhood...again.

No Shade

31b5e040-7155-40b4-bb1a-2a9652995114-1

Texas

Jonas Rafferty, known among friends and enemies alike as Wrath, always dreamt of rising above his circumstances, and when he crosses paths with rogue homicide detective, he's offered a bargain that will change the course of his life. Detective Ceavers becomes like a guardian angel and surrogate father, teaching him the game and guiding him in his quest for power. His dreams are finally becoming reality when Alex, his childhood crush, gives him a glimpse of the one thing he's always craved more than money and power: love. Wrath begins to question himself and his decisions as he's drawn further away from the world he's created and deeper into the stable life he believes he could have with Alex.

Wrath

0404dfbf-a466-441e-9f78-078eb64824b5-1

Michigan

#1 Essence bestselling author K'Wan returns withThe Diamond Empire, the explosive, hard-hitting follow-up novel to the street love storyDiamonds and Pearl.

It's about to be an all-out war. While an ambitious rival has taken over Diamonds's crew, Diamonds lies in wait in exile, carefully planning his next move to comeback and reclaim his position as king of the streets of New York for good. But when an unexpected enemy from the past one-ups Diamonds and beats him at his own game, Diamonds needs to dig deep into his bag of tricks--and make an unlikely alliance--in order to climb back to the top.


After opening her heart to Diamonds and then having him disappear, Pearl lives her days in a very dark place. But when her father's empire is toppled and a gaping power vacuum needs to be filled, Pearl is drawn into the very life her father so desperately wanted to shield her from. Pearl needs to fight tooth and nail to become queen of her father's kingdom, as Diamonds claws his way back to Pearl.

The Diamond Empire

27e6bd94-d129-47bb-8a49-962c46dd945b-1

Iowa

Based on his bestselling Animal series comes Kwan’s highly anticipated prequel, Animal: The Beginning. What happens to the children that the world throws away? They become Animals. Tayshawn Torres is a child born in the slums and cursed by the sins of his parents. His mother is a notorious drug addict and whore, more concerned with getting her next high than she is with his well-being. His stepfather hates him so much, that he literally treats him like an animal. Tayshawn is forced to sleep in a cage and scavenge for scraps of food wherever he can find them. Because of his squalid appearance, he is also the object of ridicule by all of the neighborhood kids who have given the nickname, Animal. The only person to ever show him even the slightest bit of kindness is his older brother, Justice. Justice keeps him out of harm's way the best he can. However, when Justice is taken from his life, Tayshawn finds he is alone in the streets. With his guardian angel gone, he is now at the mercy of the world Justice tried to protect him from. Tayshawn quickly learns that if he is to survive the jungle, he will have to adapt. Love and companionship constantly elude Tayshawn, but death and heartache cling to him like a second skin. Gradually, the layers of the frightened child he had been are stripped away until there is nothing left of Tayshawn, and all that remains is, Animal.

Animal: the Beginning

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The explosive sequel to GANGSTA has finally arrived!

Blood answers for blood on the streets of Harlem. It's been months since Lou-loc was brutally murdered on his way to freedom and the pain is still fresh. Gutter, Lou-loc's best friend, finds himself on a path to self destruction, vowing to eradicate the entire Blood faction in New York City in the name of his fallen comrade. Sharell urges him to abandon the suicide mission, but his oath won't allow it. Not even for the child they are expecting. But as Gutter slips further into madness, a shocking revelation brings Satin out. In the middle of all this is a man named Major Blood. He has been flown in from Cali with two very simple instructions. Shut down Harlem Crip, and execute El Diablo's murderer. Walk back into the mouth of madness in the not-to-missed sequel to GANGSTA.

Gutter

2ba2e6a9-31b7-4982-9bde-eac3b8697f49-1

Louisiana

Against her better judgment, assassin Kahllah (a.k.a. the Black Lotus) is called upon to try to "eliminate" a mysterious band of thieves calling themselves the Ghost Squad.

Black Lotus 2: the Vow

ed304669-41ca-481e-a7dc-d58e6742dafc-0

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

Kansas

The sequel to Gangsta by K'wan #paperback #blackauthor #blacklit #gutter #gangsta #kwan #africanamerican 

Oklahoma

Pennsylvania

Forging a bargain with a rogue detective, an abused street youth and enforcer becomes one of the most dangerous men in the city, before a reunion with the woman he loves makes him question his violent choices.

1B0325 Street Dreams by K’wan Some wear and tear but the pages are in good condition

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

Florida

Street Dreams

Illinois

Beware of the company you keep.

K'wan's urban fiction coming-of-age novel, Promise Broken, is set in the gritty streets of Newark, New Jersey. The story follows seventeen-year-old Promise Mohammed as she attempts to uphold friendships and new relationships--even if they lead to her demise.

After Promise's mother dies in a tragic car accident, it leaves a void in Promise's life that she is yearning to fill. This titular novel finds Promise spiraling into a life of crime and drug affiliation by the company she chooses to keep.

Also coping with abandonment and a lifelong broken commitment from her biological father, Promise ultimately has two goals: to graduate from high school and to be loved. But can she find the love that she seeks from her aunt Dell, two best friends, Mouse and Keys, or drug-dealer Asher--the man who captivates her--despite the fact that each relationship will lead to life-altering events? Only time will tell.

Promise Broken

5a37619c-dc72-4efa-98bf-3712f77da3f9-1

Georgia

''K'wan does a masterful job of keeping readers on their toes right up to the very last page.'-Publishers Weekly Animal 4 Re-Issue featuring Bonus material. From the moment Animal's former lover Red Sonja showed up on his doorstep, he knew trouble wouldn't be far behind. It wasn't because the last time he'd seen her, he had been fleeing for his life from a strange island. Nor was it because of the little girl she had in tow, claiming Animal was the father. It was because women like Red Sonja carried trouble around with them like designer purses. He knew getting involved with Sonja again would come at a price, but he had no idea how steep the price would be until it was too late. With his wife gone and his children abducted by a ruthless drug cartel, Animal must lead a suicide mission into the lair of one of the most dangerous assassins in the world, a woman who calls herself Tiger Lily. To go against Tiger Lily and the cartel Animal would need an army, so the call to arms is put out and the streets readily answer. Leading a handful of loyal souls against seemingly insurmountable odds, Animal races against the clock to save his children and put a stop to Tiger Lily and the cartel's plans, while trying to stay one step ahead of the two detectives following the trail of bodies. Things take an unexpected turn when Animal learns a dark truth hidden beneath what he had been led to believe that changes everything, including who can be trusted. When the Grand Design his father had always spoken of is finally revealed Animal will be forced to make the hard choice between love, loyalty, and vengeance.

Animal 4. 5

7ed6c716-d331-4bdf-936a-cc66ea7d92b0-0

California

Excellent Condition

NYPD detective Andrew Jackson, known as 'Stone Wall' for his hard-nosed policing tactics, is the subject of an ongoing investigation by Internal Affairs. He's one bad decision away from losing his badge and possibly serving jail time when he's handed what could be the case to save his career: the Black Lotus killings. Bodies are popping up all over the city, and the only clues the police have to go on are the lotus flowers left behind at the scene of every crime and the tie that binds all the victims - they were all known criminals.

Black Lotus

b3f71d53-0126-4b84-8a65-2be0ff5cdd03-1

Maryland

A Hood Rat Novel

When three young friends, Porsha, Frankie and Sahara, decide to sublease an apartment from a mutual acquaintance, life becomes one big party for the girls. But the party comes to an abrupt end when they find out they've been fleeced for their money and an eviction notice is taped to their door. They have seventy-two hours to come up with the money or be tossed into the streets by the city marshals. Armed with various schemes, they set out to try and stop the eviction and find themselves caught in the crossfire of a bloody war between the Notorious Clark family and a new player in the game.

Meanwhile the police are still searching for the killer known only as The Animal, while his former lover Gucci tries to put the pieces of her life back together. When all is said and done, all parties involved will discover something about Animal and his abduction that no one was prepared for.

There goes the neighborhood, again!
One of Library Journal's Best Street Lit Books of 2011

Eviction Notice

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They say that good girls like bad boys, and this was especially true for Pearl Stone. A child born of privilege to a drug baron and reputed killer known in the streets as Big Stone. Although the flashy, fast-paced nature of the streets calls to Pearl, she's been brought up to look but not touch. But when a young hustler named Diamonds crawls up from the swamps of Louisiana and sets up shop in New York City, everything Pearl was taught flies out the window. Raised in the wild and schooled on the mean streets of New Orleans, Diamonds is no stranger to hard times and is willing to do whatever it takes to stay above the poverty line, including kill. When a robbery turned mass murder goes wrong, Diamonds is forced to flee New Orleans and lands in New York where he meets Pearl, and for the first time finds something he craves more than wealth and power...love. As the stakes get higher, Diamonds has to push away his past if he's to grab hold of his future--but by doing so, will he show Pearl that all that glitters isn't gold?

Diamonds and Pearl

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In the history of New York City’s underworld, there have been a host of criminal figures whose exploits have gone on to inspire. Their stories are told on street corners and in back alleys. One of them is Jonas Rafferty, known among friends and enemies alike as Wrath.

Jonas, the only boy in a family of four children, came into the world under less than favorable conditions, and he has always been a fighter. From the neighborhood bullies to the stepfather who uses him and his siblings as punching bags, his life has always been one battle after another. At night, he would lay awake and dream of rising above his circumstances, and when he crosses paths with rogue homicide detective Louis “Lou” Ceavers, he’s offered a bargain that will change the course of his life.

Detective Ceavers becomes like a guardian angel and surrogate father to Jonas, teaching him the game and guiding him in his quest for power. In a short time, Jonas goes from errand boy and street muscle to one of the most dangerous young men in the city, dubbed Wrath because of his violent exploits.

His dreams are finally becoming reality, and Wrath feels like he’s on his way to having everything he’s ever dreamed of, until Alex, his childhood crush, comes home on break from college and gives him a glimpse of the one thing he’s always craved more than money and power: love. Wrath begins to question himself and his decisions as he’s drawn further away from the world he’s created and deeper into the stable life he believes he could have with Alex. When Alex becomes pregnant, Wrath decides that being there for her and his unborn child are more important to him than power or money, but when he seeks to end his arrangement with the detective, he’s taught the final lesson in his education: no bargain comes without a price.

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K'wan

Passion for the Heist UNRELEASED UNTIL 8/2024

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Road Dawgz

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No Shade

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Passion for the Heist