Legacies: An Emerson James Novel (Volume 1), by JL Williams
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Legacies: An Emerson James Novel (Volume 1), by JL Williams
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Emerson James used to be a dangerous man, but you’d never know it. To everyone who knows him now, he is the distinguished Dr. James, respected professor, scholar, and lecturer. To accomplish this, he had to change his life completely. Thirteen years ago, after participating in unspeakable violence, Emerson left Chicago and never looked back, escaping into the world of academia. Since then, he has desperately avoided anything connected to his former existence. But he is about to learn that you can’t run from your past forever. When tragedy strikes, he is forced to return home, and, no matter how hard he tries, going unseen is not an option. As one of the infamous “James Boys,” a family name synonymous with one of Chicago’s most dangerous street gangs, people constantly seek to test him. Soon he discovers that the longer he stays, the more his life is in jeopardy—from enemies, old friends, his own family, and a new breed of street gangster who would love to make a name by taking him down. On top of that, there is someone waiting in the shadows—a patient killer seeking revenge who has just one question: How do I make them pay? As the bodies start piling up, Emerson begins to realize that a string of gruesome murders connect back to him. Now, whether he wants to or not, in order to discover who is killing the people he once knew, he must again embrace the violence he grew to abhor. And the more he looks into their deaths, the more he recognizes that a complex message is being laid out for him by a vicious killer who not only wants his attention, but his life.
Legacies: An Emerson James Novel (Volume 1), by JL Williams- Amazon Sales Rank: #4441383 in Books
- Published on: 2015-03-23
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.00" h x 1.28" w x 6.00" l, 1.64 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 510 pages
About the Author JL Williams is the author of Legacies. Like his character Emerson, he was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. JL has spent a life balancing the home he loves—one that is architecturally beautiful, vibrant, ethnically segregated, and historically violent—with the education his parents insisted he pursue. While he has spent his life inside the walls of academia, where he has published essays and academic texts, he considers himself—he seeks to become—a fiction writer. JL not only respects the genre and those who came before him—successful storytellers like Burke, Paretsky, George, Lee, Mosley, Conolly, Grafton, and Sandford—but he wants to extend the genre’s base, explore a different urban world, and give readers a look at the dark side of one of America’s largest cities. JL has lectured and presented papers throughout America and Europe on the topics of racism, violence, and religion in both American and British literature. Much of his writing explores the devastating effects of these social inequities on various ethnic groups. When not teaching and writing, JL takes pictures. His pics, like his writing, attempt to expose a specific kind of reality–a digital rendering that, with the proper lens, shows the underbelly of what has generally been considered unworthy of serious attention. His “shots” are gritty, and he seeks to record the forgotten, the abandoned, the ugly surfaces that most ignore. He currently lives in Manhattan, but he goes home to Chicago for extended visits frequently. The novel, which introduces the protagonist Emerson James, is the first in a series of books developed around the character. Legacies is JL’s first novel.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Thrilling and Engagin By Amazon Customer Legacies is an outstanding thriller, mystery, and psychological drama. One one level, it is the story of a rash of serial killings of current and former members of a Chicago street gang and the attempt to find and stop the killer and to uncover the reasons for the murders. The protagonist, Emerson James, is a former gang member who returns to Chicago after a ten year absence, to attend the funeral of his uncle. Emerson is a kind of de facto detective. He wants and needs to find out who’s responsible and why and he knows that he’s in the cross-hairs of both the killer and the police because of his once-prominent role in the gang. At the same time, Emerson wants no part of this or any other aspect of his former life.On another level, Legacies is a psychological portrait of a young Black man who finds a way to leave his personal legacy of the street life behind and his does this in a most original fashion. He gets a Ph.D. and becomes a professor of sociology, specializing in crime . We see much of the action through Emerson’s learned, and often, very funny lens. You can’t help but be charmed by him and to empathize with his psychological pain. He’s a man divided--by his past life of crime, his keen intelligence, and his desire to live the life of the mind, not just the body. Emerson’s life is coming undone, even before he returns to Chicago. He’s not gotten tenure and is at loose ends professionally.Emerson James is an altogether complex and fascinating character. He doesn’t really belong anywhere-certainly not in academia and also not in a world of drugs and violence. His inner voice of sanity comes from Richard Pryor, his “inner Richard” who counsels him about what to do, calls him names, and generally tries to anchor Emerson in reality. Emerson lives inside his head which is filled with contradictory values and deeply divided sensibilities. He’s a loner who wants connection and a fighter who wants to hide in the life of the mind. In his desire to stop the murders and heal his own scarred psyche, he continually trips himself up, and he is blind to the source of the danger that surrounds him.The characters speak in the authentic dialect of the streets which some readers may find off-putting. Most of the characters think only in the terms of a life on the streets-- their values and perspectives are genuine expressions of a life on the margins of the larger society. Along the way, we get a history of the rise of street gangs in Chicago which is, simultaneously a history of the rise of poverty in the face of on-going institutional racism.The central mystery of the book is the identity of the killer. And what a surprise that is. There are clues along the way but the reader’s blindness to them is mirrored by the other characters. There are two narrators--Emerson, who is trying to figure out what’s going on and another, third person, who doesn’t know more than is revealed through the action. And that’s what makes this a great mystery. A warning to readers is that the book contains graphic violence. However, the violence is not gratuitous. It creates a deep sense of menace, which is fitting, since the entire world of the novel is filled with danger.I was thoroughly engaged in Legacies from start to finish. It is a rich, exciting novel with wonderful characters. You can’t help but love Emerson’s niece, Yes, and be intrigued by Night who is dark and unknowable, yet powerful and honorable.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Action packed and great ending! By Tamara McAdoo So first let me say the book was loooong. Some areas were a bit slow but the author didn't skimp on the character development. Once the action started it was a great ride. The ending was WOW! If you enjoy a plot with action and suspense Legacies by JL Williams will not disappoint. Legacies is a suspenseful-thriller primarily set in Chicago. I lived in Chicago as a teen but I am a Texan through and through now. Nonetheless setting the story in Chicago was a great appeal. The characters came off the page and I felt like I was reading about people I knew growing up.We are introduced to the main character Emerson James whose world is on a drastic downward spiral. And things only get worse when he has to return to Chicago. I can’t imagine dreading going home especially to Chicago except maybe in the winter but I digress. What in the world happened to this guy that he doesn't want to go home or feels he shouldn't go home? Slowly the author teases us with who Emerson used to be and once we get the full picture… well to say anymore would be a spoiler. Chicago has always been known as a gangster’s city and JL Williams brings us up close and personal with a notorious albeit fictional gang with a stronghold on the city. If you don’t know how gangs operate and the how and why of what they do, the author gives us a front seat view.This book is violent. It surrounds gang activity duh! Also this is a murder mystery…a whodunit. So it isn’t gratuitous violence. There is a reason for everything. Every punch, side look and gunshot has an explanation. The ending was unexpected. I had a few guesses along the way some of which I hoped weren’t true. I was wrong at every turn. I definitely didn’t see “the who” coming.The language is pretty strong, but the central theme is gangs. Without the cursing, the dialogue wouldn't ring true. The author uses a dialect for some of the characters which just makes the story feel more realistic.I am happy I pressed through the somewhat slow chapters, it was definitely worth the read. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because of the length.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Goodbye Alex Cross....Hello Emerson James!! By Timothy Miller I read the book and, while I agree with what some people have said, there are several points I'd like to add:I agree, this book is long, but not the 700pages long that Amazon claims. For one thing, this novel is definitely not longer than The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which I think is great, but extremely over-written. If printed, I bet this book wouldn't be as long as Amazon claims. This novel is violent, but not on every page. Actually, if anything was done right, I think the spacing of this book's action is well done. I do agree that the descriptions of places and historical info does slow the pace of the book down, but every chapter becomes more intense, which makes reading the "stiffer" parts a good balance for the extreme violence and killing that follows. The depictions of Chicago are very wordy, and I get why it makes some people feel like it's too much. But Chicago is one of the greatest places ever, and it definitely deserves to be a character all its own (which JL says he wanted to do on his website).I like mysteries. Now, I did figure out who the killer was, but this book is definitely an old-school mystery thriller. I'm re-reading it now, and I appreciate the way the writer developed his plot more this read than I did the 1st time. I'm giving it 3 stars only because it does seem like too much for a first book, but I definitely think it's worth reading, especially if the series is going to continue. I would have given it 4 stars if the next book was currently available. I hate waiting!
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