Laugh Now

by Rahiem Brooks

Reviewed by: QB Wells
December 2010

Credit can make or break a life. Bad credit can have you ostracized, unemployed, living in a closet forced to use an ironing board as a dining table or homeless. Good credit can get the Gucci suit, the luxury car, the loft in the artsy part of town, the finest mate on the arm . . . life.

In the debut novel by Raheim Brooks Laugh Now, Kareem Bezel learns early success needs credit and he puts his life on the line to achieve the finest materials a teenager can imagine. By mixing a multitude of white-collar crimes, a tight cocaine connect and a tremendous amount of wit, he makes enough money to live comfortable. In the process he unknowingly entices his younger brother, Andre to craft his own hustle.

Andre Bezel finds success hustling but slips up and pays a price. After ignoring his gut feelings and the advice of Kareem about the dealings with an associate, Andre’s thirst finds him under investigation and suspicion for murder. With the police on the their tails, the brothers concoct a plan to escape the charges of the investigation and reverse any and all ill will from the shady police involved.

A slim one hundred and fifty eight pages, Laugh Now should have been a quick read. However, the tiny font size and seventy-seven chapters made the task of reading much more difficult than it should have been. The depth of the plot and twists make the book entertaining.

Like most books that lack production but have a passionate narrative, at the end of the journey, the story is worth the time.

What did you like about the book?
I liked that the book because it mixed identity theft with street crime. White-collar crime is not a new topic in urban books but an interesting one.

What did you dislike about the book?
The interior design, the font or the micro chapter breaks.

What could the author do to improve the book?
Improve the book production and the pacing of the book.

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Rahiem Brooks :

Posted 450 days ago

Thanks Q.B. I am making a concerted effort to correct the interior design of the book, which in effect will change the page length. I am all over that, as that has been a consistent issue with reviewers. Thanks.

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