Pretenses

Rating:
Summary: PRETENSES
Review: Do you like action, adventure, and romance all rolled into one? If so, PRETENSES is the book for you! Special Agent Perry Phoenix will grip your heart, as you follow her through a deadly tirade that the complex and psychopathic, Cocoa Nimburu,lays before her. Emotions run high as Special Agent Phoenix attempts to protect her family and bring justice and safety to the public.
PRETENSES is a well written, gripping thriller that everyone MUST read! Keith Lee Johnson is a talented author, that knows how to keep people turning the pages!

Rating:
Summary: A Mystery with class
Review: "Pretenses" has Special agent Phoenix Perry in search for a serial rapist who specializes in pursuing men, but there is also a assassin out there killing goverment officials and anyone who gets in the way. Coco Nimburu is a homicidal nymphomaniac who has a special treat for the men she kills.A master of disguise and skilled in martial arts, Coco plays cat and mouse with Phoenix and the FBI bureau.It then becomes personal for Phoenix who suffers a loss at the hands of Coco.
The big question is why? You will enjoy this novel filled with lots of corruption and "mystery" At the end you will be surprised at who the rapist is and why Coco is killing so many people. Well done Keith I like your writing style, looking forward to the online chat with you.

Rating:
Summary: Pretense
Review: A very good book, that is well written. The suspense and action in the plot, keeps you turning the page. The added twist is very surprising and gratifying. A very good book to read.

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Summary: Not just pretending to be good
Review: From the first pages of Pretenses, I was drawn into the story. I enjoyed the strength of the character Phoenix Perry, showing her as a topnotch law enforcement agent as well as a mother and wife was done with a smooth flair that I can see is Mr. Johnson prides as his forte. The plot of the story is intersting, despite the fact the identity of the killer is reveal early on. I found it to be out of the ordinary. You would think that this would be where the twist lied...in finding out the true identity of of the killer ...to which I thought was going to turn out to be like, related to the protagonist, Phoenix Perry or something like that.

The plot was very straight forward however, yet with subplots, such as the conflict between good and evi, the story is brought to full intensity. The dialog was a little dry for me however but it didn't take away from the story...and I have to realize they were law enforcement and therefore getting the `facts out' is often more important than snappy or impish dialog.

There were a couple of parts I was actually holding my breath on and wondering how Mr. Johnson was going to pull off the `get around' but he did it and whew...was I glad.

I highly recommend Pretenses for a club read. It didn't drag. --M.M.

Rating:
Summary: DEFINITELY A PAGE TURNER
Review: From the moment I started reading I couldn't put the book down. I enjoyed the Martial art techniques,the suspense,and of course the love scenes. There was just so much going on.

I really recommend this book to all mystery lovers outthere.

Rating:
Summary: LOVED EVERY PAGE!!
Review: I loved the book from beginning to the very end. It hit me from page one from the killings, to the loving relationships and kept my eyes open all night long till the end of the book. You have to read the Pretense first and then Sugar & Spice and trust me when I tell you that it is everything but Nice!! The twins will have your mind doing a "did I miss something" at the end and your going to want to go back to the beginning and try to see for yourself just what happen.

Rating:
Summary: Must Read
Review: I read Pretenses in two days. This books kept me going and I just had to know what was going to happen next. This book is a real page turner. I passed it on to my mother and she has now passed it on. Once you get this book everyone is going to want to read it. I can't wait to read Little Black Girl Lost. The preview is on Keith Lee Johnson's website. Once you read that you will be buying that book to.

Rating:
Summary: Move Aside James Patterson...
Review: Keith does an EXCELLENT job in creating a story so real so you taste the anticipation in the air. Pretenses is a gripping tale of an AA female FBI agent on the hunt for a very dangerous, and mysterious, serial killer. This book is a true page turner that will have you missing sleep to get to the end of the book. I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Pretenses
Review: Keith Lee Johnson's Pretenses is a gripping story. Full of short chapters, and twist and turns at every break. A hero in Phoenix Perry you'll root for. And, interestingly, a complex villain in Coco Nimburu that you'll like as well. KLJ is on his way to carving a niche in AF-AM contemporary thrillers. He'll be a household name if he continues to churn out these multi-layered, thinking man's gems. Kudos.

Rating:
Summary: Lightning-paced Thriller
Review: This prequel to SUGAR AND SPICE, which was released in 2003, is another fast-paced murder mystery that centers on FBI agent and martial arts expert Phoenix Perry. Reminiscent of the writing style of James Patterson, Keith Lee Johnson writes short chapters that are packed with excitement and intrigue. The characters are fully developed and sharply focused, the dialogue is crisp and believable, and the plot is projected with such lightning speed that it is difficult to close the book until the last page is turned. In PRETENSES, the author also reveals an infrequently explored aspect of African-American history that adds an unexpected element to the villain's evil motivation for setting loose a mysterious and powerful serial killer, who challenges Phoenix to the core of her intellect and fighting spirit, causing the agent to suspect a mole in the fabric of her law enforcement organization. The final showdown between Phoenix and her nemesis is chilling and thrill-packed, in spite of the advance knowledge of the outcome provided by a prior reading of SUGAR AND SPICE. In fact, the reading of both novels would have been enhanced if the author had released PRETENSES first, and it would be interesting to learn his rationale for releasing the thrillers in reverse order.