Urban Fiction Annotation: Murder Mamas

 
Author: Ashley & JaQuavis
Title: Murder Mamas
Genre: Urban Fiction
Publication Date: October 2011
Number of Pages: 236
Geographical Setting: California, Barbados
Time Period: 2000’s
Series: Makes occasional references to the Cartel Series, by the same authors. Not officially part of the series, however.
3 terms that best describe this book: violent, gritty, fast pacing
Subject Headings: Organized Crime, Assassins, Families, Extortion



 

Plot Summary: Aries thinks she’s in the clear, free from her old life, when she returns to Los Angeles one last time to see her fellow Murder Mama executed in prison. Robyn’s death leaves Aries as the last surviving Murder Mama - a group of women who made their business as assassins for hire in LA - and she’s more than ready to return to her family in Barbados. Unfortunately, she’s been followed back home by Case, the man who hired the Murder Mamas for the last time, five years ago, when everything went wrong. Case finds Aries because she ran off with the money meant to pay for a job that Case wanted completed. He’s got a new job for Aries, and it’s more high profile than she’d like.

Appeal: 

Language: “Is often narrated in a straightforward tone that reflects casual spoken language” (Honig, 2011, p. x). This is true for this novel, and there is abundant usage of street slang, non-standard grammar, and cursing. The novel is narrated in third person, making it easier for the narrator to switch between characters.  

Authenticity: “Many street lit authors write directly from personal experience” (p. xi). Ashley and JaQuavis were disccused in one of the articles we read this week (https://www.ft.com/content/08785ece-86ee-11e5-9f8c-a8d619fa707c), and, indeed, add a personal touch to their stories, lending them authenticity.  

External Action: “The vast majority of action in street novels is external, happening between characters rather than within one characters mind” (p. xi). While there is internal monologue for some of the characters, most of the action is external: characters killing one another, threatening one another, having sex with one another, etc.  

Matter of Fact Treatment of Sex, Drugs, and Violence: “sexuality, drug use, drug dealing, and street violence are part of the landscape of street lit” (p. xi). All of these feature prominently, especially the violence.  

Pragmatism: “tells stories of characters making choices based on getting their basic needs met” (p. xi). Aries left the streets and only returns to them after she is tracked down by Case, and only works with him to ensure the safety of her family. She isn’t concerned whether what she’s doing is right or wrong, she’s concerned for her family.

Similar Authors and Works:

Mafia Princess by Deja King: Chosen for its violence and gritty writing style, though the setting is New York instead of LA, and there’s more focus placed on drug dealing than murdering.

A Hustler’s Wife by Nikki Turner: Chosen for its high drama and gritty writing style. Also focuses more on drug dealing and prison sentences than Murder Mamas.

Never Die Alone by Donald Goines: Chosen for its focus on revenge, this novel follows David as he rises to the top of the streets.

My Take: Urban fiction is a genre I've not read before but have had an interest in, which is why I chose it as one of my annotations. I was intrigued by this book, and might look into the Cartel series by the same authors after the semester is over. There was so much happening it was a difficult novel to put down for any length of time. The only thing I didn't like as much were the transitions between perspectives: there wouldn't be a break in the text, the next paragraph would just go to another character's thoughts or actions, and it took some getting used to. I will say that I read the ebook version of this, so it might have been formatted oddly and the transitions might be there for a physical book. A lot of the urban fiction titles were checked out at my library, and it was easier to find a title electronically.


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Honig, Megan. (2011). Introduction. In Urban Grit: A guide to street lit. Santa Barbara: Libraries Unlimited.