SOLOMON JONES is the Essence bestselling author of the critically acclaimed novels Payback, C.R.E.A.M., The Bridge, Ride or Die, and Pipe Dream, and the short story collection Keeping Up With The Jones. He is a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News, and a spoken-word artist whose debut CD is titled Wisdom. Jones teaches creative writing at Temple University. He lives in Philadelphia with his family, and is currently at work on his next novel. Author’s Website: www.solomonjones.com Author Q&A 1. What do you like to do in your free time? I like to spend as much of my free time as possible with my family. I like to plan romantic getaways with my wife and pretend that we’re single. I like to take my kids to the store, to amusement parks, or to the mall to ride on those little corny rides. When the spirit hits me, I like to run along the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. And on Sundays during football season, I love to watch the Philadelphia Eagles. I am a lifelong fan. 2. What kind of music . . .

Karima “Cream” Thomas is an ex-convict from an upper-crust family whose only crime was falling for a drug dealer and refusing to testify against him. Sexy, intelligent, street-smart, and determined to change after serving time in the municipal prison system, Karima returns to find that her ex, Duane Faison, wants her back. And for one passion-filled night, she considers it. But with dawn comes common sense and the realization that she must make a clean break from her past. To do that, she’ll need something she’s never had to ask for-help. And she knows only one person with the power to give it. Marilyn Johnson has fought to make it in the rough-and-tumble world of Philadelphia politics. After ten years on the City Council, she’s finally made it to the president’s seat, but she’s had to forge some questionable alliances to make it there, including her long-running affair with the married mayor. When Karima asks for help in finding a job, Marilyn is caught off guard. Her niece’s criminal record is one of the many secrets she has hidden from . . .

Karima “C.R.E.A.M.” Thomas, who has been held as an accomplice in the murders of two drug dealers, is acquitted based on the deahbed confession of her lover, Duane Faison. But triumph soon turns to tragedy when Karima’s mother is found dead of an apparent suicide. Karima refuses to believe that things are as they seem. She thinks that her mother was murdered, and when the police won’t listen, she takes matters into her own hands. She soon finds that her mother’s death is just the first indication of a scandal that could rock the very halls of power. Captain Kevin Lynch joins Karima in the search for the truth, despite his family and career on the line. St. Martin’s Griffin, October 2010 ISBN: 978-0-312-61216-0, ISBN10: 0-312-61216-8, 5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches, 256 pages Excerpt: Fluorescent lights shone against Karima Thomas’s face as spectators in the crowded courtroom craned their necks to get a glimpse of her. She was accustomed to such stares. Her cocoa- colored skin, absent of makeup except for a simple lip gloss, was flawless. Her nails were painted . . .