I am a super EJD fan! Like I must have read EVERY single book he has published. I’ve got some signed copies too and minor stalk him on Twitter now and then. So of course, I read his two latest books, Before Were Were Wicked and Bad Men and Wicked Women within a couple of days. Yes, this was during summer holidays. I found new and exciting ways to find a few hours to myself to get these books read.

The books follow on from each other so I’m reviewing them in one post. Once you buy them and read them for yourself, you’ll understand.

A review of Eric Jerome Dickey’s Before We Were Wicked

Out of the two stories, I think this was my favourite. This was a beast of a read but it was easy to get sucked in and read it in a couple of sittings. It would make a perfect vacation read, something you could sit on a beach and get stuck into. Before We Were Wicked follows the story of a young 20 something African American man called Ken Swift as he comes of age in the 1990s. Imagine VCR machines,  dial up internet and no smart phones.  Jimi Lee, an 18 year old Ethiopian beauty enters Ken’s life and in that moment, the rest of their lives will become intertwined for all eternity.

Forced to become adults, perhaps before either of them were really ready, Before We Were Wicked explores the complexities of relationships. It felt so real I could touch the scenes. Full of sensual, explosive, well-written tales of sex, fury and mixed emotions, it is a rollercoaster that many will remember from their own 20s. Two young adults from very differing cultures. They may both be black but they are as different as Venus and Mars. Their attempts to find common ground whilst finding themselves makes for a captivating read.

A pet hate of mine in both books is the use of the word Africa. Like Africa is one country. I think it takes away from just how immense the cultures, traditions etc differ from country to country. As much as this was spoken about within the book itself, I still found the use of a continent disturbing. But, it probably is in keeping with how African Americans would have seen things in the 90s. I think the current political and racial climate just makes me more sensitive to such things.

A review of Eric Jerome Dickey’s Bad Men and Wicked Women

Ken Swift is now in his 40s. He is still in the same apartment he’s lived in his entire adult life. Restless and feeling like he hasn’t accomplished the goals he set in his youth. Suddenly, his past does a very good job at colliding with his future. The results are both explosive and life-threatening. This book was grittier than the first. I loved the way you felt the growth in the characters, how experiences from their youth had helped shape them into the grown-ass men and women we meet in Bed Men and Wicked Women.

This book proves that blood is thicker than water. Even the absence of seeing your child for two decades will not dampen the love you have for someone who is for all purposes a stranger. It also doesn’t change the lengths you will go to in order to protect your family. In some ways, Ken Swift reminded me of Gideon, Eric Jerome Dickey’s book by the same name. (Gideon also appears in a couple other books but I’ll let you have the pleasure of finding out about that yourself). Gideon was also a troubled soul with a violent job who put family before all else.

As always, the amount of research that goes into the books is epic. You can tell Dickey has visited places. Shops, street junctions, the atmosphere is all described in a way that only first hand experience will allow you to write about it. I respect and appreciate that. I hope to be as well travelled as him one day!

I really enjoyed this book. I wish it were longer. There were a couple of scenes where I can imagine if it were made into a film, that the conversations would be cut short. I just don’t believe people would talk as much as some of the characters did whilst in the middle of life-threatening situations. But what do I know? I’ve never been next door to a dude who has holed up in his bedroom with a gun after ordering his security to kill me. Don’t worry, in the bigger scheme of things, that was such a tiny spoiler. Bad Men and Wicked Women is a book Eric Jerome Dickey should be proud of. I’m ready for the next one though. No rush. Autumn would be nice though.