Chasing Destiny

April 3, 2006
Dickey's (Genevieve) latest melodrama rides with Los Angeles's rough-and-tumble motorcycle crowd and has his signature sultry prose and African-American cast, but presents a surprisingly harsh attitude toward female characters. Billie (aka Ducati), a beautiful and self-assured biker, finds herself between the rubber and the road when her unemployed lover, Keith, confesses he's returning to his wife, Carmen, for the sake of their daughter-right after Billie informs him she's pregnant with his child. Carmen, a shady lawyer, will stop at nothing to reconcile her marriage, offering Billie money to vamoose and even threatening her own daughter, 15-year-old Destiny. Destiny, however, has her own problems: angry at her parents for separating, she rebels by sneaking out with the wrong crowd. When she's drugged, robbed and raped, a humiliated Destiny decides to run away rather than face her parents. By midnovel, Carmen, Billie and Keith are, yes, chasing Destiny and deploying dirty tricks to get what they want. With an emphasis on vulgarity and violence, the book is lively, but disappointing: rather than showcase what brings women together, Dickey hyperbolizes what tears them apart, advancing a caricature of women as troubled souls who, when hurt, hurt others.

May 1, 2006
Billie is the ultimate unconventional woman, beautiful and smart and riding through the streets of Los Angeles on her yellow Ducati motorcycle. Problems arise when she falls for Keith, becomes pregnant, and then realizes that Keith -s -supposedly - soon-to-be ex-wife, Carmen, wants him back. Vowing to keep her family together at all costs, Carmen devises several devious plots to insure that Billie and her unborn baby stay permanently out of the picture. While everyone fights for his or her own interests, they all fail to notice the effect this insane love triangle is having on Keith and Carmen -s 15-year-old daughter, Destiny. Billie, Carmen, and Keith are forced to chase after Destiny as she runs into all the wrong people and places. Despite extremely long chapters, this latest novel from Dickey ("Genevieve") does not disappoint. A well-developed plot, interesting characters, and beautiful imagery of various neighborhoods of Los Angeles combine to make it an exciting read. Recommended for public libraries with contemporary African American collections. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 1/06.]" -Lisa Jones, Birmingham P.L., AL"

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