Babytrick

The detroit im dyin Trilogy #3

by T.V. LoCicero

Camie at 14 is a wild Detroit street girl on the run from an abusive suburban home. In the underbelly parlance of Motown, she is a babytrick and ready to do anything to survive.
Ella is a beautiful black attorney and former cop, who finds herself accused of the murder of a wealthy businessman she used to date.

What do these two very different female protagonists have in common in this fast-moving noir tale? More than you might ever imagine.

When they meet through Mark, a Rolling Stone free-lancer in town to write about Coleman Young’s final term as Detroit’s first black mayor, all three become the target of vicious ghetto hit men. Ingeniously plotted and written with verve and dash, this dark urban crime thiller is the third in The detroit im dying Trilogy, and like the others, can be read as a standalone. It will keep you guessing until its final line.

260 pages, Paperback

First published August 20, 2015

About the author

T.V. LoCicero has been writing both fiction and non-fiction across five decades. Several of his books have been named Awesome Indies.



He's the author of the true crime books Murder in the Synagogue (Prentice-Hall), on the assassination of Rabbi Morris Adler, and Squelched: The Suppression of Murder in the Synagogue. His novels include the coming-of-age story Sicilian Quilt, the romance When A Pretty Woman Smiles, and the crime thrillers Babytrick, The Car Bomb and Admission of Guilt (The detroit im dyin Trilogy), and The Obsession and The Disappearance (the first two books in The Truth Beauty Trilogy). His collection of short fiction and non-fiction, Coming Up Short , includes stories and essays he has published in various periodicals, including Commentary, Ms. and The University Review, and in the hard-cover collections Best Magazine Articles, The Norton Reader and The Third Coast.

About what he calls his “checkered past,” LoCicero says:

“At one time or another I've found work as an industrial spy; a producer of concert videos for Rolling Stone's greatest singer of all time; one of the few male contributors to Gloria Steinem's Ms. Magazine; a writer of an appellate brief for those convicted in one of Detroit's most sensational drug trials; the author of a true crime book that garnered a bigger advance than a top ten best-selling American novel; a project coordinator/fundraiser for a humanities council; a small business owner; the writer/producer/director of numerous long-form documentaries; a golf course clerk; a college instructor who taught courses in advanced composition, music and poetry appreciation, introduction to philosophy, remedial English, and American Literature--all in the same term; a ghostwriter; a maker of corporate/industrial videos; a member of a highway surveying crew; a speechwriter for auto executives; a TV producer of live event specials; an editorial writer; the creator of 15-second corporate promos for the PBS series Nature; and a novelist.

“There is a sense in which that last occupation was the reason for all the others. Almost anyone who's ever tried to make ends meet as a novelist knows what I'm talking about.”

Reviews

[Susanne]

5 Stars. A Fabulous End to a Great Trilogy!

Camie is a Babytrick. You’ve heard of them, though I know you probably wouldn’t want to admit it, I know I don’t. Camie is a young, fourteen year-old prostitute, living on the streets of Detroit. She’s extremely resilient and wicked smart too. She was working at D-Vegas, also known as PP (I’ll leave that one to your imagination), but things got kind of hot there, if you know what I mean. She knows the streets and her clientele well and she can survive anything.

Ella is an ex-cop who is now an attorney for the City of Detroit. She stands accused of murdering her ex-boyfriend who was one of the wealthiest businessmen in Detroit. Talk about a bad situation. Thankfully, she has a lot of people on her side, including several people in high places, as well as her friend Charlie, the PI, who was on the force with her (and who we readers know from “Admission of Guilt”, the 2nd book in the “Detroit I’m Dying” series).

Mark is a Free-lance writer for Rolling Stone magazine. He’s in town looking for a story. There he meets good ‘ole Frank DeFauw, the ever popular Detroit TV Newscaster (who we readers know from “The Car Bomb”, and “Admission of Guilt” the 1st and 2nd books in the “Detroit I’m Dying” series). Frank introduces Mark to a lot of well-known people in town, including Ella (before her arrest). When driving around, Mark meets Camie. Her story intrigues him. And it is a story he wants to tell. As for Camie, people are looking for her. Bad people. At once, she realizes she can’t go it alone. Mark offers to help. When Camie divulges her past, it becomes evident that her story intertwines with Ella’s and he gets them together. But those bad guys? They don’t give up. And they aren’t just after Babytrick. Thereafter, Camie, Ella and Mark’s world is blown to bits.

Ella, however is no stranger to fighting, whether it be bad guys, or the system. She is a former cop, you know. And she has fought an upward battle since her days in the DPD, thus her fight to save Camie, Mark and herself is no different.

As for Camie, she has been fighting for her own life for years. She is far wiser and tougher than anyone her age should ever have to be. Even with people after her, she doesn’t panic. And when everything she has ever fought for is at stake, Camie doesn’t shy away from even the toughest of choices.

Mark provides Camie and Ella with calm strength. Though he hasn’t been in Detroit long, he knows how to work the system and he has connections. Camie and Ella need both.

Babytrick is a story of resilience. Detroit is a tough town and in it, Camie, the Babytrick, perseveres. This is a gritty novel that grabs you and pulls you in from the first paragraph. Though Camie’s story is not a nice one, you can't help but like and root for her. Somehow, through everything she has seen and gone through, this girl knows right from wrong. She is astounding.

T.V. LoCicero has a knack for writing extremely real characters. Not everything about Camie and Ella’s lives were beautiful and picture perfect, but that is what makes them so genuine. In writing his “Detroit I’m Dying” Trilogy, it was abundantly clear that he was writing about a city that he cares deeply about. While these novels were graphic and became even more so as the series went on, that is Detroit, unsugarcoated - and for me as a reader, it felt right that Mr. LoCicero didn’t shy away from that.

“Babytrick” is the last in the “Detroit I’m Dying” Trilogy and was a phenomenal end to the series. I was lucky enough to receive all three from the author, T.V. LoCicero. It is rare to receive copies of books direct from an author and have them all actually be first-rate, well written and stellar, to boot. In short, these books are compelling and gutsy.

I would recommend these books to anyone who is looking for a completely absorbing mystery/suspense.

Thanks again to T. V. LoCicero for providing me with copies of this incredible series.

Published on Goodreads and Amazon on 6.30.17.

[Matt]

First and foremost, thank you to T. V. LoCicero for providing me with a copy of this book, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Having thoroughly enjoyed the first two novels in the trilogy, it was a no-brainer to read the final instalment, full of some of the darkest writing that LoCicero has offered to date. Camie may only be fourteen, but she has lived the hard life. After being abused by her step-father, she fled to the rough streets of Detroit and was eventually sent to work in a vice den. A babytrick, the name given to underage prostitutes, Camie has come to learn that she wants out from under the thumb of a greedy set of thugs, free to earn money the only way she knows how. That being said, once they have you, those who control the sleazy underbelly of the city rarely want to let you go. Meanwhile, Gabriella ‘Ella’ Peek has made quite the name for herself. Rising through the ranks of the Detroit Police Department, Peek left after her list of enemies on the force exceeded those on the street. She earned a law degree and has returned to work for the city on a lucrative project to rejuvenate the City Airport. However, with an ailing father in the hospital, Peek takes some time to visit an old boyfriend, whom she finds dead in his pool. When the police arrive, she is the number one suspect, with ample motive to have killed Bruce Miller. What ties these two women together, Ella and Camie? One Mark Cremini, journalist for Rolling Stone, who has travelled from LA to discover the pulse of Detroit. He wants to write all about Peek and her amazing life story, as well as develop a piece on the youth working the inner city streets. Cremini is able to forge a strong relationship with both Peek and Camie, bringing them together as they are hunted by a corrupt gang of cops and thugs. The more Cremini learns, the deeper he finds himself in both their plights. With a murder charge looming for Peek and Camie’s life on the line as she hides, all three must work together to develop a team mentality before it’s too late. Surely the darkest and most impactful of the three novels, LoCicero entertains and educates the reader in equal measure. Perfect for those who are looking for a different type of crime novel that pushes all the grit to the surface.

All three of these novels have been a stunning look into early 1990s Detroit, presenting some of the struggles that seem to have pervaded the inner-city. LoCicero tackles prostitution, particularly underage girls, presenting some loose theories about how some girls might flock to the profession. With each novel, the central characters change, but the quality of their development remains at the highest caliber. LoCicero presents Camie Walsh as a precocious girl who is living the life she has apparently been dealt to her, but is also well-grounded in the life that she dream of living. Ella Peek has seen much in her life and has struggled in a city where race remains a ceiling when it comes to advancement. Mark Cremini is the new guy in town, somewhat wet behind the ears to Detroit living, but also coming with the preconceived notions of what awaits him. Peppering a wonderful cast and a minor role for Channel 5 news anchor Frank DeFauw, LoCicero locks down a cast of characters who will dazzle the narrative in their own ways. The story is, as mentioned before, the darkest of all three and also the most dense. It could be the subject matter, but there is also a sense that the reader really must become invested to take a significant amount away. This is not a bad thing in the least. The chapters are still short and to the point, allowing the reader to speed through the novel while still picking up much of interest. Using fairly ‘raw’ language and idioms, LoCicero gets his point across that these streets are not Candyland or some dreamy suburb community. While some may bemoan the cursing, I would point to the realism factor on offer by doing this, which LoCicero has surely done for a reason. The story comes to life with these amazing gems and the entire series comes highly recommended, for what it’s worth!

Kudos, Mr. LoCicero for a fabulous novel and stellar series. I appreciate having these novels come onto my radar at such a poignant time and I was pleased to devour and review them, in hopes that others will discover their quality.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[Mackey]

Babytrick is the third and final installment in the Detroit trilogy by T.V. LoCicero although all three can hold their own as stand Aline's.

Cami is a "babytrick," urban slang for a much underage prostitute on the streets. She becomes embroiled with very serious, very nasty gang who is also after an attorney and reporter whose characters I absolutely loved. Without revealing the storyline, I will say that this is excellent urban noir written perfectly. It is so rarely found in the US that I had to keep checking the locale - nope, definitely not a Nordic setting. If you like crime writing at its finest and Noir of any type then this is a book for you!

Many thanks to Mr. LoCicero for introducing me to his series! He's right - it was the perfect book for me. I hope you will enjoy it too.

[Gary]

This book is the third book in the trilogy by author TV LoCicero and my enjoyment of it was not spoilt by not reading the the previous two.
Camie is only 14 but lives her life as a prostitute in Detroit running away from one of the biggest brothels in the city. She is also on the run from two gunmen who are under orders to kill her kill her. She approaches a journalist named Mark, a journalist with Rolling Stone and Ella an attorney for help in fighting a a false murder charge.
I thought the book was a solid 3 star rating and the characters were very strong and believable.

I was asked by the author to read his novel and give a honest review.

[Tudor Vlad]

Babytrick follows the story of three characters. Camie, a 14 year old hooker with a dark past. Mark, a writer for Rolling Stone who comes to Detroit to follow a story, only to find that there is more to the city than meets the eye, stories that he'd be better off ignoring, which he doesn't. There's also Ella, a former cop that gets dragged without her will into a series of events that is going to affect all three of them.

Babytrick was hard to read as the first half of the book focused on presenting the depravity of the city and of the people that are molded by it. Seeing as one of the character is a 14 year old hooker, this book had some explicit scenes that weren't easy to digest. They weren't gratuitous, they were true to the reality that the book was depicting while also helping with the characterization.

Despite being a dark book, the dynamic between Camie, Mark and Ella made for some hilarious and heartwarming scenes that helped alleviate some of the sadness this book was causing me.

Just as with "Admission of Guilt" it's the first part that is the hardest to get through, as it presents a pretty pessimistic worldview. Once the characters' paths intersect, the rythm of the book changes completely and it becomes impossible to put down. The stark difference between the first and second half of this book makes the story extremely unpredictable, which kept me on the edge until the very last page.

My sincere thanks to the author for offering me this copy of the book.

[Petra]

This is the last book in the "detroit i'm dyin"-trilogy, but the first one I've read. However, I don't think that mattered as this worked fine as a standalone, complete novel.
In Detroit to find a story, journalist Mark meets 14-year-old Camie who was forced to turn to prostitution after escaping an abusive home. When Mark becomes involved with Ella, an attorney accused of committing a murder, the lives and stories of these three characters cross.
T.V. LoCicero paints a desolate picture of Detroit in this fast-paced crime noir story. Prostitution, corruption, bent cops, seriously sick and violent criminals. Characters are believable and some, such as Mark, Ella and Charlie, a friend of Ella's, are also very likeable. It took me two or three chapters to get into this while characters and background were introduced and I was trying to work out how the different scenarios fitted together. While I thought the author did a fantastic job with the dialogue, which seemed very authentic, there was some pretty explicit stuff that may not be for everyone. Once Mark's, Ella's and Camie's plot lines merged, it became a gripping, action-packed story.
My thanks to T.V. LoCicero for sending me a digital copy for review purposes. I will now go back and re-start with the first book in the series.

[Michelle]

"Buckman, whose arm she was on, called her Camie, but to everyone else she was BT. They all knew that BT stood for something she was not supposed to be- a babytrick- since anything under 16 was officially not allowed in the PP. But nobody here here really seemed to give a sh**, and the younger you looked, the more of a dick magnet you seemed to be.".......

Several story lines come together in this third book of the "detroit im dying" trilogy. Camie, a 14 year old hooker, trying to escape the current confines of her life. Mark, a free lance writer for Rolling Stone magazine, finds several interesting stories he's looking into. Camie being one, the current mayor's last term in office, and some shady characters weaved in and around these characters. Then there is Ella, a former cop, whose life is about to get ugly and complicated.

A dark, sad story involving life on the streets of a hard town. Your chances of ending up dead seem to be pretty even odds. While a series, a definite stand alone. Death, violence, prostitution, and child exploitation. Will Camie make it out? Will Mark get a story or several? Will Ella be in so far over her head that she can't be saved?

I enjoyed this dark disturbing tale, more than I expected. Unusual, but probably running along the lines of the truth of life on the dark side, and on the streets. Can this kind of a story have a happily ever after? You'll have to read it and find out.

Thank you T.V. LoCicero.

[Joyce]

4 and 1 / 2 stars

Joan “Camie” Walsh at 14 years old is living on the streets making a living as a prostitute. She escaped an abusive home.

This book is very realistic and gritty. It tells the tragic story of a young girl alone and friendless (essentially) on the streets of Detroit. It speaks of her hardships and daily trials of such a life. Escaping from one bad situation to another, Camie is on the run from killers and other assorted n’er-do wells. She meets Mark who is a reporter and Gabriella who is an attorney who aid her along the way. What stunned me about this book was that we all know that this kind of thing goes on – children living on the street and supporting themselves by prostitution – but for the most part we don’t “see” it.


This is a very well written and plotted novel. You are literally there living on the street with a young girl who is gritty and smart beyond her years. The suspense builds slowly and continues throughout the book. I agree with another reviewer who said this would make a great movie! Hats off to Mr. LoCicero for writing such a fine book. I want to personally thank the author for forwarding to me a copy of this great novel to read.

[Robert Blumenthal]

This is a wonderful conclusion to the author's excellent trilogy in Detroit in the early 1990s. This one involves Camie, a 14-year-old prostitute working for some seedy characters in a house of very ill repute. She sees a "surprise" visitor one day and feels the need to leave the premises. Through chance she meets up with Mark, a reporter for Rolling Stone who is there to do a piece on Coleman Young, the Black mayor of Detroit.

Added to the mix is Ella, a beautiful Black attorney who works for the city of Detroit and is associated with Camie in a particular way, though they don't know it at first. Finally there is Charlie Watts, the private investigator from book 2 of the series, who used to work with Ella. I don't want to give too much away, but let's just say that Ella needs to deal with a "situation" and Mark, Camie and Charlie all come to her aid. Added to all this are some really bad guys named the Steels, ruthless pornographers and killers. They are tasked with finding Camie and other girls who choose to leave the prostitution business and take care of business, so to speak.

The plotting is intricate and very involving. The characters are very well delineated and the reader really comes to feel for some and hate others. There is also urban corruption to the max here, involving bribery, pay offs, drug dealing, and profiteering. Detroit has had its problems. I was shocked at the state of the city when I was there on business in the late 1990s. I asked a friend from Ann Arbor if Detroit was as bad as it seems. Her answer, "It's worse." This trilogy exposes the worst of Detroit and the problems that it has been having. And yet, there is a very uplifting quality to it as well.

[Marco Morissette]

A very good ending for this trilogy! I personally found some length in this third book but the author used well his characters and know how to keep us reading! Thanks to the author for sharing his talent with us!

[Sue]

My favorite of all his books so far. I want to have pizza with Mark, Ella and Camie. They are three very different, not perfect people, that have you liking them as soon as you meet them. A reminder of the ugliness out there, but also of the truly good people too. I very much enjoyed it.

[Justkeepreading]

Thank you for contacting me about reading your book for an honest review. I thought that it was well written and intriguing.

Camie is 14 and is a street girl of Detroit. On the run from an abusive home life. Your heart can't help but go out to her and want to take her under your wing and offer her protection. Camie however is a strong person and is willing to do anything in order to survive.

Ella an attorney and ex cop finds herself accused of murder of a wealthy businessman whom she used to date.

Big into the mix mark who is a freelance writer who brings the two ladies together in order to write a book about the last term of detroits first black mayor. But they are all thrown into danger when they are targeted by hit men.

It is a very dark and chilling thriller that although is part of a trilogy can be read as a standalone book. If you a fan of true crime then don't miss out on this book.

[Bookread2day]

Wow I didn't realise that T.V. LoCicero has written two true crime book and six other fiction novels, seven including Babytricks. Plus for ebook readers eight of his shorter works are now available as ebooks. Babytricks is a page turner about a young fourteen year old Camie who has run from an abusive suburban home to Motown's mean and dirty streets.

[Philip Bailey]

Book 3 of this trilogy and I would be hard put to say which was my favorite. 3-way tie best I can say. The theme of this story is one many people know of and most people ignore. Not an issue I know firsthand about but have read other nonfiction accounts and they jive with this story. Young girls prostituting themselves to survive. It’s a real situation and shameful that any parent would neglect their child or any other child to allow this. But it goes along with the other stories in this trilogy. Well researched, a fictionalized account based on reality. Portrayed as a thriller/mystery/crime story, but the tale of a city in decay, the corrupt and the greedy preying on a downtrodden population. Some characters from the previous two books appear and some new ones enter. This is based in Detroit but it could easily be any city. Each book in this trilogy could standalone but reading in order adds a little to the stories. This could be a lesson for the future or maybe someday a look at a sad past. Please do not overlook these three books for a look at the lives of those less fortunate in city gone dim.

[Dawn Clifford]

This book would make a great film. It's certainly full of action. We meet Camie who, after being abused, is a prostitute at 14 years of age, working the streets and has people after her.
Ella who used to be a cop but is now an attorney, finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and is accused of murder, and there's Mark who's a journalist trying to write a piece for the newspaper.
As their paths cross along the way not only do they become friends but they help each other out in many ways.
I received a copy of this book via the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

[Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read]

Babytrick is a deeply disturbing tale. The whole idea of a 14-year-old prostitute just makes my mind scream, "NO!" I understand that it happens, but that doesn't make it any easier to see. LoCicero pulls the reader into this dark world and doesn't let go. The book starts with what appears to be separate stories, but when it all came together, I was hooked. It's gripping, gritty, and dark, with characters and dialogue that draw a reader in.

[Doug Branscombe]

3rd in the Trilogy, probably my favorite of the three. This time we look at the plight of Detroit in the early 90's through the eyes of a 14 year old working the streets and a Rolling Stone magazine writer who's come to the city to write about it's troubles. The two meet up and form a bond and provide a unique perspective on some of the city's seedier less favorable sides.

[Abchap]

I usually dont like to read series and I was reluctant to start with the last of the trilogy but this book Babytrick is a stand alone book !
I was impressed with the impeccable detailed writing, harsh at times but in line with the subject and context of the situattions.

Babytrick tells the poignant story of a 14y old girl whose dire circumstances of abuse have forced to survive on the streets of Detroit.
Off course she gets dragged into the sex slavery that is often the sad reality of survival for street children. Mark is a free-lance writer looking for a juicy story.
Their life will collide and change for the better, in a world of abuse and corruption.

I loved how the author did not make the reader feel sorry for any of the characters but instead developed them in ways that makes the reader pull for one or the other. This everyday-around-the-corner-in-every-city story is not a sap analysis but simply a well researched statement of what is.
The story wraps up all the sides in an uplifting but reasonable way. Justice is served within the law.

You will not walk away from this book. It will make you think. I highly recommend it.

I am very thankful to have received this book in exchange for a *honest review*

[Donald Kirby]

The books in this trilogy can stand alone, but as I. complete the final book there are key characters from the other two. As I said in my previous reviews of the first two books. They deal with true topics in a fictional way. The final topic and this one however, is very difficult to read through. I recommend that you prepare yourself for this one. With all this said, BabyTrick was written very well. T. V. Lo Cicero is a brilliant writer he knows how to get in the mind of his characters, each and every one. This trilogy is not meant for everyone, but I do say that it was a nice way to end it. I took A day break from my current reading to have my Amazon echo read the book to me. I'm glad I did. :-) T. V. I look forward to more of your books. I really appreciate you reaching out to me.

[Marcie Wegner]

Although this is the third book in a trilogy, it reads just fine as a stand alone. The characters are quite interesting and well developed and the story line well thought out. This is the first book I have read by T.V. LoCicero and it won't be my last.

[Maggie]

It took me quite a while to get into this one but eventually I got involved with the characters and was swept away in the fast paced action. Often a disturbing read but an absorbing one.

[Mark]

T.V. LoCicero uses Detroit, in its decay, as a metaphor for the social decay that inevitably follows in the wake of deindustrialization and the withdrawal of economic opportunity. In this, the second of his novels I've read (and the third in his trilogy of novels about the decline of this once mighty city), the decay and corruption in Detroit reaches into the mayor's office and the police department, making both putative guarantors of civic order culpable in civic decadence--and decadence doesn't come more richly represented than in the child prostitution the book's title indicates. I read this in once compulsive gulp, as I do the best crime novels. Mr. LoCicero is a compellingly natural stylist in this genre. Highly recommended.

[Tiger]

3rd book in Lo Cicero's hard hitting trilogy set in 1990's Detroit was just as good as the first 2. Camie is a 14 year old prostitute. Ella is a former cop turned lawyer accused of murdering her former lover. Mark is a journalist for Rolling Stone who is in town to cover a story. The magic of Lo Cicero's writing (again) is how vivid and believable he makes these characters as their paths cross against the backdrop of crime and drug riddled Detroit of the 90's.

[Rosemary Standeven]

It was just impossible to leave this last book in the trilogy unread – so I began it straight after reviewing book 2. Once again, this is a very faced paced book, full of action and unforgettable characters that you cannot put down until the last page is devoured. Detroit is still a nasty place in which to be a child, but there are some really tender moments in this book – flashes of genuine friendship and humanity.
The main character is Camie/Blue/Red/Joan – an abused minor turned child-prostitute – the “Babytrick” of the title. From the age of 12 her life has been hell, but she found ways to cope. Now suddenly her “safe” place is anything but safe, and she is forced back on the streets. Mark Cremini is a journalist seeking to understand Detroit’s sordid underbelly, and maybe get some dirt on the mayor for an exposé story. While interviewing street kids, he comes across Camie, and then the beautiful lawyer, Ella. Soon all three of their lives are spinning out of control and into ever present danger courtesy of the murderous Steel brothers. Corruption is rife in the police force and in the Town Hall, so it is unclear who they can trust – or even if they can trust each other.
Camie is a wonderful character – intelligent and loving – but hardened and suspicious due to her horrendous life experiences. You cannot fail to take her to your heart, and really hope that – against all the odds – she will one day get the life she deserves. And that her abusers get what they deserve.
As with the last two books in this trilogy, there are some deeply unpleasant scenes, and the good guys do not always stay on the right side of the law. But, would you do much different in their shoes?
These are all fantastically exciting books to read – not so much to enjoy – but rather to make you consider lives outside your own experiences, and to thank the heavens that you can just read about them.
My thanks to the author from whom I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Charles Ray]

Mark Cremeni, a journalist, is in Detroit to do a story for Rolling Stone about the Motor City. His planned profile on the city and its mayor takes a sharp turn when he meets Camie, a 14-year-old prostitute running away from one of the city’s biggest brothels, and Gabriella, an ex-cop who is now an attorney for the city who has concerns about a major development project that might have some shady undertones.
The two women’s lives cross at the intersection of Detroit’s mean streets and the smoke-filled backrooms of the corrupt power elites, with Camie being pursued by two ruthless gunmen who work for her abusive step-father, and Gabriella fighting off a bogus murder charge. It’s left to Mark, the outsider, to see the relationship between the two situations and somehow save them both—hard to do when people are shooting at you.
Babytrick by T. V. LoCicero is noir fiction a la Mickey Spillane, complete with smoking hot dames, damsels in distress, hard-case crooks, and shootouts—it even has a hard-bitten, do-anything-to-save-a-client PI, although he’s not the main character, which elevates this into a category all its own. LoCicero has an ear for the way people at different social strata talk, and a keen eye for describing just enough detail to enable you to see the action, hear the action, and smell the action.
When you meet the characters in Babytrick, you’ll love them, or you’ll hate them; the one thing you won’t do is forget them.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

[Evelyn]

Fourteen year-old Camie's life is in shambles--her mom is gone, and she's left her abusive stepfather only to be turning tricks on the mean streets of Detroit. Camie meets Mark, an investigative reporter from Rolling Stone who wants to tell her story and Ella, an attorney and former cop who has been accused of murdering Camie's stepfather. Together, these three unlikely conspirators hatch a plan to take on Detroit's dark side.

Although the first couple chapters started out a little slow for me, this story quickly got my interest. The three main characters were strong and likable. The language was a little rough sometimes, but hey, it fit the characters and situations. This probably wasn't a book I would have picked up without encouragement, but I'm glad I was given the chance to read it and will watch for more from this author. Although it was book 3 of a trilogy, it worked fine as a standalone.

I was given a copy of Babytrick in exchange for an honest review.

[Peter Sidell]

I've now read the third book of the Detroit is doing trilogy. Each new volume moves back in time. To me this third and so far final volume was the richest. While the subject, child prostitution is somewhat offputting, it is well handled in my view.
The characters are the richest of the trilogy. The bad guys were easy to hate and it was interesting getting to know the good guys.
I am left wondering where the author gets his material, how much may have been drawn from actual personal experiences. I am sure the daily news in Detroit is filled with many characters as well. Carl Hiaasen draws his characters and their numerous misadventures from the daily news of Miami. Detroit is surely a rich trove as well.
Once or twice my credibility was strained, particularly with regard to some of the action being taken by the female attorney who is a core character. In the end it works well and who knows, truth is stranger than fiction.

[Cynthia Fischer]

Thank you to the author for the free book. T. V. Lo Cicero is a new author for me. In his book, Babytrick, he writes the story of three characters that quickly engaged me. I really cared about all three: Gabriella, cop-turned-attorney, Mark, the Rolling Stone writer, and Cami, the 14 year prostitute. Cami is strong young teen who has had a bad life. Gabrielle, is a lawyer, who is accused of murder. Mark is investigating a story and stumbles on Cami. He is kind and caring, as is Gabrielle, who he meets at an upscale party. I liked the fast ride -- it moved quickly. The pimps (brothers) were also interesting. I did find a few things a bit unbelievable. Would Cami give up evidence so easily? But I loved the ending. I will definitely read the first two in this series, and more of his books.

[Carol]

Mark (reporter), Camie ( prostitute) and Gabriella (ex cop turned attorney) are all brought together
by circumstance. They join forces to keep Camie safe and prove Gabriella innocent of murder.
The story was kept emotionally charged with Camie having gone through so much in her 14 years, and
the sympathy and kindness shown by Mark and Gabriella.
There was a lot going on here, child abuse, corruption, murder, and prostitution along with the investigating and leads. The action and suspense kept the adrenaline pumping during the whole read.
The characters were well developed complete with flaws and they were realistically portrayed.
I found this to be a great story that I enjoyed to the end.

[Hazelj jones]

This book kept me reading more every chance i had free time to do so !
This book has everything from murders to young girls turning tricks to survive .
Then enters a newspaper reporter who cares enough to listen to their stories and a attorney whose goal is not only to help ,but to do something about the guys exploiting the girls .
A lot of twists and turns in a great read ,It all comes out good by the end of the story .Check this book out !Its a great read by a superb author!
I received this book as a giveaway on the Good Reads website by the Author !!!