DAKOTA GRAND

This sophomore effort by Jasper, a music journalist, is an unsettling novel with a ripped-from-the-headlines plot. Dakota Grand is a New York City music writer seeking fame and fortune by chronicling the unruly antics of rappers, hip-hop promoters and music industry hangers-on. As he soon discovers, the life of a scribe in "the business" involves more than just scoring backstage passes, attending listening parties and rehashing press releases: double-dealing, deception and danger are part of the job description. When Dakota lands a prized interview with Mirage, half of his favorite rap duo, Arbor Day, he senses a chance to turn the twosome's tumultuous story into an article that will make him the envy of the other hustling music writers. His plan backfires when the spliff-smoking entertainer decides the published piece is not to his liking and assaults Grand. Jasper, a veteran observer of the hip-hop scene, has an unfailing ability to recreate its glitzy locales, hip dialogue, slick characters and heart-pounding excitement. After the beating, a battered Grand rejects a bribe from the rapper's lawyer, and vows to get revenge on Mirage. An interview with a big city reporter, which Grand thinks will even the score, backfires when his words are twisted and his life and career are put in jeopardy. What happens when a writer becomes a part of the story? What happens when he loses his moral compass and becomes the evil he is writing about? Jasper addresses these questions in a blood-drenched conclusion that seems to mimic the macho lyrics of a gangsta rap rant. Despite an occasional misstep, this is an impressive second novel loaded with strong characterizations and telling insights into hip-hop culture. (Oct. 1.)