Blair Underwood is a lot of things: actor, producer, director, giver of all types of fineness, but he also has a title you might not be so familiar with. From Cape Town With Love is Underwood’s third go-round as co-author in a mystery series that chronicles the life of Tennyson Hardwick, a gorgeous actor turned private detective whose life is full of sex, guns and danger. Husband and wife team Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes, both award-winning authors, have co-penned all of the Tennyson Hardwick books.
The new novel opens with Hardwick as a tragic romantic hero flying halfway around the world to South Africa to make amends with an ex-girlfriend even though he still bears the bruises and cuts from his latest adventure. The reader is immediately taken in by the casual first-person narrative style. It’s easy to hear Underwood’s distinctive baritone voice spinning this tale and the numerous sex scenes offer a whole new level of reader enjoyment with Underwood.
While in South Africa, Hardwick who is an actor turned male escort turned private package (Is that redundant?), begins to work as a bodyguard for A-list movie star Sofia Maitlin as she adopts a baby from a local orphanage. Things go left back in the States when the baby is kidnapped at a birthday party. That event triggers page-turning scenes of martial arts, gun play, special ops maneuvers and undercover missions. Hardwick is never sure who’s really on his side including a his new lover who seems to know as many bedroom tricks as he does.
Sex is a pulsing constant through out From Cape Town With Love. The sex scenes are intense and passionate as might be expected when dealing with a former gigolo. He knows his way around a woman’s curves and he’s well aware of what he brings to the table At one point during an intimate scene, Tennyson Hardwick tells the reader that his nickname isn’t Ten just for brevity’s sake. Got that? Just as the reader easily hears Underwood’s voice as the narrator, Underwood’s striking physical presence is easy to conjure up for the steamy parts of the book.
Hardly shying away from that connection, Underwood is prominently featured on the book cover and the book has an accompanying vook. A vook is basically an e-book that features some parts as acted out sequences instead of text. The vook for From Cape Town With Love has Blair Underwood in the lead role. The intention is for vooks to be a hybrid media experience that also includes a social networking platform. Perhaps a Hardwick film on the big screen is the next step.
The future of vooks has yet to be written, but for sure From Cape Town With Love is a Hot, fast-paced thriller that any mystery novel enthusiast would love. Due and Barnes work beautifully as a team and they provide the story with convincing dialogue, sumptuous details and surprising, but believable plot twists.
Madames, get that cold shower going before you start reading this. You’ll need it.
