Forty Acres: A Thriller

Written by Dwayne Alexander Smith

Narrated by Andre Blake

“A thriller in a class by itself—brilliant and scary!” —Terry McMillan

Read the page-turning, provocative thriller that will forever change the way you think about slavery and its legacy in today’s America.

Martin Grey, a smart, talented black lawyer working out of a storefront in Queens, becomes friendly with a group of some of the most powerful, wealthy, and esteemed black men in America. He’s dazzled by what they’ve accomplished, and they seem to think he has the potential to be as successful as they are. They invite him for a weekend away from it all—no wives, no cell phones, no talk of business. But far from home and cut off from everyone he loves, he discovers a disturbing secret that challenges some of his deepest convictions…

Martin finds out that his glittering new friends are part of a secret society dedicated to the preservation of the institution of slavery—but this time around, the black men are called “Master.” Joining them seems to guarantee a future without limits; rebuking them almost certainly guarantees his death. Trapped inside a picture-perfect, make-believe world that is home to a frightening reality, Martin must find a way out that will allow him to stay alive without becoming the very thing he hates.

A novel of rage and compassion, good and evil, trust and betrayal, Forty Acres is the thought-provoking story of one man’s desperate attempt to escape the clutches of a terrifying new moral order.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Jul 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781442373686

Dwayne Alexander Smith

Dwayne Alexander Smith is a screenwriter and author of Forty Acres, winner of the NAACP Image Award for Literary Work by a Debut Author. Follow him on Twitter @WrittenBySmith.

Reviews for Forty Acres

[Jovon Buchanan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Great concept. That's it. To the reviewer that wrote coon, yup. This book annoyed me and I was so ready for it to be over. It could hadn't been great but it wasn't.

[Jacques Stewart · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Coon coon coon cooon cooon cooon cooon cooon cooon cooon cooon

[QuaTesha Ratliff · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was interesting. Definitely gives Get Out vibes!! I have to go process this!

[Sunny Okoye · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This book was very predictable which I don’t enjoy in a thriller. Very unrealistic. Almost all the characters have the strange ability to decipher what the other is thinking from one look. I didn’t enjoy the book, it was a waste of time. I considered quitting it early on and I should have because it did not get better. Not a fan of the narration either. The premise is interesting but the execution is poor.

[Tamara Lyons · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Suspense and good. Enjoyed reading this Happy Black History Month!

[V Shep · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Not what I expected at all …interesting indeed. When the tables turn

[Nicole Hagood · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The author's writing was crisp and engaging. I absolutely loved the plot! One of the best thriller's I have read over the last 10 years!

[B Hickerson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I like suspense novels but don't often come across many by black authors. This one checked that box AND featured a creative plot. Similar to Get Out, it definitely dives head first into a "worst case scenario" conspiracy theory. But for the most part, I enjoyed that it was creative. The storyline IS predictable, and as complex as the topic is, the writing was very simple and possibly lacked some depth. But I definitely didn't hate it. The narration was frustrating at some points bc a random accent would sneak into characters that didn't have one earlier, making it hard to tell who was talking. Buttttt, I still thinks it's worth the read/listen.

[E · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm not sure what the author was trying to accomplish with this book. He is a good writer but I really did not like the storyline. I found myself rooting against the main character... He made stupid decisions, and his savior complex was really annoying. I agree with the reviewers that called Martin a coon too...

[Chonnie Blair · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book was good. The ending left a lot to be desired.

[Jerrico Thompson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Reads like a movie, very easy to follow, but very rich. It was amazing!

[memechel · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not hard to get into and not a waste of time. Little wordy or drawn out but definitely thought provoking. Good for a book club.

[Tishahnah Roney · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very deep content and that ending! I need more of this!

[Temeka Linder · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was so good! I mean like good good! I could hardly put it down.

[veronica rivers · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Whew chile. This kept me on the edge of my seat. Great read

[Sharon Traylor · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was amazing. Thriller scary this book kept me entertained

[Shannon Bond-Cover · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Twist and turns, everything needed for a great thriller! The Author did an amazing job!

[1forthebooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm really not quite sure how I feel about this novel. When I initially started, I didn't think I would finish as the short chapters and basic writing style annoyed me. However, I couldn't stop reading because I wanted to know what happened. I can say that the climax was really good as I was kind of on the edge of my seat with my butt clinched, yet the denouement struggled a bit. It felt rushed. Kind of like watching a movie for 2 hours and finally getting some action for it to last and be over in 10 minutes. The ending was ambiguous so if that bothers you then don't even try it. I think that it was kind of predictable and the entire "secret" premise was uncomfortable and weird but I think that I have read much worse novels. The ride was intense for a moment but short lived. Although it was a little lengthy, it was a quick read. If you have time and aren't bothered by open endings, I guess you should check it out.

[myownwoman · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Oh dear. [Cue the dull hum of crickets chirping]. This is awkward.I had a difficult time reading this book, and I'm having an even harder time reviewing it. As a Caucasian, I have difficulty verbalizing and discussing racial inequities and discrimination. It isn't that I think things are right or fair or equal between the races - just the opposite, but I don't know how to talk about it without causing offense or being antagonistic. The desire to be politically correct is almost ingrained, at this point, and I'm terrified of being perceived as offensive when I'm trying to be anything but. So, you know, I'm not in the habit of really talking about race - or any potentially inflammatory subject like religion or politics - because I'd rather polite than start a fight. Forty Acres forces the issue, making readers address issues like slavery and reparation head on. Martin Grey is an African American attorney on the very brink of fame and fortune. Coming off a high-profile win, Grey is invited to join an exclusive group of similarly minded successful black men. He is taken to Forty Acres after agreeing to partake in a type of team-building whitewater rafting expedition. Upon arriving, there are no raging waters to be found; but there is danger beyond anything that Martin Grey could imagine. Unknowingly, Grey has been invited to join a members-only club where the members are exclusively African American and the wait-staff is exclusively Caucasian. The grounds of Forty Acres are strikingly similar to the Southern plantations of long ago, and the traditions they keep there, with the oversight of Dr. Kasim and his staff, are just as antiquated. Slavery has been resurrected in an attempt to empower these black men, and the slaves have been, um, recruited (see also: kidnapped) according to their ancestry, In fact, all the slaves laboring on Forty Acres have been chosen because of their relation to those persons who profited most directly from slavery. Which, then, begs the question: should those who have profited from slavery be compelled to provide reparation decades after the initial offense? Martin Grey isn't sure, but he knows that if reparation are due, the debt should not be paid in blood. This book wasn't quite my cup of tea. It was a luke-warm, weak, sugary-sweet concoction that could maybe pass as tea - just not tea that I would want to drink again. It could be choked down with a little bit of effort, but it isn't something that I would order again, I may recommend this one to fans of legal thrillers like those of John Grisham or to fans of mystery/suspense books with strong, morally-minded African American protagonists like James Patterson's Alex Cross. The twist ending was a pleasant surprise. Let's just hope that it isn't another lead in to a sequel - because I've had my fill, ummkay?This review is based on an e-galley provided by the super nice people at Atria Books and NetGalley.

[nfmgirl2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Martin is a black lawyer whose career is taking off, when he is approached by Damon Darrell, another black lawyer who is well known and well respected in town. Damon reaches out to Martin as a friend, and their friendship quickly grows into a bond like that found between brothers. Damon introduces Martin to his other group of friends-- all of which are successful black men. One day Martin is invited on a getaway with this group of impressive and powerful friends, and it leads him to some startling revelations and the discovery that his friends are involved in white slavery, and followers of an old black man by the name of Dr. Kasim.At times this story seemed awkward and somewhat childish in its simplified assessments. And I always get frustrated with storylines like this that have some mentor spewing crap that everyone views as genius. It seems preposterous to me when the sensible protagonist Martin almost immediately seems to seriously consider the madness as a truth (even if he eventually decides it isn't). Why even pollute and convolute a perfectly fascinating storyline with such ridiculousness? Why not just have simple revenge as the motivating factor? Rather than ridiculous theory and propaganda that fuel this group of mad lunatics, make them simply a group of angry and cruel black men? That would have been more believable, but perhaps the author didn't want to risk playing into the "angry black man" stereotype? I just always have a hard time falling for the group that seem to be under mass hypnosis, perhaps because I am such a strong-minded individual.I had such high hopes for this story, but in the end I wound up having a really hard time with the main character Martin, and all of his justifications for his own actions. I thought it was a fascinating idea, but it wound up preposterous. It would have been much better if it had been built on simple revenge, but instead it was convoluted with Dr. Kasim and his propaganda. I don't know. I had high hopes, but in the end I would up pretty disappointed and not liking it all that much.

[tmsaguid-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received Forty Acres by Dwayne Alexander Smith through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for my honest review.First of all, this book would make an excellent edge of your seat movie. I hope someone picks up the rights.Where do I begin?This book centers around Martin Grey, an attorney battling against a big-time lawyer in a case against a multi-million dollar company who racially discriminated against his client. He wins the case and, to his surprise, ultimately befriends the opposing councel. Whether or not this is a good thing is questioned from the beginning.Throughout the beginning of the book, there are many uncomfortable situations for the main character that I felt along with him. Strange questions are asked, strange things happen and although Martin initially chooses to ignore them, they do keep happening.Eventually (about 100 pages in) Martin is invited along with his high rolling new friends, to Forty Acres. This is a secret resort of sorts in which all of the staff are white slaves. I will not explain further as I do not wish to ruin the book.I will say this...Forty Acres is indeed a thriller that will keep you reading into the night and forces you to think, not necessarily what you would do in this situation, but how creepy it is that there are those out there that would not be opposed to such a place.Lovers of Political Thrillers must read this book!

[atticusfinch1048 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Forty Acres – Brilliant Before I begin I too would like to thank Mr Bill Teitler for encouraging Dwayne Alexander Smith to complete the manuscript which became Forty Acres, without it this brilliant thriller may still be sat in a desk draw. This is the debut novel of Dwayne Alexander Smith, an American screenwriter and now with Forty Acres; novelist.If you think of American white supremacists you automatically think of them with their compounds out in the woods and forests especially in what had been the confederate states. If you do not fit in to their purview then you are not welcome and more than likely not going to get out of the compound alive. What would the world say if the Afro-Caribbean in the USA were to do something similar? Uproar, violent attacks on them, for separating themselves off from the rest of America? Whatever they did many would sit in judgement up on them. Martin Grey is a young black lawyer who, with his partner, work out of a shop front in Queens, New York. He is currently a star and talked about as he has just defeated the legendary black lawyer Damon Darrell in a class action, race discrimination case. He really is the talk of New York legal circles and beyond. Damon after the case invites Martin to a dinner party where he introduces him to a lot of influential black business men. This is the first of many introductions that could make his legal practice grow and expand, move in to a brave new world.As he gets on with his new circle of friends he is invited away for a weekend of relaxing and white water rafting. When he gets to where they are camping it is not quite what he is expecting, no tents but what is an old southern colonial house, more Charleston than modern America, in the middle of nowhere, the only neighbours are the animals that live in the forest.What he discovers at Forty Acres challenges his convictions to the core and at the same time could also bring around his early demise from this world. Here the black man is the master and the slaves are the white descendants of slave owners and traders. Where violence against the white slave is accepted and nobody in the outside world knows what happens at Forty Acres.Will Martin Grey be able to escape the heavily guarded compound and get away alive to tell the outside world about Forty Acres. Will he be able to save the white slaves while commiting his black brothers to punishment? What would his black brothers do? Treat him as a traitor and kill him? One thing was clear not everyone is going to get out alive. Dwayne Alexander Smith has written an exceptional novel of rage and compassion, trust and betrayal. This really is a thought provoking novel which challenges your interpretation of history and also asks the question of what would you do? You really do question yourself about right and wrong.This is a brilliant new voice who has given the world an excellent thriller that builds and goes from strength to strength, which is both brilliant and scary at the same time. I loved the challenge where my perceptions of right and wrong were constantly challenged all the way through to the last sentence.Forty Acres is a brilliant and stunning new thriller that will delight all the way to the end. A thriller that will leave you thinking well after you finish.