Video Cowboys: A Georgia Barnett Mystery

by Yolanda Joe

Book Overview

Straight-talking, crime-busting TV news reporter Georgia Barnett is back again in another smart and sassy mystery by Blackboard bestselling author Yolanda Joe.

This latest comic mystery by acclaimed novelist Yolanda Joe, Georgia Barnett and her cameraman/ partner, Zeke, are minding their own business on an errand at the bank when they suddenly find themselves in the middle of a dangerous, and unusual, bank robbery.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416587527
• ISBN13: 9781416587521
• Release Date: November 2007
• Publisher: Gallery Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Sit back and enjoy the action

Television reporter Georgia Barnett just wants to go to the bank to pick up some cash, but a man with a bomb takes everyone hostage including her and her cameraman. He's obviously upset, possibly insane, and definitely dangerous. But all he wants is to see his daughter safe. Yolanda persuades the gunman to release her to get his message out--and finds herself in trouble with a hot-shot cop who wants to gun his way in no matter what the cost. A clever escape lands Georgia in legal trouble, but a crew of aging but still high-flying 'video cowboys' comes to the rescue. Together, they find the secrets of the daughter's life--and the trouble she's in. Author Yolanda Joe mixes action, slang and attitude from the African American community, and a heroine who won't stop--both when it comes to getting a story and when it comes to doing right--to deliver an enjoyable adventure. The gunman's demands come with a timeline--adding a ticking clock to the action as Georgia flies through the streets of Chicago looking for the truth. Things are a bit too well connected, the video cowboys are a bit too smart and macho, and Georgia is a bit too perfect, but let yourself suspend disbelief a bit--and enjoy the show.

Video Cowboys to the Rescue

Television News Reporter and amateur sleuth, Georgia Barnett is back in Yolanda Joe's newest novel Video Cowboys. This time the case she is following is personal, as her best cameraman and friend, Zeke is being held hostage with an unstable gunman whose only demand is for the police to find his daughter. Georgia has just hours to meet the demands of the gunman or Zeke and the other hostages could meet an untimely demise. Hardnosed police commander, Wild Bill Whelk is standing in the way, undermining everything Georgia needs to do to help free the hostages. With the help of the video cowboys, retired cameramen Choke, Paulie and Gunner, they criss cross the city of Chicago hoping to find the wayward daughter. Their journey takes them to a mental hospital for history on the gunman, then on to the apartment of the daughter only to find a dead Parole officer. In their search, they find themselves mixed up with the mob and drug dealers because they are all looking for the same person. What could have been a quick bring my daughter home turns into a dangerous adventure for Georgia and the video cowboys. I found this book to be funny and was amused by the adventures of the video cowboys and Georgia Barnett. There were parts that had me laughing out loud and other parts that had me on the edge of my seat. This novel was not a literary masterpiece, nor do I think it was supposed to be, it is a for entertainment purpose read. And because I was entertained I think Ms Joe did an excellent job of providing me with an easy, relaxing reading experience. Jeanette APOOO BookClub

action packed crime caper

After covering a news event, television journalist Georgia Barnett and her cameraman Zeke Barnett stop at the bank to withdraw money when a shot rings out. A man holding a bomb and a gun tells them they are hostages until his daughter Mandy is returned to him. He has Georgia run a tape of him asking for Mandy to be brought to him and then goes on to tell everyone she could be found with a criminal (he shows a wanted picture of the person on the tape). He has one of the female hostages deliver the tape but the police officer in charge of the case, Wild Bill, won't let it be shown because it will look as if he is soft on crime. Georgia gets Brett the gunman to trust her after swearing they will communicate by tapes played on television. Georgia has the tape aired and leaves before the police arrest her for obstruction of justice. She and the VIDEO COWBOYS, former employers who were let go from the television station, look for Mandy, and dodge the police, the mafia, drug dealers who don't want the girl and her companion Merc found. However, Georgia and the VIDEO COWBOYS are determined to find Mandy and bring her to Brett before he blows up the bank with the people inside it. Yolanda Joe (aka Ardella Garland) has written an action packed crime caper that is at times humorous and at other times deadly serious. The heroine epitomizes the word courage as she puts her life on the line several times to save the hostages. VIDEO COWBOYS is a special treat that will be eagerly read in one sitting. Harriet Klausner