“Atlanta-based journalist Shalhoup delivers a stunning exposé of a crime empire that collapsed under the weight of its own success. … With superb pacing and a thorough handle on her extensive cast, Shalhoup’s true crime debut makes a highly addictive read.”

— Publishers Weekly (starred review)

In the early 1990s, Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory and his brother, Terry “Southwest T,” rose up from the slums of Detroit to build one of the largest cocaine empires in American history: the Black Mafia Family. After a decade in the drug game, the Flenorys had it all—a fleet of Maybachs, Bentleys and Ferraris, a 500-man workforce operating in six states, and an estimated quarter of a billion in drug sales. They socialized with music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, did business with New York’s king of bling Jacob “The Jeweler” Arabo, and built allegiances with rap superstars Young Jeezy and Fabolous. Ruthlessness fueled BMF’s rise to incredible power; greed and that same ruthlessness led to their downfall.