No One in the World
Read No One in the World Online
Authors: E. Lynn Harris,RM Johnson
ALSO BY E. LYNN HARRIS
In My Father's House
Mama Dearest
Basketball Jones
Just Too Good to Be True
I Say a Little Prayer
What Becomes of the Brokenhearted: A Memoir
A Love of My Own
Any Way the Wind Blows
Not a Day Goes By
Abide With Me
If This World Were Mine
And This Too Shall Pass
Just As I Am
Invisible Life
ALSO BY RM JOHNSON
The Million Dollar Demise
Why Men Fear Marriage
The Million Dollar Deception
Do You Take This Woman?
The Million Dollar Divorce
Dating Games
Love Frustration
The Harris Family
Father Found
The Harris Men
Stacie & Cole
Simon & Schuster
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2011 by The Estate of E. Lynn Harris and Marcus Arts LLC
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Simon & Schuster Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition June 2011
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Designed by Jill Putorti
Manufactured in the United States of America
10Â Â Â 9Â Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 7Â Â Â 6Â Â Â 5Â Â Â Â 4Â Â Â Â 3Â Â Â Â 2Â Â Â Â 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Johnson, R. M. (Rodney Marcus).
No one in the world: a novel / RM Johnson, E. Lynn Harris.
p. cm.
1. African AmericansâFiction. 2. Twin brothersâFiction. I. Harris, E. Lynn.
II. Title.
PS3560.O3834N6 2011
813'.54âdc22Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2010043440
ISBN 978-1-4391-7809-6
ISBN 978-1-4391-7811-9 (ebook)
RM Johnson Remembers E. Lynn Harris
I
met E. Lynn Harris in 1998 at a book event. He wasn't the self-important man I assumed a brilliant, nationally bestselling author to be. He was humble, personable and funny and even offered to help me spread the word about my then soon-to-be released first novel,
The Harris Men
.
He fulfilled his promise. The book was a success, and I credit my longevity in this field to his help.
He was a great man. I loved him as a brother and looked up to him as a mentor, and he graciously considered me his mentee. We appeared at several book signings together around the country. He allowed me to benefit from his successful name through association, but I wasn't the only one. E. Lynn Harris helped dozens of up-and-coming authors by sponsoring their tours, inviting them to appear at his signings, or promoting their books as his favorite reads. He was that kind of man, just as concerned about others' success as his own.
Lynn would often say, “We just need people to find out about you.” So in 2004 he mentioned the idea of the two of us writing a novel about twin brothers. We played with that idea over the years, often meeting to take notes or discuss plot, but never completing any serious work until early 2008. Both of us living in Atlanta, Georgia, we met often, coming up with some really great characters, story lines and plot twists. We worked well together, as I knew we would, and created what I believe is a
fantastic book, which reads both like a classic, drama-filled E. Lynn Harris novel and a suspenseful, fast-paced RM Johnson story. We were both so proud of what we created.
He always said how excited he was about going on the road and promoting our book together. Unfortunately, as we all know, our dear friend passed July 23, 2009.
There will never be another writer like him, another individual like him. He graced us with his talents, inspired many of the authors writing today and left us with his ingenious body of work. The book you're about to read was very dear to him. It was something we both thoroughly enjoyed writing and eagerly awaited to present to you all.
I would like to thank all those responsible in one way or another, for bringing this project to its deserved end. Many thanks go to Kerri Kolen, our tireless editor, and Andrew Stuart, my devoted literary agent. To Mrs. Etta Harris, E. Lynn's mother, thank you for bringing such a wonderful person into this world, and into our lives. He has touched so many of us, and we will never be the same. To all of E. Lynn's fans and to my own, to all the bookstore owners and operators, the publishing people and media people, the book club members and manuscript readers and, most of all, to our loving friends and family members, we could not have come this far without you all.
No One in
the World
M
y opposing counsel was defending a sixteen-year-old boy accused of a double murder. My name is Cobi Aiden Winslow, and as I stood to give my closing argument, I told myself I would try to put this clown away for life.
“If it pleases the court, Your Honor,” I said to the bearded, black-robed judge. “And the jury . . .” I said, nodding slightly to the haggard-looking twelve men and women who had sat through six days of testimony.
Before starting, I walked over to the boy being charged, stared him in the eyes till he looked away shamefully. DeAndré Marquis Moore was his name.