City Within A City
Sherry Clark Thomas
ISBN: 9781432702328
Outskirts Press
Reviewed By Brooke Carleton

Official Apex Reviews Rating: 


City Within A City is a love story, but not your everyday, run of the mill love story. It is told from the point of view of Joe Thomas, a gangster, and the reader is taken on a journey of Joe's crimes, cruelty, and many marriages. Crime is what Joe is good at, and it's all he's ever known. As a child, he witnessed his father kill a man, and he was raped while staying at a reform school. All the bad that happened to Joe made him who he currently is. While spending time in jail, he exchanges love letters with his ninth wife, Sherry Clark, and they are filled with humiliation and pain. Joe ends up dying and having to wait for God's decision on whether to let him into heaven or send him down to hell.

City Within A City is a fast-paced book filled with action. Joe Thomas is capable of brutality and crimes that most people can't even imagine committing. Sherry Clark Thomas is a wonderful storyteller, and she threads together her late husband's life for the reader to get lost in. It's a unique and very enjoyable read, and interesting to learn more about Joe Thomas and figure out what makes him tick. City Within A City is the type of book that creeps up and stays with you long after you've finished reading it. Highly recommended for all book lovers, especially those who enjoy gangster movies/books.