The Mouse That Roared - Softcover

Dwayne Murray Sr.

4.18

39 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0976985500 ISBN 13: 9780976985501

Publisher: Madbo Publishing, 2005

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Read what happens to Sandra Lyte after she defies her religious parents' wishes by entering a "lustful" beauty contest. After being thrown out of the only home she ever knew, Sandra travels to New York City in hopes of starting a new life. Unaware and naive about what life is like in the heart of the city, Sandra finds herself caught in a whirlwind of drugs, abuse, power, and murder. This rollercoaster ride is filled with action and suspense. Just be sure to exhale after every chapter.

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About the Author:

Dwayne Murray Sr. grew up with a passion for sports, reading and movies on the silver screen. As young as 7 years old he would go to the theater to see movies like “Hell up in Harlem”, “Foxy Brown”, “Super Fly”, and “Abby”. Although Dwayne did regular everyday activities, like most kids his age, he always was drawn to the big screen. On July 26, 1964 Dwayne was born in Harlem Hospital. He never knew his father, but was fortunate enough to have a strong mother, Christine, to raise him. As a single mom struggling to make ends meet, Christine kept Dwayne grounded in family, tradition, and culture. Dwayne grew up in the Bronx with his younger twin sisters Nyoki and Falomi. Dwayne loved the same things most teenage boys his age were in to; British Walkers, Gabardines pants, Lee jeans, leather bombers, and boom box radios. Dwayne hung out at block parties and basement parties. To date his all time favorite rap groups are Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five and the Cold Crush Brothers. During his teenage years Dwayne worked summer youth jobs and contributed money to the household. Dwayne graduated Manhattan Vocational High School and attended 1 year of college at Florida State University. After a few years passed, Dwayne fell in love and married is wife, Angela, on his 23rd birthday July 26, 1987. From this union they have two sons; Dwayne Jr. who is now 20 years old and a student at Bronx Community College, and Daniel who is 16 years old and a junior at Alfred E. Smith Technical High School. Dwayne struggled to provide for his family, but he always stayed focused, worked everyday, and made sure “needs” took precedence over “wants”. After years of struggling, Dwayne is now an “A” Journeyman with Local 3 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and his wife Angela is a licensed social worker in the Veterans Healthcare Administration. Much of the hustle and bustle has subsided and Dwayne felt the time was right to finally do what he always dreamed of doing . . . write a novel. Dwayne credits his accomplishments to his spirituality and grounding in the Word. Dwayne had a dream to write his very first novel and that dream is now a reality. The Mouse that Roared is a fictional thriller about a woman's quest to leave the confinement of her strict and religious parents in search of a new life in New York City. Dwayne tapped into his very graphic and vivid imagination to set forth a novel that will make readers admire, cheer, curse and applaud its characters. The Mouse that Roared encompasses many lessons to be learned such as maturity, readiness, trust, diligence, and strength. Dwayne's future endeavors may include screen play writing and other novels, but for now his hopes is that readers embrace The Mouse that Roared as his goal is to engross readers' page after page.

Review:

THE MOUSE THAT ROARED by Dwayne Murray, Sr. is a stunning look at two individuals from dysfunctional homes. Sandra Lyte, raised by a minister who acted as if he didn't like her, was going through life thinking she was dumb and worthless and Doug Gunner, the son of a mean drunk, was also making his life's journey convinced he was stupid and useless. Each handled their dysfunctional family life in very different ways. Sandra ran away from her family and Doug began hustling at an early age to prove to his father he was worth something. After getting on her feet in New York City, Sandra hooked up with Doug who was behaving exactly as his father had and Sandra, a kind and loving person, stayed with him in spite of his abusive ways. They had two children together whom Sandra loved beyond reason. Meanwhile, Doug continued his hustler's life of drugs, threats, women and murder. Something really bad happened and as a result, Sandra realized she couldn't change Doug as she had hoped and she had to get out while she could. Was it too late for her to escape Doug who controlled her every move? Would he hunt her and the children down and drag them back to his lair? Would he hurt them? The action in this book is non-stop, starting from the beginning when Sandra's parents toss her into the mean streets of New York because she defied them and entered a beauty contest, which she won. Doug spent his life attempting to prove his worth to his father. Sandra is a character you can relate to as she hits obstacle after obstacle but digs down deep within herself and finds the strength to keep going. Mr. Murray frequently shows us Doug's weaknesses and in spite of him being such an odious character, you find yourself feeling his deep-rooted pain. Included in the story were Sandra's friends who were fleshed out into characters who you could understand and relate to also. Each time I thought that one particularly horrible action must signify the end, another more hideous, frightening event would occur. I couldn't put the book down. I applaud Dwayne Murray's fantastic imagination. --The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com)

This book grabs you at the beginning and doesn't let go until the last word is read. It begins with a young boy, Doug Gunner, finding his father in bed with someone other than his mother. It also introduces you to Sandra Lyte, a beautiful young lady entering her first beauty pageant. Their two stories will intertwine until the very end of the novel. Doug grows up to be a drug dealer and an abuser with whom Sandra falls in love and has two children. Sandra, knowing what Doug is, believes, as many women do, that she can change him and life will be wonderful. When she finally realizes that she needs to leave to save her life and the lives of her children, it's too late. Doug will do anything to make sure they do not leave alive. After everything Doug puts Sandra and her friends through, she never gives up. Her words to her children at the end sum it all up, "You will never leave my heart or my soul simply because we are one and no one will ever separate us." Some might say this story is about Sandra Lyte, but it isn't. It's about everyone she meets. The author is very adept at creating the histories of these magnificently beautiful people and bringing them to light. You will not find a character in this book whose motivation you do not understand "The Mouse That Roared" is a rich story that will hold onto you long after the pages are closed. It is a surprise to find that this wonderfully crafted novel is written by a very talented first-time novelist, Dwayne Murray, Sr. Let's hope he is busy working on his second book because once you finish this one you will be eagerly awaiting the next. --Reader Views ; (Austin, Texas)

A Master Story From A Master Storyteller, Iceberg Slim, Chester Himes, and now Dwayne Murray, Sr.: in the annals of literary greatness, a new name must now be placed... The Mouse That Roared is an absolute masterpiece of quality urban fiction. Murray's electrifying tale of the grim realities of street life is all at once gritty, refined, and slick. He masterfully weaves such diverse issues as domestic violence, child abuse, and police corruption into an eclectic tapestry that leaves you breathlessly turning page after page, feening to see how the full picture ultimately unfolds. The chief protagonist of Mouse, Sandra Lyte, is the quintessential heroine: disowned by her ultra-conservative, quasi-demagogue father and mother, she sets out for the city that never sleeps, seeking only to fulfill her greatest hopes of making it big in the Big Apple when left with no other paths in life to follow. Not wanting to lose the old-fashioned kindness of her core, though, she soon finds it increasingly difficult to maneuver through cold New York streets where even colder hearts constantly seek to take advantage of - and even destroy - her for purely selfish gain. Enter Doug Gunner: big-time drug player on the rise and seeming knight in shining armor. Whisking all Sandra's cares away with lavish gifts, romantic nights, and a life free from worry or stress, Doug appears to be the cure for all that ails the pretty young lady's heart. Seduced by his charm, power, and potential, Sandra unwittingly allows herself to sink deeper into Doug's dark world of deception, cruelty, and violence - never realizing until it's too late that once she's in, there's no way out (alive). You may expect that what follows in Mouse is the typical story of girl-done-wrong, boy-gets-away-with-murder, girl-finally-gets-revenge, and that appears to be the case - until Murray throws in incredibly clever plot twists and changes of direction that incorporate rich characters and nonstop action leading to climax after satisfying climax. The all-encompassing series of events in Mouse flesh out the story in full, giving it an even, well-balanced approach to telling the true stories of the streets: those that appear to be bad guys surprise you with their redemptive qualities, and those that appear to be good guys show the depths of their true repugnance. In the end, Sandra shows just what a na�ve, country girl from the South is really made of, and her courage and conviction in overcoming the most heinous of injustices gives true credence to the title of Murray's tale. This is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in the urban fiction genre, whether just starting out or a seasoned fan. Dwayne Murray, Sr., is a name that will surely be cited by posterity for having perfected the honored craft of street storytelling. --By Apex Reviews (Durham, USA)

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