Dead Wrong

April 1, 2019
A startling update on the still-unsolved murder of rapper Notorious B.I.G., focused on powerful figures' attempts to obfuscate the investigation. Former Rolling Stone contributing editor Sullivan (The Curse of Oak Island: The Story of the World's Longest Treasure Hunt, 2018, etc.) delivers a follow-up to his revealing LAbyrinth, noting about that book's publication, "even in 2002, I was incredulous that arrests hadn't been made." In LAbyrinth, the author focused on detective Russell Poole's thwarted investigation, which uncovered "a cadre of LAPD officers--'gangsta cops'--who were working for Death Row Records and aiding the record label's CEO, Suge Knight, in commission of crimes that ranged from drug dealing to homicide." This mushroomed into the tumultuous Ramparts scandal, which threw the LAPD into chaos; Sullivan shows how this scandal was "mostly trumped up" by Rafael Perez, one of the officers Poole had identified. Meanwhile, the departmental resistance Poole faced led to his retirement and decline; upon his death in 2015, Sullivan notes, "There was a sense about him of someone forever attempting to keep hope alive." The author otherwise focuses on the legal battle between the city and Voletta Wallace, the bereaved mother of Notorious B.I.G., whose lawsuit forms the spine of this narrative. Sullivan documents how the lawsuit's tortuous and inconclusive path nevertheless revealed concealment of evidence and other official misconduct. Simultaneously, an FBI inquiry into the case was squelched, with one agent noting, "If LAPD is involved in the Biggie murder, and the Biggie murder is solved, LAPD is done. They're over with. Financially, they cannot survive." In a circuitous narrative that lacks some of the propulsive energy of LAbyrinth, Sullivan identifies many such strange manipulations of the investigative process. Though readers must navigate such baffling bureaucratic roadblocks and a dizzying cast of characters, the author convincingly continues to support Poole's essential thesis: that a team of criminal cops planned the rapper's assassination and then enjoyed political protection. A mostly engaging and disheartening capstone to a narrative of murder and malfeasance that has crossed into cultural infamy.

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May 6, 2019
Rolling Stone contributing editor Sullivan digs into the unsolved murders of rappers Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (The Notorious B.I.G.) in this well-researched, if dense, follow-up to Labyrinth. Here, Sullivan alleges that there was a conspiracy by the Los Angeles Police Department to conceal its complicity in the assassination of Wallace, which involved dirty cops who worked in a unit that was assigned to gang-affiliated rappers, and, specifically, Marion “Suge” Knight, the owner of Death Row Records. Sullivan unveils a varied cast, including David Mack, a former LAPD officer and convicted bank robber; Bernard Parks, the African-American head of the LAPD, whose daughter was a drug mule for a gang leader; and Ahmir Muhammad, a reputed Nation of Islam assassin who the author posits was the person who shot Wallace. (Many believe that B.I.G.’s murder was payback for his alleged hit on Tupac, his onetime friend turned bitter enemy. But, as Sullivan points out, Voletta Wallace, Notorious B.I.G.’s mother, remained friendly with Tupac’s mom, Afeni Shakur.) Sullivan unveils witnesses who had never been interviewed and a dizzying array of data, which, while comprehensive, slows the pace. In 2005, Wallace’s mother filed a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles (which ended in a mistrial) and declared, “What I need from this lawsuit, is that the person or persons who murdered my son are brought to justice.” Sullivan writes passionately and smartly about his subject, but details stifle the narrative.

May 1, 2019

Journalist Sullivan (Untouchable: The Strange Life and Tragic Death of Michael Jackson) continues his research into the murder of rapper Notorious B.I.G., born Christopher George Latore Wallace, that began with his controversial Labyrinth: A Detective Investigates the Murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. This comprehensive follow-up delves into the last 16 years of the investigation and the Wallace estate's wrongful death lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles. Sullivan thoroughly details a case fraught with tension, complexity, and many key figures (a helpful roster and documents list are included). Various elements, including police corruption within the LAPD and the media's role in controlling the narrative of the case, are skillfully interwoven, making the intricacies accessible to readers unfamiliar with the details of the case. While Sullivan maintains the tone of a journalist, he also approaches the story with empathy. The book frequently highlights the ongoing impact of these events on Notorious B.I.G.'s family and others close to the investigation still searching for justice. Readers intrigued by the role of the LAPD may also enjoy Joe Domanick's Blue: The Ruin and Redemption of the LAPD. VERDICT Intensive, engaging investigative journalism recommended for fans of true crime and pop culture.--Kate Bellody, SUNY New Paltz

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