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Authors: E. Lynn Harris,RM Johnson

No One in the World

BOOK: No One in the World
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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
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com

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

SIMON & SCHUSTER and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at
www.simonspeakers.com
.

Designed by Jill Putorti

Manufactured in the United States of America

10   9    8   7   6   5    4    3    2    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 Americans—Fiction. 2. Twin brothers—Fiction. I. Harris, E. Lynn.

II. Title.
PS3560.O3834N6 2011
813'.54—dc22           2010043440

ISBN 978-1-4391-7809-6
ISBN 978-1-4391-7811-9 (ebook)

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60

Chapter 61

Chapter 62

Chapter 63

Chapter 64

Chapter 65

Chapter 66

Chapter 67

Chapter 68

Chapter 69

Chapter 70

Chapter 71

Chapter 72

Chapter 73

Chapter 74

Chapter 75

Chapter 76

Chapter 77

Chapter 78

Chapter 79

Chapter 80

Chapter 81

Chapter 82

Chapter 83

Chapter 84

Chapter 85

Chapter 86

Chapter 87

Chapter 88

Chapter 89

Chapter 90

Chapter 91

Chapter 92

Chapter 93

Chapter 94

Chapter 95

Chapter 96

Chapter 97

Chapter 98

Chapter 99

Chapter 100

Chapter 101

Chapter 102

Chapter 103

Chapter 104

Chapter 105

Chapter 106

Chapter 107

Chapter 108

Chapter 109

Chapter 110

Chapter 111

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

1

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.

BOOK: No One in the World
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