The Fever — Dark

A story about how Money + Celebrity = Sex. And always will. it's the summer of 1990. New jack swing has taken hold. Dark, an ambitious music manager who knows his way around the scene, seeks out an unknown singer to become the next R&B star. He finds moldable clay in Brian Barnes, a kid from the projects who briefly tasted fame as a teenaged member of a Jackson Five imitation quintet. After some grooming in and out of the studio, Dark makes a deal with Sony and Brian's first single shoots to the top of the charts. Not wanting to lose momentum, Brian and Dark set off together on a promotional tour across the country, hitting the Penn Relays, Freaknik in Atlanta, and juke joints in North Carolina until they finally arrive in L.A. for the Soul Train Awards. Along the way, the two men engage in their own sexual Olympics, indulging in a parade of groupies, horny co-eds, and self-interested starlets. Brian -- the newly baptized Busy B of R&B -- has fallen victim to the Fever, that unique combination of ego, sex addiction, and fame that has claimed many other soul singers. As Brian's behavior becomes more and more bizarre, Dark stays busy shielding his star from the scorn of the girlfriend left behind and a mother yearning for her own piece of the spotlight. Trouble mounts when Brian begins to mistrust his management -- Dark -- after the fever of fame has clouded his mind and body. Inspired by true stories about the rich and famous, this novel's insider tales of drugs, lies, prostitutes, and pay-offs is the most revealing look at life on the road yet written.