Genre: Contemporary
Fiction
Description:
“Officer Ryan Quinn, a rookie raised in a family of cops, is on the
fast track to detective until he shoots an unarmed black male. Now, with his
career, reputation and freedom on the line, he embarks on a quest for
redemption that forces him to confront his fears and biases and choose between
conscience or silence.
Jade Wakefield is an emotionally damaged college student living in one
of Philadelphia’s worst neighborhoods. She knows the chances of getting an
indictment against the cop who killed her brother are slim. When she learns
there’s more to the story than the official police account, Jade is determined,
even desperate, to find out what really happened. She plans to get revenge by
any means necessary.
Kelly Randolph, who returns to Philadelphia broke and broken after
abandoning his family ten years earlier, seeks forgiveness while mourning the
death of his son. But after he’s thrust into the spotlight as the face of the
protest movement, his disavowed criminal past resurfaces and threatens to
derail the family’s pursuit of justice.
Ryan, Jade, and Kelly–three people from different worlds—are on a
collision course after the shooting, as their lives interconnect and then
spiral into chaos.”
Author:
A former award-winning journalist, Stephen Clark grew up in the suburbs
of Philadelphia and now lives with his family in Northern New Jersey. He is the
author of one other novel, Citizen Kill.
Appraisal:
In many ways this book was not at all what I expected. Obviously, the
shooting of Tyrel (the “unarmed black male”) and its aftermath are the majority
of the story. I expected to have my thoughts get provoked, seeing possibilities
in this kind of situation that I had never thought of previously. I wasn’t sure
whether I’d think Ryan (the policeman who shot Tyrel) was getting a raw deal or
be pulling for him to get locked up, but I was convinced it would be one of
those. Given those choices my thoughts never had a chance to solidify on one or
the other. Things were never that clear cut. (Maybe more like real life?) The
story kept taking directions I’d have never predicted right up to the couple
unexpected twists at the very end.
At points in the story I questioned how realistic certain parts were,
but then managed to stifle my disbelief and keep on reading. And yes, it got me
thinking around some of the social issues of the day as I expected, but instead
of making me think I’d found answers, it helped me realize that this kind of
story can be more complicated than it appears. In the end this was an interesting,
entertaining, and yes, thought-provoking read.
FYI:
Some adult language and mild adult situations.
Format/Typo
Issues:
No significant issues.
Rating: ****
Four Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate
word count: 90-95,000 words
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