Trell only has one family picture with both of her parents in it. It was taken on her 13th birthday. Before that, it was always just one of them because the other had to take the picture. It can get tough when your daddy, Romero Taylor, is in prison.
Trell was just a few months old when her father was sentenced for murder of an innocent girl who was shot down during a gang shooting. It's something the district attorney pursued heavily and it's now being brought up again because the DA is now running for mayor. No one can forget poor Ruby and the senseless loss of life...
Except Trell is as certain as her father that he didn't commit the crime.
Trell knows about gangs, shootings and drug dealers. She lives in an area of Boston riddled with them and more but she is trying to get away from it. With the encouragement of her mother, she now attends the Weld, a private school in another area known for their academics. People like Thumper Parrish, the local drug lord, scare her and she wants nothing to do with that type of life.
But it's one visit and visitor that will change Trell's life. Her father's case catches the attention of a new lawyer, one who is willing to fight for an appeal for Romero. But it'll be an uphill battle to find evidence. It'll also be a battle to stay one step ahead of those trying to hide the truth with threats, bullets, and brutality.
Dick Lehr writes a gripping YA novel set in today's urban landscape not only about the struggles of the main character, but also the fight for justice where system are flawed. This is also a novel based on real life events of a murder that actually happened in Boston when Lehr was part of the Spotlight team of the Boston Globe. Urban realism is deftly written about in this novel and is one that should be on the shelves for those who live it and those who live vicariously through it. Highly recommended. JH/HS
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