This was a powerful book. It shows how racism can be a single act but that act is usually born from a system of unrest. And, more importantly, racism has been so ingrained in our society that it no longer has to be between white and black.

The author created some deep characters. There motivations are both pure and biased, because that's reality. The mystery wasn't overly obscure but then again that wasn't the point. The story drew me in but did not make me feel good. Which was the entire point.

Now for some spoiler-y type stuff.

Spoiler

I didn't figure out Yvonne was the one who killed Ava until that bombshell was dropped. The messed up family dynamic was there for me to pick it out. I just didn't.

I did figure out that Darius was the one who shot her. But I don't think the Cha tried to hide the fact.

I loved how Grace went on the racist rant. It was so real. She's dealing with a lot of heavy stuff, so it's natural that she would blame Ava. And this, too, shows how Asian on Black racism can happen too.

I loved the ambiguous ending. Grace and Mariam confront Darius and Shawn with the knowledge that it was Darius who killed their mom but they forgive him. What happens next? Does Ray get out of the jail? Does Ray get the death penalty (something that disproportionally happens to black men in these cases)? Does that mean he choses to die to protect his son, the true killer? How do the two families live with that? Great stuff. Plenty there for a sequel but I hope she doesn't. Sometimes a sequel ruins the power of the first book.