Jean Love Cush

Malik did not run when he heard the police sirens in the distance. His three friends left him. Malik’s mother, Janae Williams, taught him from an early age – “raise your hands high, keep your mouth shut, and do what they order, immediately.” Now, Janae is doubting herself — Would he have escaped imprisonment if he’d run? He’s been charged with the murder of his friend, Troy Barnes.

Janae was a single mom and they were living in a poor, disadvantaged area of Philadelphia. She has no money for an attorney so she is ready to work with an assigned District Attorney. But, then a human rights group took interest in Malik’s case. That’s when things became very engrossing.

I love a good legal thriller and this one caught and held my attention. What bothered me at the beginning of this novel is that the arrest was not questioned together with facts. Where was any evidence that Malik had been involved in a murder? It was circumstantial at best. From my idea of the justice system, the police had no right to arrest and hold 15 year old Malik. But, then again, maybe that’s the whole point of the circumstances of this novel and how more black youth than white are being criminalized in America today. Janae’s raw emotions and feelings were fittingly portrayed as the young mother concerned about her son’s outcome. I rated this novel at 4 out of 5.

http://www.fictionzeal.com/endangered-jean-love-cush/… (meer)