Play the game

It's been a year since a Black teen named Ed was killed by Singer, a white man who got off scot-free. But now it's Singer's turn to be killed, and the police think they know who did it: Jack, a best friend to Ed, as well as to protagonist and narrator VZ. The police say Jack had a motive (revenge) and an opportunity: both murders take place in the parking lot behind the Caribbean restaurant where Jack works with VZ, Diamond (the beautiful girl on whom VZ has a killer crush), and Fisk (Diamond's boyfriend). Although the police haven't found the murder weapon, they name Jack as a person of interest, and he disappears, leaving VZ to discover the truth. A subplot involving a computer game that Ed had developed is a nice touch that adds a dash of suspense. There are plenty of questions that drive this whodunit but may require a willing suspension of disbelief to answer. Most readers will ignore that, however, for the sake of this first novel's compelling story.

Months after Black Brooklyn teenager Ed Hennessey is killed, Philip Singer--the white man who shot him and was not prosecuted--is found dead outside the same restaurant where the event occurred. The incident sparks a new wave of trauma and anger within the community, especially for Ed's friends, Jack and VZ, both 17, who are still reeling from his death. When the police target Jack as the most likely suspect in Singer's murder, he goes on the run, leaving VZ and his best friend, Chela, to clear Jack's name. Meanwhile, VZ, with the aid of his crush and skilled coder Diamond, attempts to finish debugging the puzzle adventure game Ed was working on, planning to submit it to a gaming contest to honor his memory. As the game's challenges and riddles begin inexplicably tying into VZ's real-life investigation, he's forced to reckon with his previously unexplored feelings of grief while desperately seeking closure and justice. Informed by present-day events surrounding structural racism and oppression, and the author's experience as a restorative justice advocate, Allen compassionately examines themes of community and criminal justice reform in this affecting, noirish debut. Ages 13--up. Agent: Elizabeth Bewley, Sterling Lord Literistic. (Jan.)

A Black teen faces his grief over the murder of his best friend as he attempts to support his other friends. VZ works at Yard, a Caribbean restaurant in Brooklyn where Eddie was shot and killed by a White man called Philip Singer. After Singer, who was never charged, is killed by a blow to the head in the restaurant's parking lot, Yard is closed by the police for their investigation. Meanwhile, Eddie's mother gave VZ her son's laptop, but VZ feels guilty because he never before paid much attention to the game Eddie was passionate about creating. To honor his best friend, VZ decides to finish the game and enter it in the upcoming JersiGame competition. He's hoping to work on it with his crush, Diamond, but when Jack, his friend and Yard co-worker who has been vocal about protesting Eddie's murder, goes missing, VZ tries to solve the mystery of what happened to him. He also supports classmate Chela in a restorative justice circle following an incident at school, all while working to make the deadline for the gaming contest. These various pressures force first-person narrator VZ to examine and deal with his grief, pulling readers into his experience. The restorative justice process is fleshed out in a nuanced way in this debut. Problems with rushing to judgment--both in the criminal system and among friends--are also thoughtfully examined. A compelling look at different ways of approaching grief and justice. (Fiction. 13-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.