Fans of true crime podcasts, fans of narratives in which the protagonist gets in a world of danger while unearthing and trying to expose the truth about a cold case for a podcast, and folks who like a dark, engaging, fast paced chiller with multiple twists and turns will really love Jumata Emil's I Don't Wish You Well. It's got everything: a gruesome crime, new evidence that the wrong person might have been convicted, a small town that strongly desires that the case that brought them lots of notoriety not be reopened, lots of dark and dangerous secrets, football stars who must be protected from consequences of their misdeeds, inept or worse police officers...truly something for everyone.
Five years ago four stars of the Moss Point (Louisiana) Football Team were killed one by one. The killer wore a Trojan mask. When the police were tipped off as to his identity they found him dead, supposedly by suicide. Evidence in his home seemed to confirm his guilt. That's it, folks. Case closed...
...or is it?...
...Pryce, a journalism major, is returning to Moss Pointe for summer vacation. When he sees evidence that the wrong person was convicted he senses opportunity. If he spends the summer investigating he could have the material for a fall semester podcast that would help his academic and professional career. His advisor lends him a professional camera and recording equipment.
Back home people aren't happy about his project. The police chief tries to talk him out of it. His father thinks he should instead do a podcast on the football team rebounding after the murders. Bryce's little brother is on the team and his dad is a hard core fan.
But early on he uncovers incriminating evidence against Bertrand Gatson, president of the booster club, a man considered to be a pillar of the community. He sees Gatson burning a bunch of photos and is able to save some.
"The photos all featured little boys. The one with orange-red curls Pryce recognized first. As he shifted through the rest of the disturbing images, the other innocent faces became instantly familiar. Immortalized in acts no boys their age should be doing."
He confronts Gaston with the Polaroids, thinking it will enable him to glean more information. Gaston agrees to meet him...
...but he and his wife are found dead in their home--an apparent murder/suicide.
But the boys aren't, it turns out, all that innocent. They learned from their molester the joys of nonconsensual sex. As football stars in a football obsessed town they got away with it.
It turns out there are plenty of people who had motive and opportunity to commit the murders.
I don't wish you dead is a beautifully scripted impossible to put down chiller and so much more. It covers topics too often swept under the rug in YA literature considered appropriate by the censors and banners but highly relevant. Homophobia, sexism, and the lengths schools and police will go to shield athletes from the consequences of their actions are some of them.
In my opinion it is an important acquisition for high school and public libraries. In fact it could be a worthy replacement for the work of a long dead white guy in the curriculum.
On a purrrsonal note, here in Maine we're most definitely having summer weather: hot and humid. Yesterday I volunteered in both gardens. I took pictures in the children's garden. There was a lot to do in the community garden because there were only two of us to do it. Today was the weekly vigil. There was a really good turnout and we got lots of honks. I got another windfall at Orono Thrift Shop: a really cute dress, two good sized Squishmallows, a pair of Barbie high top sneakers, and a pair of Vans decorated with flowers and leaves. And don't worry. I took a picture.
A great big shout out goes out to the dedicated vigil crew and the all volunteer staff of Orono Thrift Shop who raise money for important causes by selling merch at rock bottom prices.
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my Galaxy
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