I recently took my daughter, (Bibliophile here on CBR), to a local book store to spend some gift money she had received. She chose this book after one of the staff recommended it, and I said it sounded interesting. You should soon see a review from her about this book but you get mine first. Then you can read the book and decide who is right. 🤣
Perhaps it was my background in law or because criminal justice was the area I was always interested in but never practiced. Or perhaps it was because this book, while fictionalized, is based on a true story. Either way, I found the book to be one of those that I stayed up well past my bedtime for just one more chapter.
This is the story of a 14 year old girl who is determined to get her father out of prison for a crime he insists he did not commit. It is as a result of her moxie and grit, working with a novice lawyer and a burned out reporter, that she finally gets to the truth, and takes down politicians and police officers.
This book is written by the real-life reporter who investigated the 1988 murder of a 12 year old girl in Boston that sparked the story. The police, desperate to show authority as a result of the drug fueled violence gripping Boston, quickly arrested a young drug dealer who was convicted on faulty evidence. In 2003 the Boston Globe, after investigating the case, published the truth about police coercion of witnesses and prosecutorial wrongdoing.
This book is listed as YA. It reads a little young but the content, I think, is for older middle school and younger high school students. Highly recommended.
