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Wander in the Dark
In this new pulse-pounding thriller from the author of The Black Queen, two brothers must come together to solve the murder of the most popular girl in school after one of them is caught fleeing the scene of her death.
Amir Trudeau only goes to his half brother Marcel’s birthday party because of Chloe Danvers. Chloe is rich, and hot, and fits right into the perfect life Marcel inherited when their father left Amir’s mother to start a new family with Marcel’s mom. But Chloe is hot enough for Amir to forget that for one night.
Does she want to hook up? Or is she trying to meddle in the estranged brothers’ messy family drama? Amir can’t tell. He doesn’t know what Chloe wants from him when, in the final hours of Mardi Gras, she asks him to take her home and stay—her parents are away and she doesn’t want to be alone.
Amir never gets an answer to his question, because when he wakes up, Chloe is dead—stabbed while he was passed out on the couch downstairs—and Amir becomes the only suspect. A Black teenager caught fleeing the scene of the murder of a rich white girl? All of New Orleans agrees, the case is open and shut.
Amir is innocent. He has a lawyer, but unless someone can figure out who really killed Chloe, it doesn’t look good for him. His number one ally? Marcel. Their relationship is messy, but his half brother knows that Amir isn’t a murderer—and maybe proving Amir’s innocence will repair the rift that’s always existed between them.
To find Chloe’s killer, Amir and Marcel need to dig into her secrets. And what they find is darker than either could have guessed. Parents will go to any lengths to protect their children, and in a city as old as New Orleans, the right family connections can bury even the ugliest truths.
Amir Trudeau only goes to his half brother Marcel’s birthday party because of Chloe Danvers. Chloe is rich, and hot, and fits right into the perfect life Marcel inherited when their father left Amir’s mother to start a new family with Marcel’s mom. But Chloe is hot enough for Amir to forget that for one night.
Does she want to hook up? Or is she trying to meddle in the estranged brothers’ messy family drama? Amir can’t tell. He doesn’t know what Chloe wants from him when, in the final hours of Mardi Gras, she asks him to take her home and stay—her parents are away and she doesn’t want to be alone.
Amir never gets an answer to his question, because when he wakes up, Chloe is dead—stabbed while he was passed out on the couch downstairs—and Amir becomes the only suspect. A Black teenager caught fleeing the scene of the murder of a rich white girl? All of New Orleans agrees, the case is open and shut.
Amir is innocent. He has a lawyer, but unless someone can figure out who really killed Chloe, it doesn’t look good for him. His number one ally? Marcel. Their relationship is messy, but his half brother knows that Amir isn’t a murderer—and maybe proving Amir’s innocence will repair the rift that’s always existed between them.
To find Chloe’s killer, Amir and Marcel need to dig into her secrets. And what they find is darker than either could have guessed. Parents will go to any lengths to protect their children, and in a city as old as New Orleans, the right family connections can bury even the ugliest truths.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published January 30, 2024
88 people are currently reading
9101 people want to read
About the author
Jumata Emill
3 books182 followersJumata Emill is a journalist who has covered crime and local politics in Mississippi and parts of Louisiana. He earned his BA in mass communications from Southern University and A&M College. He’s a Pitch Wars alum and a member of the Crime Writers of Color. When he’s not writing about murderous teens, he’s watching and obsessively tweeting about every franchise of the Real Housewives. Jumata lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and is the author of The Black Queen and Wander in the Dark.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 235 reviews
January 4, 2024
WANDER IN THE DARK is a chilling, young adult mystery centered around themes of privilege and entitlement, blended families, family drama, social and racial injustice and minority stereotyping. Author Jumata Emill does an outstanding job of interlacing these themes into the plot line of an agonizing murder mystery rendered through the points of view of a Black boy, Amir, who stands accused of the brutal murder of a white girl from a wealthy family and his estranged half-brother, Marcel. From the time the hand cuffs are snapped on him, Amir knows he hasn't a prayer of proving his innocence and is going down for something he didn't do. No one believes him except Marcel who refuses to abandon him to a certain death sentence without a fight as he dives into his own investigation. What Marcel uncovers puts everything he knows and believes in question - and his life in jeopardy. Can he unmask a murderer in time to save his brother?
Set during the Mardi Gras in New Orleans, WANDER IN THE DARK is a highly atmospheric, raw murder mystery with all the right ingredients to keep readers enthralled from beginning to end. Two estranged half-brothers carry the heavy load of this family drama when one steps up to fight for the other's life despite years of hurt and resentment festering between them. The revelations that surface as the story progresses are deeply disturbing on every level as the blinders come off, and Marcel’s forced to face hard truths that change his life forever. While both boys are the sons of a famous chef, it's Marcel who’s blessed with the benefits of having been raised as a privileged minority and accepted as a member of the in-crowd by white friends . . . or has he? As the son left behind with a poor, single mother, Amir is bitter, resentful and filled with anger over having been deserted by his father who moved on and up without him. At least Amir's eyes are wide open, and he's accepted the hard truths he's forced to live with . . . or has he? Things come crashing down one dark night when Amir’s arrested for the murder of a white girl from the other side of the tracks. Unfortunately, he has no memory of what went down that night and is unable to defend himself against the accusations. As an underprivileged Black teenager, he's the perfect scrape goat for New Orleans's elite who'll do anything to keep their dirty little secrets buried.
WANDER IN THE DARK is an intense, highly atmospheric, heart-breaking murder mystery that highlights the ugly results of the profiling of minorities when the innocent is NOT presumed innocent until proven guilty. The author does a brilliant job of weaving family drama and racial inequalities into a mesmerizing tale of horror where anything can be bought for a price, even lives. New Orleans during the Mardi Gras where you can never be certain what's real and what's an illusion is the perfect backdrop for this story as it unfolds. The increasing intensity of Amir's situation as the danger escalates drives a torrid pace toward an explosive climax. Readers may need a chapter or two to settle in with the social and young adult slang utilized by the author to deliver an authentic story, but I found it highly effective in raising the bar of believability of both characters and plot line. It's a bit of a stretch of the imagination that teenagers can solve a murder mystery that leaves authorities baffled; however, I contribute it to the fact that in the eyes of the adults, this is an open and shut case from day one. WANDER IN THE DARK is a totally consuming, eye opening, young adult mystery that I highly recommend to fans of mysteries, suspense and family dramas.
Many thanks to Delacorte Press for an advanced reader's copy of this title that is scheduled for release on Jan. 30, 2024. All opinions expressed are my own. This review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine and is now available on my blog Cross My Heart Reviews.
Set during the Mardi Gras in New Orleans, WANDER IN THE DARK is a highly atmospheric, raw murder mystery with all the right ingredients to keep readers enthralled from beginning to end. Two estranged half-brothers carry the heavy load of this family drama when one steps up to fight for the other's life despite years of hurt and resentment festering between them. The revelations that surface as the story progresses are deeply disturbing on every level as the blinders come off, and Marcel’s forced to face hard truths that change his life forever. While both boys are the sons of a famous chef, it's Marcel who’s blessed with the benefits of having been raised as a privileged minority and accepted as a member of the in-crowd by white friends . . . or has he? As the son left behind with a poor, single mother, Amir is bitter, resentful and filled with anger over having been deserted by his father who moved on and up without him. At least Amir's eyes are wide open, and he's accepted the hard truths he's forced to live with . . . or has he? Things come crashing down one dark night when Amir’s arrested for the murder of a white girl from the other side of the tracks. Unfortunately, he has no memory of what went down that night and is unable to defend himself against the accusations. As an underprivileged Black teenager, he's the perfect scrape goat for New Orleans's elite who'll do anything to keep their dirty little secrets buried.
WANDER IN THE DARK is an intense, highly atmospheric, heart-breaking murder mystery that highlights the ugly results of the profiling of minorities when the innocent is NOT presumed innocent until proven guilty. The author does a brilliant job of weaving family drama and racial inequalities into a mesmerizing tale of horror where anything can be bought for a price, even lives. New Orleans during the Mardi Gras where you can never be certain what's real and what's an illusion is the perfect backdrop for this story as it unfolds. The increasing intensity of Amir's situation as the danger escalates drives a torrid pace toward an explosive climax. Readers may need a chapter or two to settle in with the social and young adult slang utilized by the author to deliver an authentic story, but I found it highly effective in raising the bar of believability of both characters and plot line. It's a bit of a stretch of the imagination that teenagers can solve a murder mystery that leaves authorities baffled; however, I contribute it to the fact that in the eyes of the adults, this is an open and shut case from day one. WANDER IN THE DARK is a totally consuming, eye opening, young adult mystery that I highly recommend to fans of mysteries, suspense and family dramas.
Many thanks to Delacorte Press for an advanced reader's copy of this title that is scheduled for release on Jan. 30, 2024. All opinions expressed are my own. This review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine and is now available on my blog Cross My Heart Reviews.
October 12, 2023
This book is so good! I love the emotional roller coaster of it all. There were times when I rolled my eyes. Others when I tensed up because I was for sure I knew what would happen next. But then was pleasantly surprised when a different scenario happened.
Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for this ARC.
Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for this ARC.
January 8, 2024
First 5 star read of the year and it's a Jumata Emill!
I was so hype when I received a copy of this book for review because The Black Queen was one of my favorite reads of last year and I am definitely a fan of the authors writing and this was no exception!
The writing Jumata brings is so easy to just absorb yourself into. It's definitely not a new or never been done mystery but for the age it's being written for it's definitely a needed voice!
The characters were all so well written and I absolutely loved the brother dynamic between Amir and Marcel. I was definitely bawling by the end!
The story covered some heavy topics and took a few wild turns throughout and I was so eating it up!
I cannot wait to see what Jumata does next !
Thank you so much to the publisher for the advanced copy!
I was so hype when I received a copy of this book for review because The Black Queen was one of my favorite reads of last year and I am definitely a fan of the authors writing and this was no exception!
The writing Jumata brings is so easy to just absorb yourself into. It's definitely not a new or never been done mystery but for the age it's being written for it's definitely a needed voice!
The characters were all so well written and I absolutely loved the brother dynamic between Amir and Marcel. I was definitely bawling by the end!
The story covered some heavy topics and took a few wild turns throughout and I was so eating it up!
I cannot wait to see what Jumata does next !
Thank you so much to the publisher for the advanced copy!
January 1, 2024
WANDER IN THE DARK is an immersive and fast-paced mystery that I wasn’t able to put down until the very end. Emill has crafted a masterful and poignant exploration of Black brotherhood, familial trauma, and the pressures of existing in predominantly white spaces as Black men. This is a story I’ll be thinking about—and shouting about—for a long time to come. Emill has easily proven to be my favorite mystery writer. Can’t wait to see what he cooks up next!!
September 25, 2023
This book was good for a young adult mystery. And like many YA mysteries, it too many times has me (no where near a young adult anymore) shouting “let the adults handle it!” If you can get past the idea that teenagers can solve murder mysteries better than the police/ lawyers/investigators, this book was actually pretty enticing. (And to be fair, the police were dead set on blaming the poor black kid to look any further into the case, which the book did do a good job on highlighting racial injustices.) It was pretty easy to guess who did it, but it was still a fun read. But man, it definitely made me feel like I might be getting past the age of reading YA when I was trying to understand some of the slang 😂.
Overall, the book was still good, and if you like that genre, I would recommend it. It’s also great for understanding some of the racial issues that still go on to this day.
📖 Read if 📖 :
✔️ You liked the HBO show “The Night Of”
✔️ You liked “One of Us is Lying”, or young adult murder mysteries
✔️ You are a young adult or you’re in the know
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Overall, the book was still good, and if you like that genre, I would recommend it. It’s also great for understanding some of the racial issues that still go on to this day.
📖 Read if 📖 :
✔️ You liked the HBO show “The Night Of”
✔️ You liked “One of Us is Lying”, or young adult murder mysteries
✔️ You are a young adult or you’re in the know
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
January 30, 2024
4.25 ⭐️
This book ticks so many boxes for me: well-plotted whodunnit, thrillers told through a social commentary lens, dark academia vibes, and family drama. One can only hope the story lives up to the expectation.
Short answer - YES!
Jumata Emill not only pens an intense and fast-paced mystery but brilliantly weaves gut-wrenching relevant social commentary. Themes include racism, minority stereotyping and profiling, social justice, privilege and entitlement. Wander In The Dark gives me Ace of Spades vibes, which I also love. We need more books like this, which spark important and necessary conversations.
I appreciate the depiction of blended families in the story. The characters of Amir and Marcel, who are half-brothers, come across as genuine individuals in their conflicts with each other, their respective families, and their blended families. Jumata Emill fully develops these characters, making me invested in their journeys and rooting for a positive outcome.
Kevin R. Free (Marcel) and Niles Bullock (Amir) excel with the narration. I’m not sure how old they are, but they sound fantastic as teens, expertly handling the slang, capturing teenage angst, and helping the listeners fully immerse in their world. I literally couldn’t stop listening! I highly recommend this format!!!
This book ticks so many boxes for me: well-plotted whodunnit, thrillers told through a social commentary lens, dark academia vibes, and family drama. One can only hope the story lives up to the expectation.
Short answer - YES!
Jumata Emill not only pens an intense and fast-paced mystery but brilliantly weaves gut-wrenching relevant social commentary. Themes include racism, minority stereotyping and profiling, social justice, privilege and entitlement. Wander In The Dark gives me Ace of Spades vibes, which I also love. We need more books like this, which spark important and necessary conversations.
I appreciate the depiction of blended families in the story. The characters of Amir and Marcel, who are half-brothers, come across as genuine individuals in their conflicts with each other, their respective families, and their blended families. Jumata Emill fully develops these characters, making me invested in their journeys and rooting for a positive outcome.
Kevin R. Free (Marcel) and Niles Bullock (Amir) excel with the narration. I’m not sure how old they are, but they sound fantastic as teens, expertly handling the slang, capturing teenage angst, and helping the listeners fully immerse in their world. I literally couldn’t stop listening! I highly recommend this format!!!
February 12, 2024
BITCH THAT ENDING HAS ME SOBBING WITH GOOSEBUMPS ALL OVER MY BODY, OMG. This was such a brutal story. I loved The Black Queen, but damn, this story blew that one out of the water. I truly hate that Chloe was murdered trying to do the right thing. I hate that she was murdered because someone thought she was doing something she wasn't. But man, I loved that ending.
February 5, 2024
This is a YA novel, so I had to keep remembering that as I was listening to it since I kept yelling at these kids to stop being dumb. I really enjoyed it though.
Marcel and Amir are half-brothers. They have a tense relationship since Marcel is a product of his father and the side piece he left his mother for and later married. Marcel is rich and privileged and Amir is not. Amir attends Marcel’s birthday party and leaves with a popular white girl at their school named Chloe. They hang out and he falls asleep on the sofa. When he awakens, he finds Chloe stabbed to death in her bedroom.
Marcel wants a relationship with his brother and is determined to find out who killed Chloe who was also his best friend. They both attend an elite private school where they are the minority, because of their race and the number of people who look like them that attend. As he gets closer to solving the murder, Marcel will learn the hard lesson that though he is rich and privileged, he is still Black.
Extra star because it is set in New Orleans and the narrators pronounced everything correctly.
Marcel and Amir are half-brothers. They have a tense relationship since Marcel is a product of his father and the side piece he left his mother for and later married. Marcel is rich and privileged and Amir is not. Amir attends Marcel’s birthday party and leaves with a popular white girl at their school named Chloe. They hang out and he falls asleep on the sofa. When he awakens, he finds Chloe stabbed to death in her bedroom.
Marcel wants a relationship with his brother and is determined to find out who killed Chloe who was also his best friend. They both attend an elite private school where they are the minority, because of their race and the number of people who look like them that attend. As he gets closer to solving the murder, Marcel will learn the hard lesson that though he is rich and privileged, he is still Black.
Extra star because it is set in New Orleans and the narrators pronounced everything correctly.
January 16, 2024
Got an arc from work
I thoroughly enjoyed The Black Queen and having read his sophomore novel I can decidedly say Emill knows how to write a good solid thriller. This was twisty and engaging, and I like that the lawyer wasn’t a bumbling idiot which I feel like is all too common in thrillers like this.
A bit of a clunky beginning and a one off Harry Potter joke bring this down to 4 stars, but I enjoyed it nonetheless
I thoroughly enjoyed The Black Queen and having read his sophomore novel I can decidedly say Emill knows how to write a good solid thriller. This was twisty and engaging, and I like that the lawyer wasn’t a bumbling idiot which I feel like is all too common in thrillers like this.
A bit of a clunky beginning and a one off Harry Potter joke bring this down to 4 stars, but I enjoyed it nonetheless
January 23, 2024
I loved this but WHY DID THEY KEEP TELLING SUSPECTS ALL OF THEIR INFORMATION AND SHOWING ALL OF THEIR CARDS????? It kept it spicy to say the least 😭 but really the story was so compelling and I was so fricken angry. All of the baddies were taken care of, but I’d have liked to see on page evidence of the MCs rubbing it into their faces lmao I’m so petty.
Thanks so much to PRHaudio for an ALC. All opinions are honest and my own.
Thanks so much to PRHaudio for an ALC. All opinions are honest and my own.
May 5, 2025
Un thriller adolescent palpitant qui m'as pris au coeur par les thèmes qui sont abordés. Un roman young adult haletant, engagé et bouleversant qui dénonce le racisme systémique et l'injustice.
J'ai adoré cette lecture rapide mais puissante, portée par un héros que l'on soutient de tout son cœur.
Revue complète sur mon post instagram ici : https://www.instagram.com/p/DJI-5Qks0...
J'ai adoré cette lecture rapide mais puissante, portée par un héros que l'on soutient de tout son cœur.
Revue complète sur mon post instagram ici : https://www.instagram.com/p/DJI-5Qks0...
February 19, 2024
Thank you GetUnderlined for providing me with an early finished copy. There was no review obligation and all opinions are honest and my own.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
TW: death, murder, violence, racism, references to slavery, classism, infidelity, strained familial relationships
Rep: Black teen boy MCs (dual POV), Gay MC, private schools, half-siblings/step parents
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
TW: death, murder, violence, racism, references to slavery, classism, infidelity, strained familial relationships
Rep: Black teen boy MCs (dual POV), Gay MC, private schools, half-siblings/step parents
May 25, 2024
Thank you @prhaudio for my alc.
The killer definitely took me by surprise in this one!
The killer definitely took me by surprise in this one!
September 20, 2024
3.5 rounded up.
It took me a long time to get into the book. All of the characters were so frustrating. However, the last third of the book was exhilarating.
It took me a long time to get into the book. All of the characters were so frustrating. However, the last third of the book was exhilarating.
January 29, 2024
Amori and Marcel are brothers they have two different mothers thanks to their dad Martin cheating on Amari‘s mom and leaving her to be with Lily Marcel‘s mom thanks to the adults bad behavior the brothers or estranged despite the fact they go to the same school. And a late private school set in New Orleans it’s fat Tuesday and Marcel‘s birthday so when his best friend Chloe text Amari and lors him to Marcel‘s party he isn’t sure why but because he likes Chloe he goes. Amari is street smart and thanks to his mom and Lily has grown up misunderstanding where he fits in their family. Marcel is much more astute and well-rounded thanks to growing up with both his parents and wants to make a truce with his brother something the grandmother died wanting. On this night however Amari is still angry and when his brother confronts him as to why he is at the party Clo butts in and ask Amari to take her home. Her ex Trey who is the son of a black senator is there and wants her back at Clo’s house her and Amorie smoke blunts and get to know each other better but when Amari wakes up Chloe is nowhere to be found when he goes up to her bedroom and turns the light on she is bathed in her own blood and deceased. Of course they think Amari did it everyone except for his brother Marcel. When he tries to let him know he will be there for him and they will find out what happened Amari has no time for him. Marcel first thinks Trey is the culprit but when he starts investigating he finds something so wicked and evil that when Marcel finally tells the principal he thinks he will immediately get angry and take action but is left baffled by the principles nonchalance. This doesn’t mean he didn’t find dirt on tray because close did have a memory stick on evidence of the senators wrongdoing something Trey leaves no doubt that it is important to him his sister and her family to keep quiet. While all this is going on Marcel and Amari have their own internal investigation with Y their family went so wrong. Lots of people have mixed families but the things that were said to Amaury or things no parent should say to a child and both boys want to know why. Marcel also is plagued by guilt for incident he’s carried with him for years. The day of the grand jury is growing closer but it seems the guilty or getting further away can Marcel find the true culprit of the murder his brother is being tried for can he get his brother to believe he really does love him and wants them to be friends and like brothers the way their grandmother wanted? This is the second book I have read by Jumata Emil and with both books my rating changed throughout. In both books we have blatant racism against white people and yes white people some terrible people but I don’t think hatred coming from anyone is a good look. When I was little I remember being at rallies and this man said something about my friend being black but used a derogatory term and my dad wanted to tell him something and my mom stopped him and said just consider the source because no one who would say such things is worth your time at least that’s what I got from that and I never forgot it. And having such statements as it’s us against them just makes me feel sad for those who feel that way. As far as the dialogue goes I thought she did a great job with the local dialect because as a person who lives in New Orleans and has teenagers I really thought she downplayed a lot of it but definitely hit close to home with the verbage. I’d love to Amari and Marcel but I did find some of the dialogue between the adults and the abrupt about face doesn’t feel believable but I know it’s written quickly for entertainment purposes and it definitely did that because I was totally entertained I love yeah thrillers and mysteries and the author is definitely talented when it comes to that genre. I do wish she would tone down the hatred or at least not make every white character in her book unredeemable I do notice there was always just one who is deemed an OK white person and I guess they’re in the book so as not to totally offend everyone because if not for that one the book would seem quite hateful despite the great ending. I want to thank the publisher and Net Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
February 27, 2024
5*
Amir Trudeau has done his best to avoid his half brother Marcel ever since the incident at their father's house when they were in middle school. That got a bit more difficult after Amir transferred to the same private school after some legal trouble. Amir only goes to Marcel’s birthday party because Chloe Danvers asked him to. Chloe is Marcel's rich, hot best friend but the former attributes are enough for Amir Amir to ignore her connection to Marcel. Amir leaves the party with Chloe with the hopes of hooking up. He ends up passing out at Chloe's, and when he waked up it's to find Chloe stabbed to death. He's seen fleeing the house on the neighbor's security camera and is the only suspect.
Marcel is the only one the believes Amir is innocent. He dedicates his time to finding proof of such. Even though their relationship is strained at best, Marcel knows his half-brother isn't a murderer. he begins digging into Chloe's secrets to find other suspects. In that process, they uncover scandals that someone might kill to keep quiet.
This was so well done! I had just recently read 'The Black Queen' and wasn't a fan so I was a bit worried about this but 'Wander in the Dark' did the work that 'The Black Queen' thought it was doing! I loved the relationship between Amir and Marcel and how deep down they were both envious of each other's lives. I also liked that the tension between the two boys had deeper reasons than just a childhood argument; it covered ugly divorces and adult jealousy and how that trickles down to the children involved. I liked that as everyone was working to prove Amir's innocence it also forced the adults to work out their issues.
The scandal's that were uncovered were jaw dropping to me. A political scandal or something involving the town elders was one thing, but what was happening at the school was something else. Without spoiling anything, it seemed so out of this world but at the same time absolutely believable in today's current climate. I feel like there's a lot of reliance on apps like Snapchat where things disappear after so long and that it's very believable that kids would get too comfortable. This book did such a wonderful job at looking at family and social dynamics, social justice, and race issues without turning everyone into a caricature.
Amir Trudeau has done his best to avoid his half brother Marcel ever since the incident at their father's house when they were in middle school. That got a bit more difficult after Amir transferred to the same private school after some legal trouble. Amir only goes to Marcel’s birthday party because Chloe Danvers asked him to. Chloe is Marcel's rich, hot best friend but the former attributes are enough for Amir Amir to ignore her connection to Marcel. Amir leaves the party with Chloe with the hopes of hooking up. He ends up passing out at Chloe's, and when he waked up it's to find Chloe stabbed to death. He's seen fleeing the house on the neighbor's security camera and is the only suspect.
Marcel is the only one the believes Amir is innocent. He dedicates his time to finding proof of such. Even though their relationship is strained at best, Marcel knows his half-brother isn't a murderer. he begins digging into Chloe's secrets to find other suspects. In that process, they uncover scandals that someone might kill to keep quiet.
This was so well done! I had just recently read 'The Black Queen' and wasn't a fan so I was a bit worried about this but 'Wander in the Dark' did the work that 'The Black Queen' thought it was doing! I loved the relationship between Amir and Marcel and how deep down they were both envious of each other's lives. I also liked that the tension between the two boys had deeper reasons than just a childhood argument; it covered ugly divorces and adult jealousy and how that trickles down to the children involved. I liked that as everyone was working to prove Amir's innocence it also forced the adults to work out their issues.
The scandal's that were uncovered were jaw dropping to me. A political scandal or something involving the town elders was one thing, but what was happening at the school was something else. Without spoiling anything, it seemed so out of this world but at the same time absolutely believable in today's current climate. I feel like there's a lot of reliance on apps like Snapchat where things disappear after so long and that it's very believable that kids would get too comfortable. This book did such a wonderful job at looking at family and social dynamics, social justice, and race issues without turning everyone into a caricature.
February 3, 2024
This was a really solid and twisty YA thriller! The teen boy voice felt a little cringy to me at first (stuff like “Chloe’s got a tight li’l body”), but it’s engaging, pulls you in, and deals with some important things that I don’t see talked about a ton in YA (eg what fetishization is like for a black gay boy).
The characters are archetypes and there are tropes — in much the same way that you’d get in a Karen McManus book, for example. But I found myself really caring what happened to the POV characters. Both voices are instantly relatable and unique, and it does a great job grappling with the emotional consequences/experience of being two Black boys dealing with the criminal justice system. (At times the points read a bit more in the author’s voice than the boys, but they’re still really affecting.) It made me cry, and I loved the brother love.
There are still soo few YA mystery/thrillers by Black authors with Black MCs; this one is def a worthy addition.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!
The characters are archetypes and there are tropes — in much the same way that you’d get in a Karen McManus book, for example. But I found myself really caring what happened to the POV characters. Both voices are instantly relatable and unique, and it does a great job grappling with the emotional consequences/experience of being two Black boys dealing with the criminal justice system. (At times the points read a bit more in the author’s voice than the boys, but they’re still really affecting.) It made me cry, and I loved the brother love.
There are still soo few YA mystery/thrillers by Black authors with Black MCs; this one is def a worthy addition.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!
April 12, 2024
I really want to give this 5 stars but I can't. Although I absolutely loved this book, the plot, storyline etc. was so good. The characters -- I started off disliking Marcel but by the end, he was def my favorite person. The parents were the worst in the beginning.. in my opinion, each character had really good character development and I really enjoyed seeing how the relationships were impacted by everything going on and how they turned out in the end. What I didn't care for and the reason I can't give this 5 stars is because of the language and sexual comments, innuendos and content. Although this was a really good story and written well, I don't think this was appropriate for the targeted and noted age group (12-17). I would absolutely recommend with the warning that it may not in fact be child appropriate even if the story surrounds teenagers.
October 3, 2025
“Brothers don’t let each other wander in the dark alone.”
Jumata Emill can do no wrong in my eyes.
I was very excited to read this after loving “The Black Queen” months ago.
If you are looking for a twisty, “who did it?” storyline that is laced with difficult topics around race & identity then this is the book for you.
I immersive read this & loved both narrators. They made the read more enjoyable. I could see this being a movie or a television show. It kept me interested, engaged & needing to know who killed Chloe.
My only qualm about this book is how similar it was to “Ace of Spades” by Fariah A.I. There were too many similarities to the point where myself and my buddy reader came to that conclusion separately. There were original concepts and moments but it didn’t outweigh how close they mimic one another.
Overall, I would recommend and read other books from him.
Jumata Emill can do no wrong in my eyes.
I was very excited to read this after loving “The Black Queen” months ago.
If you are looking for a twisty, “who did it?” storyline that is laced with difficult topics around race & identity then this is the book for you.
I immersive read this & loved both narrators. They made the read more enjoyable. I could see this being a movie or a television show. It kept me interested, engaged & needing to know who killed Chloe.
My only qualm about this book is how similar it was to “Ace of Spades” by Fariah A.I. There were too many similarities to the point where myself and my buddy reader came to that conclusion separately. There were original concepts and moments but it didn’t outweigh how close they mimic one another.
Overall, I would recommend and read other books from him.
April 12, 2024
Although I enjoyed reading Wander In The Dark, I don't believe some of the subject matter in this book is suitable for the young adult audience. My biggest gripe was the mention of a “BBC” in Chapter 1. A 12-year-old has no business reading a book that mentions one of the characters having a “BBC.”
Read
January 20, 2024Excellent YA mystery - review to come by the end of the month!!
Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!
Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!
March 5, 2025
this was cute I loki guessed the killer but that’s bc my intuition is rlly good 😝 loved how everything fit tg and the stuff about race actually was insane like jaw dropped. the language was way too modern like why r u saying “bruh” it tmo 😭
March 15, 2024
4.5 ⭐️ rounded up 😁
March 14, 2024
Gosh …the drama of having a straight brother 😧
Read
March 31, 2024Tried it, not for me
March 7, 2024
A chilling mystery combined with social commentary on racial injustice and privilege that I couldn’t put down. It has a slowish start, but once things kick off it never slows back down. I was able to predict the villain but still found the book engaging from start to finish. I split time between the audio and the physical book and I actually preferred the audio - the two narrators both did an excellent job at bringing the characters to life and added the perfect amount of tension to the performance. Twisty and engaging, I’d definitely recommend this one!
February 6, 2024
We enjoyed Emill’s first novel, The Black Queen, when we were compiling our list of books about high school dances, so we were excited to learn he had a new one coming out, and wow . . . we liked this one even better.
Amir and Marcel are half brothers, and while Marcel longs for a relationship, Amir has experienced a lifetime of feeling rejected by his father and his father’s “new” family, so he’d be fine never interacting with Marcel again. But when a text from Chloe, a hot girl from school, gets Amir to show up at Marcel’s birthday party, it sets in motion a series of events that rock both brothers’ worlds.
Amir takes Chloe home from the party and keeps her company before falling asleep on her couch, but when he wakes up at 2:18 a.m., he discovers Chloe stabbed to death in her bed upstairs, and as a young Black man, he knows he cannot be found on the scene of a wealthy white girl’s murder, so he runs. Unfortunately, in his panic, he runs out the front door, only to be caught on a neighbor’s security camera, and it’s not long before he is arrested and facing the death penalty for a crime he didn’t commit. Marcel is horrified and determined to figure out who actually killed Chloe, freeing his brother and repairing the enormous rift in their family.
There’s so much we want to say about this book, and we can’t because any more details about the brothers’ investigation would be a major spoiler alert in a fantastic mystery that kept us turning pages rapidly. But what made us really appreciate Emill’s novel were the complex issues beneath the suspenseful twists and turns. More than anything else, this is a book about a broken family that comes together and begins to heal, and the relationships between the family members, but especially Marcel and Amir, gave the novel heart and brought tears to our eyes. The novel also explores important issues of race, class, colorism, politics, and privilege: the boys attend a private school with a predominantly white student body, and the tensions between race and class are at the center of events.
Do be aware that there is a lot of profanity in the novel, including several particularly vile, racist “SnapMessages” exchanges that play a central role in the plot but did make our jaws drop. We think many students will enjoy the fast-paced novel and that will benefit from considering the issues Emill explores, but this is one we’d probably place on our shelves rather than formally recommend on First Chapter Friday for any group other than juniors or seniors.
Thank you NetGalley, Random House Children’s, and Delacorte Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are our own.
Review will be posted on https://threeheads.works/ on February 26.
Amir and Marcel are half brothers, and while Marcel longs for a relationship, Amir has experienced a lifetime of feeling rejected by his father and his father’s “new” family, so he’d be fine never interacting with Marcel again. But when a text from Chloe, a hot girl from school, gets Amir to show up at Marcel’s birthday party, it sets in motion a series of events that rock both brothers’ worlds.
Amir takes Chloe home from the party and keeps her company before falling asleep on her couch, but when he wakes up at 2:18 a.m., he discovers Chloe stabbed to death in her bed upstairs, and as a young Black man, he knows he cannot be found on the scene of a wealthy white girl’s murder, so he runs. Unfortunately, in his panic, he runs out the front door, only to be caught on a neighbor’s security camera, and it’s not long before he is arrested and facing the death penalty for a crime he didn’t commit. Marcel is horrified and determined to figure out who actually killed Chloe, freeing his brother and repairing the enormous rift in their family.
There’s so much we want to say about this book, and we can’t because any more details about the brothers’ investigation would be a major spoiler alert in a fantastic mystery that kept us turning pages rapidly. But what made us really appreciate Emill’s novel were the complex issues beneath the suspenseful twists and turns. More than anything else, this is a book about a broken family that comes together and begins to heal, and the relationships between the family members, but especially Marcel and Amir, gave the novel heart and brought tears to our eyes. The novel also explores important issues of race, class, colorism, politics, and privilege: the boys attend a private school with a predominantly white student body, and the tensions between race and class are at the center of events.
Do be aware that there is a lot of profanity in the novel, including several particularly vile, racist “SnapMessages” exchanges that play a central role in the plot but did make our jaws drop. We think many students will enjoy the fast-paced novel and that will benefit from considering the issues Emill explores, but this is one we’d probably place on our shelves rather than formally recommend on First Chapter Friday for any group other than juniors or seniors.
Thank you NetGalley, Random House Children’s, and Delacorte Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are our own.
Review will be posted on https://threeheads.works/ on February 26.
June 22, 2025
I've almost unhauled this book three times, but every time I read the synopsis, I could never get rid of it, and thank GOD I kept it.
Amir and Marcel are half brothers, and if there is one thing Marcel knows, it is that his older brother hates him despite how much Marcel idolizes him. Marcel's sixteenth birthday is coming around, and Amir wants to be nowhere near it, but when gorgeous and newly single junior, Chloe, asks him to come and join her, he puts on his best clothes and rushes over to his dad's house to party it up with the prettiest girl in school.
The night is going perfectly, until it isn't. Chloe invites Amir over, and when he accidentally falls asleep on her couch and wakes up at 2 am to find Chloe stabbed to death in her bedroom, he panics and runs. A troubled black boy alone in the rich white girl's house is not a good look. When Amir gets arrested, Marcel knows his brother didn't do it, but knowing it isn't the evidence Amir needs to get the blood off his hands. Equal parts commentary and exhilaration join together in this YA thriller about two fragmented brothers who repair their relationship whilst solving a murder.
I've heard of Jumata Emill's debut novel, The Black Queen, and I knew that was popular in the bookspace when it released. This book was released in January of 2024, and I've had the ARC ever since. This book is DAMN good, but the edge-of-the-seat thriller I was promised wasn't very prominent. If this book was 50-80 pages shorter, I would say it was giving 'edge of the seat', but because Emill makes a lot of room for social and race commentary to balance well with this thriller, the thrilling storyline was dragged out a lot more than it should have been in my opinion.
That being said, I didn't expect this to be as good as it was! I was expecting a simple YA thriller, but instead Emill showed just how much of a genius he is and how just because slavery and segregation are no longer 'allowed' doesn't mean racism, microaggressions, and everything else aren't still out there. I think this book is more so for adult readers, as I don't think most YA thriller readers would pick this up and be like YAAAAAS. As a 22-year-old, I enjoyed the hell out of this.
Most thrillers tend to be three stars for me, and while this one was an absolute banger, it wasn't the type of thriller I love – a thriller I cannot put down. Commentary and genius aside, the thriller plotline was fucking insane. I didn't expect it to go that way, but when it did, my jaw was DROPPED.
I read the physical ARC edition of Wander in the Dark by Jumata Emill, which was released January 30, 2024. My review reflects the ARC edition, NOT the finished copy. Thank you, Delacorte Press, for the ARC!
Amir and Marcel are half brothers, and if there is one thing Marcel knows, it is that his older brother hates him despite how much Marcel idolizes him. Marcel's sixteenth birthday is coming around, and Amir wants to be nowhere near it, but when gorgeous and newly single junior, Chloe, asks him to come and join her, he puts on his best clothes and rushes over to his dad's house to party it up with the prettiest girl in school.
The night is going perfectly, until it isn't. Chloe invites Amir over, and when he accidentally falls asleep on her couch and wakes up at 2 am to find Chloe stabbed to death in her bedroom, he panics and runs. A troubled black boy alone in the rich white girl's house is not a good look. When Amir gets arrested, Marcel knows his brother didn't do it, but knowing it isn't the evidence Amir needs to get the blood off his hands. Equal parts commentary and exhilaration join together in this YA thriller about two fragmented brothers who repair their relationship whilst solving a murder.
I've heard of Jumata Emill's debut novel, The Black Queen, and I knew that was popular in the bookspace when it released. This book was released in January of 2024, and I've had the ARC ever since. This book is DAMN good, but the edge-of-the-seat thriller I was promised wasn't very prominent. If this book was 50-80 pages shorter, I would say it was giving 'edge of the seat', but because Emill makes a lot of room for social and race commentary to balance well with this thriller, the thrilling storyline was dragged out a lot more than it should have been in my opinion.
That being said, I didn't expect this to be as good as it was! I was expecting a simple YA thriller, but instead Emill showed just how much of a genius he is and how just because slavery and segregation are no longer 'allowed' doesn't mean racism, microaggressions, and everything else aren't still out there. I think this book is more so for adult readers, as I don't think most YA thriller readers would pick this up and be like YAAAAAS. As a 22-year-old, I enjoyed the hell out of this.
Most thrillers tend to be three stars for me, and while this one was an absolute banger, it wasn't the type of thriller I love – a thriller I cannot put down. Commentary and genius aside, the thriller plotline was fucking insane. I didn't expect it to go that way, but when it did, my jaw was DROPPED.
I read the physical ARC edition of Wander in the Dark by Jumata Emill, which was released January 30, 2024. My review reflects the ARC edition, NOT the finished copy. Thank you, Delacorte Press, for the ARC!
February 17, 2024
[An eARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley. Wander in the Dark prominently features discussion of systemic racism in the U.S. justice system and racist cyberbullying in a private high school, in addition to some brief but intense descriptions of violence, an infidelity subplot, and past animal death.]
A surefire sign that a mystery or thriller is hitting the way it should for me as a reader is just how worried I get about the characters. And let me tell you, I spent so much of Wander in the Dark extremely worried about Amir, Marcel, and their family. Author Jumata Emill really knows how to craft a fast-paced mystery, and I raced through the book because I desperately wanted to know what would happen next.
Amir and Marcel are great character foils for one another, and their contrasting narrative voices served to strengthen their respective plots and highlight the similarities they developed. Race and class/privilege shaped both Amir and Marcel, often in noticeably different ways, and their experiences influenced how they saw, related to, and interacted with the world. It made the gradual development of their sibling relationship immensely satisfying to read, especially the times when they united together against other people and in support of each other. I also appreciated how complicated their views of each other and the rest of their family were, especially how neither “side” was blameless in how the conflicts had played out.
Jumata Emill did a fantastic job of layering subplots into Wander in the Dark’s murder mystery. The different investigative paths Amir and Marcel went down as they tried to prove Amir’s innocence developed nicely and tied in to one another in unexpected ways. I never felt like the story was lagging or that a potential red herring was dragging out for too long, and while I had some nitpicks about how particular things played out, none of them were significant enough to detract from my enjoyment of the story. This is the kind of mystery that I would enjoy reading again specifically to spot more of the clues/foreshadowing the second time around.
Recommendation: Get it now if you enjoy mysteries. Jumata Emill’s Wander in the Dark is a fast-paced murder mystery that tackles complex families, systemic racism, intracommunity politics, corruption, and so much more. Amir and Marcel are fantastic narrators, and watching the two of them figure out how to be brothers while trying to clear Amir’s name is a great way to spend a weekend.
A surefire sign that a mystery or thriller is hitting the way it should for me as a reader is just how worried I get about the characters. And let me tell you, I spent so much of Wander in the Dark extremely worried about Amir, Marcel, and their family. Author Jumata Emill really knows how to craft a fast-paced mystery, and I raced through the book because I desperately wanted to know what would happen next.
Amir and Marcel are great character foils for one another, and their contrasting narrative voices served to strengthen their respective plots and highlight the similarities they developed. Race and class/privilege shaped both Amir and Marcel, often in noticeably different ways, and their experiences influenced how they saw, related to, and interacted with the world. It made the gradual development of their sibling relationship immensely satisfying to read, especially the times when they united together against other people and in support of each other. I also appreciated how complicated their views of each other and the rest of their family were, especially how neither “side” was blameless in how the conflicts had played out.
Jumata Emill did a fantastic job of layering subplots into Wander in the Dark’s murder mystery. The different investigative paths Amir and Marcel went down as they tried to prove Amir’s innocence developed nicely and tied in to one another in unexpected ways. I never felt like the story was lagging or that a potential red herring was dragging out for too long, and while I had some nitpicks about how particular things played out, none of them were significant enough to detract from my enjoyment of the story. This is the kind of mystery that I would enjoy reading again specifically to spot more of the clues/foreshadowing the second time around.
Recommendation: Get it now if you enjoy mysteries. Jumata Emill’s Wander in the Dark is a fast-paced murder mystery that tackles complex families, systemic racism, intracommunity politics, corruption, and so much more. Amir and Marcel are fantastic narrators, and watching the two of them figure out how to be brothers while trying to clear Amir’s name is a great way to spend a weekend.
April 9, 2025
3.5/5 stars. In general, this book was enjoyable to read, a quick and easy and entertaining story. However, it did have a few weaknesses. Firstly, while I think that Amir was written quite well, Marcel was not, in that he was far too mature and emotionally aware outside of maybe one or two moments where he felt more like the teenager he should be. And I'd be fine with him being as mature as he is if there was a reason for it, but there really isn't one, so it just feels off.
Also, the messages in this book are rather unsubtly and hamfistedly delivered. Except, curiously, the main takeaway we're supposed to get with the killers. Because my takeaway is that white people have turned Black people against each other, basically, but I think the message is given in a muddled way that kinda makes it seem like there's a prioritization of individual ties over communal ones, but it could be that the author is having us question this and isn't endorsing it. I just think that this was the one thing that should've been made really clear and wasn't haha.
Some of the side characters and plots also disappeared and reappeared, but that's only a minor issue I had.
Overall, this book was enjoyable, but I think the execution could've been more. Even the brother relationship, as well as the other family relationships, central to the story felt a little lacking, lost in the general thriller that is the book. And that's okay because of the genre this book falls into, but I also would've enjoyed seeing a story about these two half-brothers forging a real sibling bond. But I'm not going to hold it against the book for not doing this, given that, again, it is a mystery/thriller and so is focused on telling that story.
Also, the messages in this book are rather unsubtly and hamfistedly delivered. Except, curiously, the main takeaway we're supposed to get with the killers. Because my takeaway is that white people have turned Black people against each other, basically, but I think the message is given in a muddled way that kinda makes it seem like there's a prioritization of individual ties over communal ones, but it could be that the author is having us question this and isn't endorsing it. I just think that this was the one thing that should've been made really clear and wasn't haha.
Some of the side characters and plots also disappeared and reappeared, but that's only a minor issue I had.
Overall, this book was enjoyable, but I think the execution could've been more. Even the brother relationship, as well as the other family relationships, central to the story felt a little lacking, lost in the general thriller that is the book. And that's okay because of the genre this book falls into, but I also would've enjoyed seeing a story about these two half-brothers forging a real sibling bond. But I'm not going to hold it against the book for not doing this, given that, again, it is a mystery/thriller and so is focused on telling that story.
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