Between Good and Evil

by Rochelle Alers

They came of age during America's most turbulent decades . . . on the streets of one vibrant, at times hard-hearted metropolis. In this dazzling new novel, rich with historical detail, three very different young New York City men will walk the fragile line between right and wrong, good and evil, making choices that will irrevocably shape their lives—and unforeseeable fates . . .

Kenny, Frankie, Ray. For these best friends, life on the Upper West Side during the upheaval of the 1960s showed undreamed-of possibilities—and temptations. Moved by visionaries like Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcom X, Kenny risks the draft as he plunges into civil rights activism. With surprising business savvy, Frankie expands his grandfather's Harlem underworld empire to feed the growing demand for drugs—and his hunger to be the city's biggest kingpin. Ray dreams of being a doctor, but his near-addictive desires lead him to a near-fatal confrontation . . . and a different sort of healing.

But as the 1970s unwind, Kenny dedicates himself to revenge as well as social work—forming a dangerous alliance that puts him at an inescapable crossroads. Used to sexual playgrounds like Studio 54, Frankie falls for the one woman he shouldn't want. And Ray embarks on a dangerous double life that throws him into conflict with his deepest convictions.

With its relentless materialism, the 1980s will take these friends from a scandal-ridden Gracie Mansion mayoral campaign to wrenching urban change that will alter their old neighborhood forever. Kenny, Frankie, and Ray must decide how far they will pursue dreams that can guarantee success—or disaster. And each must come to terms with the kind of man he wants to be—no matter the consequences . . .

Genres: Historical Fiction

368 pages, Paperback

Published December 16, 2025

About the author

Rochelle Alers was born in Manhattan, New York, USA, where she raised. She obtained degrees in Sociology and Psychology, before started to work. She is a member of the Iota Theta Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and her interests include gourmet cooking and traveling. She has traveled to countries in North, Central and South America, and Europe. She is also in accomplished in knitting, crocheting and needlepoint.

Published since 1988, today a full-time writer, has been hailed by readers and booksellers alike as one of today's most prolific and popular African-American authors of romance and women's fiction. With more than fifty titles and nearly two million copies of her novels in print, she is a regular on the Waldenbooks, Borders and Essence bestseller lists, regularly chosen by Black Expressions Book Club, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Gold Pen Award, the Emma Award, Vivian Stephens Award for Excellence in Romance Writing, the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award and the Zora Neale Hurston Literary Award. She also wrote as Susan James and Rena McLeary.

Rochelle Alers lives in a charming hamlet on Long Island.

Reviews

[Kate Connell · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this is billed as a coming of age novel about three young men in NYC from the 1960s to the 1980s, it is more about the life of one of these boys mothers. Justine, a young black woman, is blackmailed into carrying her employers child and is promised that once she’s done they will help her get the schooling she wants. However, when she gives birth to unexpected twins, she keeps one of the babies and raises it as her own. This is one of the young men, Kenny. The next portions of the story follow the friendship between the three boys (Kenny, Frankie, and Ray), interspersed with sections following the burgeoning relationship between Justine and Frankie’s Uncle Francis. As the boys grow up, they grow a bit apart as adults do, but find their ways back to each other as adults.

This book does a lot more telling than showing but is still worth reading.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this novel.

[Ryan Brandenburg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this expansive novel that centers around a captivating ensemble of characters in New York City during the 1960s to the 1980s. The writing is exceptional, and I was immediately drawn into the narrative. What follows is a multi-decade tale centered around a mother and an intriguing predicament she encounters—and how this situation profoundly influences the rest of her lives and the lives of those around her.

My sole critique is that while the book is described as being centered around three boys (Kenny, Frankie, and Ray), it primarily focuses on Kenny’s mother, Justine. Although I still enjoyed the storyline, the book’s description could certainly benefit from a revision. I have noticed a trend in recent books featuring the troupe of male friendship, which is why I was particularly eager to read this one. Despite my enjoyment, the book did not quite align with the description.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book before it releases on December 16, 2025.

[Herbibliomaniac · Rating 4 out of 5]

4🌟

Thanks to Netgalley, Rochelle Alers, and RBmedia for sending an Arc audio for me to review.

To start off with, the blurb for this doesn't entirely match the actual book itself. Do not get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. However, it's not really coming of age, and while it does in a sense center around the three boys talked about, it also involves mothers. The beginning of this book and everything after the beginning of this book, are 2 very different things. It starts off with the mother and an experience that happened to her. It goes to show how that experience changed not only her life, but her sons life, and those around them. Not only does it show the results of trauma, but also life in a different time for these characters. For two of the boys, it shows their entire life from conception to adulthood.

All in all I really did enjoy listening to this, the narration was great and the story was captivating

[Gary Parkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

[Susan McAulay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. Don’t get me wrong; there WERE things that I liked about it. However, I think that while it did maintain my interest and it was a fast read, with a good flow, there are things about the novel that bothered me. One thing is that it was billed as a coming of age story about three young men who were friends from the 1960s to the 1980s. I love historical books, especially from that time period so I was predisposed to liking this novel. This starts in the midst of the Civil Rights era, something else in its favor. However, this was not a coming of age story about three young men. The three young men did feature prominently in the narrative, but the book was really about Justine, the mother of one of the young men. It was about her journey through this time period, how she dealt with difficulties in her life, and how it affected her relationships and even though the relationship among the three young men was certainly part of the novel, it really emerged towards the end. That is not a huge problem, but it affected by expectations.
The beginning of the novel starts with Justine as a young girl who works for a rich Black family. She is forced to bear the child of the husband because his wife is infertile. Hence, at the very beginning of the book, the reader is introduced to two really terrible characters that are impossible not to hate. This sort of event feels like it is wrongly placed, meaning that this novel begins during the 1960s but being forced to sleep with and bear a child of your employer feels like something that would have happened earlier than the 1960s. This event needs to happen because it sets up what occurs at the end but is not really referred to in between. While I can tolerate bad characters, when they essentially disappear again until the end, I feel cheated. This feels more like a plot device than something that naturally moves things along and then makes me start out hating what just happened.
I enjoyed the characterization; that was certainly a strong point. Justine, the boys, and Uncle Frankie (one of the boy’s “uncles” and potential love interest for Justine). I appreciated the goodness of the different characters, with the flaw that make them interesting rather than flat.
I also liked the history woven into the fabric of the novel. What I had some trouble with was the flow and timing. There were moments where the author went very slowly, digging deeply into the time period, and others where she disposed of time quickly as if it didn’t matter and this gave the book an uneven tone through. There were times when I wanted the author to slow down instead of glossing over an entire era.
Finally, this novel had some important messages about racism and civil rights from different perspective but there were times that the author became a little didactic and conveyed her messages in dialogue, usually a longer speech, with a character conveying unhappiness about it. I love the messages and agree with them all but would rather have been them conveyed through actions with narrative than through a character on a soapbox. They just, at times, seemed a bit heavy handed.
Thanks to NetGalley and to Kensington Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel. All the opinions expressed herein are my own.

[Jazisunray Skillern · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is an unforgettable, sweeping saga of friendship, ambition, and the search for identity amidst the social and cultural upheavals of New York City from the 1960s through the 1980s. With a cast of vividly rendered characters and a setting pulsing with authenticity, this novel captures the essence of an era and the indelible bonds forged on the Upper West Side.

The intertwined journeys of Kenny, Frankie, and Ray are at once deeply personal and emblematic of the times. Kenny’s passionate plunge into civil rights activism, inspired by icons like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, is both stirring and fraught with risk, offering a nuanced portrait of idealism under pressure. Frankie’s meteoric rise from the Harlem underworld to the heights of the city’s illicit commerce is rendered with sharp intelligence and a keen sense of moral ambiguity, while Ray’s struggle between his dream of becoming a doctor and his own self-destructive desires is heartbreaking and utterly human.

As the narrative moves through the tumult of the 1970s and into the relentless materialism of the 1980s, the stakes for each friend grow ever higher. The novel deftly explores themes of loyalty, temptation, and the cost of ambition, set against a richly detailed urban backdrop that evolves alongside its protagonists. From the glitz and decadence of Studio 54 to the shifting political landscape of Gracie Mansion, every scene rings with historical accuracy and emotional truth.

Ultimately, “Kenny, Frankie, Ray” is a powerful meditation on dreams—those that inspire us, those that haunt us, and those that force us to confront who we truly are. It’s an evocative, page-turning epic that will resonate with anyone who has ever faced the crossroads between who they are and who they hope to become. Highly recommended.

Thank you, Rochelle Alers, RBmedia, and NetGalley, for this ARC audiobook.

[Timitra · Rating 4 out of 5]

ALC Review

Between Good and Evil was a highly engrossing tale that kept my attention throughout. I expected something totally different from it because of the promises made pretty early on that didn't fully pay off in the end which left me feeling out of sorts and a bit disappointed. It was still an enjoyable read but I wished it had gone in the direction hinted at. However, I loved that it centered and followed Kenny, his mother, Frankie and Ray. Their journeys were interesting and intriguing. Some parts were even rage inducing while others were shocking. I loved the twists and turns this one took even though I saw some of it coming. The narrator did a pretty good job of it. The accents, tones, nuances and characterizations were well done. I enjoyed listening to him. He had a pleasant voice.



Copy provided by publisher through NetGalley

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel and found it engaging and thoughtfully written. While it was initially presented as a coming of age story centered on three young men from the 1960s through the 1980s, the heart of the book is really Justine and her journey through the Civil Rights era and beyond. Her story, along with the lives of the boys and memorable supporting characters like Uncle Frankie, was compelling and emotionally grounded. The characterization was a clear strength, and I appreciated how history and social issues were woven into the narrative. Although the pacing moved unevenly at times, the novel remained a fast and absorbing read with meaningful themes about family, resilience, and race in America.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC.

[Kwana Swain]

This was about the life of young Justine and how two cruel women changed her forever, I'm a fan of Rochelle, but I have to say I'm a little disappointed in this story because she didn't dig deeper into Justine story and instead focus on Justine son Kenny and his friendship with his blood brothers Ray and Frankie. I enjoyed the boys friendship and how they were there for each other through the years. I received this as an ARC.

[J R · Rating 5 out of 5]

interesting and fun historical fiction with some great plotting and some excellent characters throughout. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very intriguing!

This was a very interesting story with complicated characters. The loss of innocence and the resorts to evil seemed won't justified. I would recommend it.