Wander in the Dark
Teen; Young Adult
Delacorte Press (January 30, 2024)
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 finds out, because when he wakes up, Chloe is dead—stabbed while he was passed out on the couch. And in no time, Amir becomes the only suspect. A Black teenager caught fleeing the scene of a rich white girl’s murder? 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, things don’t look good for him. His number one ally? Marcel. Their relationship is messy, but Marcel knows that Amir isn’t a murderer—and maybe proving his innocence will repair the rift 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.
When I saw a post from Jumata Emil on Instagram about Wander in the Dark, I knew quickly that it was a story I wanted to read. While the book is a work of fiction, I felt that it would be a very true telling of navigating the world as a young black man. From the synopsis, we know that one of the main characters is a prime suspect in the murder of a Chloe Danvers, a young white woman. It’s quick and easy for the community to assume this is “case closed” without concrete evidence. Amir knows he’s innocent, but he also knows that it ultimately doesn’t matter if it can’t be proven. His half-brother Marcel refuses to give up until he finds the real killer.
I wasn’t prepared for a few things: the impact that a murder investigation would privately have on his family, the reveal of the true villain, and just how terrible young secrets could be.
Marcel and Amir grew up in vastly different circumstances. Amir is the older brother that was figuratively left behind when his dad remarried his mistress. Marcel is the baby brother who grew up a little spoiled and guilty of being the “new son” of their father. Marcel does eventually try desperately to connect with Amir; however, it’s unfortunately the pending murder charges that draw them together.
Chloe was murdered for knowing a dangerous secret.
For most of the story, Amir is reluctant to rely on Marcel for help. Even so, Marcel proves through actions that he’s going to continue to have his brother’s back. He doesn’t let his white peers at their prestigious private school intimidate him from finding the truth. The more Marcel digs into their preppy social circle, the closer he gets to uncovering what it was that Chloe Danvers. Suddenly, Marcel and Amir become targets.
Wander in the Dark was a smart thriller that kept me turning the pages through the night. I admit that a woman pushing 40 might not be the target audience here, but I still found it to be an insightful read. I appreciated the diversity of characters, and the light this story shines on how money isn’t a unifier of people. Coming into money can elevate your economic status, but it doesn’t eliminate existing prejudice.
I think that among many things, Wander in the Dark drives home that family is everything, and true friendships aren’t made by your social class. Friends are made with shared experiences, understanding, and respect. I recommend this book for anyone who’d like to see into the troubles of teenagers and how twisted people of all ages and color can be when it comes to greed.
Kristin lives in the PNW with her husband, and three kids. She loves to read YA fiction, fantasy, and romance. She enjoys a few side-hustles, including creating bookreels/booktoks for authors. The only shows she watches are re-runs, and if she’s not reading a book, she’s listening to one.
