Criminal

Readers will be riveted by the novel’s opening chapters. When Nikki and her boyfriend, Dee, get word the police want him for questioning, concise characterization provides a quick understanding of Nikki and her intense, troubled relationship with Dee. Careful details provide just enough information to show that they’re both in serious trouble. Nikki is a deeply sympathetic protagonist. Her adoration for Dee—and her excuses for him—are heartbreaking and help explain her involvement in his terrible crime: “He wasn’t going to hit me or anything, but I got out anyway. When he was fierce like this, it was better to just disappear. Eventually he’d quiet down. He always did. And after, he was always sorry.” The novel’s suspense builds powerfully as the police begin to suspect Nikki’s role in the crime. Terra Elan McVoy’s gift for portraying convincing relationships adds poignancy as Nikki and Dee break up and the investigation damages, perhaps irreparably, Nikki’s dearest friendships. Nikki is eventually left with no one to turn to—except the police. In a dramatic and well-executed plot shift, Nikki ends up in prison, agonizing over her remorse, the remnants of her love for Dee, and whether to tell the full story of what happened. Nikki’s imprisonment and dealings with the justice system are authentic, engaging, and a refreshing departure from the typical survival-of-the-fittest prison storyline. Ultimately, Nikki has to make a grueling, climactic choice about Dee. Her fate at the story’s end is realistic yet movingly hopeful.