Hands Up
Author: Stephen Clark
Published by: WiDō Publishing
Pages: 272
Format: Paperback
My Rating ★★★
Officer Ryan Quinn, a rookie raised in a family of cops, is on the fast track to detective until he shoots an unarmed black male. Now, with his career, reputation and freedom on the line, he embarks on a quest for redemption that forces him to confront his fears and biases and choose between conscience or silence.
Jade Wakefield is an emotionally damaged college student living in one of Philadelphia’s worst neighbourhoods. She knows the chances of getting an indictment against the cop who killed her brother are slim. When she learns there’s more to the story than the official police account, Jade is determined, even desperate, to find out what really happened. She plans to get revenge by any means necessary.
Kelly Randolph, who returns to Philadelphia broke and broken after abandoning his family ten years earlier, seeks forgiveness while mourning the death of his son. But after he’s thrust into the spotlight as the face of the protest movement, his disavowed criminal past resurfaces and threatens to derail the family’s pursuit of justice.
Ryan, Jade, and Kelly–three people from different worlds—are on a collision course after the shooting, as their lives interconnect and then spiral into chaos.
Jade Wakefield is an emotionally damaged college student living in one of Philadelphia’s worst neighbourhoods. She knows the chances of getting an indictment against the cop who killed her brother are slim. When she learns there’s more to the story than the official police account, Jade is determined, even desperate, to find out what really happened. She plans to get revenge by any means necessary.
Kelly Randolph, who returns to Philadelphia broke and broken after abandoning his family ten years earlier, seeks forgiveness while mourning the death of his son. But after he’s thrust into the spotlight as the face of the protest movement, his disavowed criminal past resurfaces and threatens to derail the family’s pursuit of justice.
Ryan, Jade, and Kelly–three people from different worlds—are on a collision course after the shooting, as their lives interconnect and then spiral into chaos.
My thoughts:
A digital copy of this book was kindly sent to me by the author in exchange for my review. Thank you to Stephen Clarke for giving me the opportunity to read his latest novel.
Hands Up is a timely novel due to the very real increase in the number of police shootings of unarmed, young black men in the United States. It is a thought-provoking adult fiction that revolves around three characters linked by tragedy. It focuses on Police brutality, injustice, racism, loss and grief, depression, betrayal and guilt.
The book begins with Tyrell Wakefield being shot by a rookie Police officer, Ryan Quinn. According to the Police, the young man had punched Ryan’s older partner and was attempting to grab his gun. However, Tyrell’s sister, Jade, finds that story very unlikely, as does her mother. So Jade is determined to find out what really happened.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The writing was smooth, gripping and pretty realistic. The setting of Philadelphia worked perfectly, and the characters felt real and were well described. The story was told using first person narrative from Jade, Ryan and Kelly’s point of view..
The plot was fast-paced and really intriguing. It kept me interested throughout. I liked this novel, and it has a lot of great content. The issues of racial prejudice and Police corruption were handled well, and despite none of the characters being particularly likeable, they were certainly all compelling and interesting to read about.
This book deals with some very important and controversial social issues such as the use of deadly (excessive force) by Police, systematic corruption in law enforcement, and last but definitely not least - racial divide. The story and plot itself kept me rapidly reading throughout. All in all, this is a good read, with some powerful moments and a gripping plot, both of which are dealt with skilfully by author Stephen Clarke.
Overall reaction:
A digital copy of this book was kindly sent to me by the author in exchange for my review. Thank you to Stephen Clarke for giving me the opportunity to read his latest novel.
Hands Up is a timely novel due to the very real increase in the number of police shootings of unarmed, young black men in the United States. It is a thought-provoking adult fiction that revolves around three characters linked by tragedy. It focuses on Police brutality, injustice, racism, loss and grief, depression, betrayal and guilt.
The book begins with Tyrell Wakefield being shot by a rookie Police officer, Ryan Quinn. According to the Police, the young man had punched Ryan’s older partner and was attempting to grab his gun. However, Tyrell’s sister, Jade, finds that story very unlikely, as does her mother. So Jade is determined to find out what really happened.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The writing was smooth, gripping and pretty realistic. The setting of Philadelphia worked perfectly, and the characters felt real and were well described. The story was told using first person narrative from Jade, Ryan and Kelly’s point of view..
The plot was fast-paced and really intriguing. It kept me interested throughout. I liked this novel, and it has a lot of great content. The issues of racial prejudice and Police corruption were handled well, and despite none of the characters being particularly likeable, they were certainly all compelling and interesting to read about.
This book deals with some very important and controversial social issues such as the use of deadly (excessive force) by Police, systematic corruption in law enforcement, and last but definitely not least - racial divide. The story and plot itself kept me rapidly reading throughout. All in all, this is a good read, with some powerful moments and a gripping plot, both of which are dealt with skilfully by author Stephen Clarke.
Overall reaction:
