Powerful story. Timely and deserving of praise

There have been many excellent comments by reviewers about Derek Nikita's first novel so I decided to read the novel which has been published for a few years.

I'm glad I did. I found the story unique with memorable characters and a plot that caught my interest from the beginning.

A sixteen-year-old girl asks her professor father to take her to the local mall. She steals a couple of CD's and is almost caught. When she rushes back to her father in his car, she's in the backseat when a gunman knocks on the window and demands her father's wallet. When her father tries to get away, the gunman shoots and kills him.

Another example of gun violence and senseless killing.

In another part of the story, a young, pregnant woman has a minor car accident while bringing money[ to the bank for her boyfriend. It is easy to observe her distress and fear of her boyfriend's reaction.

When the world of these two women collide at a desperate time, they must figure out a way to get out of a hellish situation in the midst of a gang of ruthless thugs.

The local police detective seems the only person willing to pay the price to  save the teenager who had just witnessed her father's murder.

This is a literary story with suspense well described characters and settings. It shouldn't be missed.