Title: I Don’t Wish You Well
Author: Jumata Emill
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 400
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Review Copy: Purchased
Availability: Available now
Summary: Five years ago, the infamous Trojan murders turned the small town of Moss Pointe, Louisiana into a living nightmare. Four teen boys—all star players on Moss Pointe High’s football team—were murdered one after the other by a Trojan-mask wearing killer.
Eventually, the murderer was unmasked. But the community has never forgotten—and some folks in town still wonder whether the police got it right.
Eighteen-year-old Pryce Cummings is one of them. An aspiring journalist, Pryce is pretty sure he just stumbled upon evidence that throws the killer’s guilt into question. It’s the perfect story for his own podcast, and a reason to go back to the hometown he’s avoided since coming to terms with his sexuality while at college.
But in Moss Pointe, digging into the past is anything but welcome. There’s so much more to what happened there five years ago, and Pryce is ready to crack it all wide open . . . if he lives to tell the tale.
Review: [Homophobia, racism, domestic/familial violence, child sexual abuse, rape, bullying, drug use, suicide, and (of course) violent murders all feature heavily in this book. While graphic details aren’t given, sometimes enough information is provided to connect many unpleasant dots.]
I enjoyed Jumata Emill’s previous novel, Wander in the Dark, so I was excited to get my hands on I Don’t Wish You Well. I’m delighted to report that Emill has delivered yet another fast-paced mystery and thriller for readers. The investigative podcast framework was fun, as it allowed for things like interview files, excerpts from investigation materials, and newspaper clippings without breaking immersion—these were materials Pryce had gotten his hands on or interviews he conducted. You could start to see his podcast taking shape as he gathered this content.
The murder mystery investigation was complex and compelling. What started as investigating a simple claim that the alleged murderer had an alibi for at least one of the murders quickly expanded. Pryce dug deep into his hometown’s secrets, whether they were related to the football team, the police force, or respected (and powerful) members of the community. Watching Pryce (and then Izzy as co-investigator) untangle the various threads between people he knew or knew of as he got closer and closer to the truth was immensely satisfying. Emill did a fantastic job with the pacing—I felt like I was right with Pryce as he put his pieces together, or only just barely ahead of him, which is always a great experience when reading a mystery.
Pryce’s mixed feelings about going back home and his fraught relationship with his family were excellently woven through all of this. His fear of how his family would react if they found out he is gay is heartbreaking, and it was difficult to watch him go back into the closet when he went home compared to him being out while at college. The conservative Christian church and its members cast shadows into the present—Pryce saw firsthand how they reacted to Izzy when he was outed five years ago, which is what kept Pryce in the closet in high school. Pryce’s relationships are complicated, and I appreciated how Emill handled some very difficult scenes, especially when characters were messy and imperfect. Emill dedicated this book to “all the queer Black boys who just wanted to BE but were told they couldn’t,” and I thought about those words every time Pryce couldn’t just be himself or where Izzy hadn’t been able to in high school but could confidently be himself in the present. As much as I Don’t Wish You Well is about small-town corruption and abuse, it’s also about queer Black boys who aren’t allowed to grow up as they are instead of what their communities expect them to be.
Recommendation: Get it now if you like mysteries. Jumata Emill wrote a a tense, fast-paced mystery that digs deep into small-town secrets and growing up closeted in a conservative religious community. The mystery itself is sufficiently complex that it is immensely satisfying as Pryce starts untangling it. The relationships between Pryce and the Moss Pointe community are complicated and messy, and Pryce’s determination to uncover the truth, wherever that leads him, make I Don’t Wish You Well an engaging read.
Extras: Q&A: Jumata Emill, Author of ‘I Don’t Wish You Well’
Thank You For Reading Us For Filth (Ep 551 – Nancy Drew/Jumata)