School Library Journal
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Gr 10 Up—When 18-year-old Pryce Cummings asks his professor if he can make a podcast on his hometown's "Trojan murders," he doesn't know what he's getting into. The murders took place five years prior, when four high school football legends were brutally killed by a masked assailant. Returning to his hometown for the summer after his freshman year of college, Pryce researches the podcast and finds evidence that the assumed killer, Deuce, may not be guilty. Pryce gets help from Deuce's former boyfriend, Izzy, and they uncover more evidence that the killer has not yet been found. This is a true crime thriller that will keep readers guessing. The podcast theme is appealing, as the fast-paced mystery reveals layers of evidence that point to the killer. Topics of sexual abuse, rape, racism, and homosexuality are addressed in this book. VERDICT A well-constructed thriller for mature teens that will keep readers continuously guessing.—Nancy Hawkins

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Over summer break, a college student researches a series of murders in hopes of recording a podcast. When the brutal killings of four high school football players rocked his small Louisiana town five years ago, the motive the police gave for the attacks didn’t convince aspiring journalist Pryce Cummings. There was a homophobic backlash against the victims’ closeted classmate Deuce—who supposedly carried out the murders to avoid being outed by the victims and then killed himself. This hostility kept Pryce from coming out until he entered historically Black Whitmore University. When new evidence casts doubt on the identity of the Trojan Mask Killer, Pryce convinces Dr. Morrison, Whitmore’s student media director, that investigating the new lead would make a perfect podcast. He’s also secretly hoping that proving Deuce’s innocence will help convince his own parents to accept his sexuality. Pryce teams up with Izzy, Deuce’s ex-boyfriend, to uncover the truth, but they learn there are more buried secrets than they imagined. The more they dig, the more dangerous the situation becomes, and they have to decide whether finding the truth is worth it. Pryce and Izzy are well-crafted characters; there’s a moving honesty to their experiences as gay Black men. Emill deftly portrays the intersection of race, religion, and homophobia. This complex novel also shines a light on familial abuse, ugly aspects of Southern football culture, and the lengths people will go to maintain their power and privilege. A tense, thrilling mystery featuring two unforgettable queer sleuths.(Mystery. 14-18) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Publishers Weekly
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Emill (Wander in the Dark) balances a taut mystery with incisive, socially charged portrayals of small-town prejudice and corruption in this immersive whodunit. In January 2020, Deuce Beales, a closeted Black teen, purportedly killed four beloved Moss Pointe, La., football players in an alleged murder-suicide. Five years later, 18-year-old Pryce Cummings— a Moss Pointe native and closeted Black freshman journalism major at Whitmore University—stumbles upon a social media post proclaiming Deuce’s innocence. Pryce determines to investigate, hoping to turn the lead into a true-crime podcast that might secure him a summer internship and subsequently delay his return to his oppressive, sports-obsessed hometown. Pryce also longs to disrupt the killings’ narrative; Moss Pointe community members leverage the event as a cautionary tale about queer youth, which solidifies Pryce’s decision to keep his sexuality secret from his religious parents and football star younger brother. As Pryce delves deeper into the inquiry, however, his findings suggest that the true killer is still at large. Interview transcripts, news clippings, and online forum posts intersect Pryce’s candid third-person narration, while evocative prose renders a layered, suspenseful telling that mirrors popular investigative media structures. Ages 12–up. (Jan.)

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Championship football was what Moss Pointe, Louisiana, was known for—until the serial murders of star players rocked their small town five years ago. Dubbed the Trojan Mask Murders, the crimes were pinned on teen Deuce Beales. An anonymous tip led to him being found dead by apparent suicide after gruesomely taking the lives of four teammates in an attempt to hide his sexual identity in their homophobic village. Enter Pryce Cummings, a closeted HBCU student pursuing journalism, who thinks there may be more to the story, and he quickly realizes his investigation may paint him as a target. The fiercely dense plot tackles corruption, deceit, cover-ups, toxic masculinity, racism, homophobia, and rape culture. Kicking things off with a serial killer hook, Emill nimbly escalates the pace to propel the narrative in cadence with the intensifying secrets Pryce uncovers and the mantled layers of multiple main and secondary characters who will shock and surprise. This taut thriller is a compelling choice for most teen readers and is Emill’s best work to date.