First published 2023
Summer 1950 in Gracetown, Florida. Robert Stephen Jones Jr. faces the consequences of a single act of defiance. He kicked a white boy, and now he must pay the price at Gracetown School for Boys. The segregated reform school becomes Robert's new reality, but this institution harbors secrets far darker than harsh discipline. Boys have died within these walls, and their presence lingers. Robert discovers that the living face brutality while the dead refuse to rest. He witnesses how racism and injustice destroy young lives, creating victims who transcend death itself. The school operates as more than a correctional facility. It functions as a machine of terror where boys enter but do not always leave alive. Robert must navigate this nightmare while confronting the ghosts of those who came before him. The story reveals how institutional violence creates lasting trauma that echoes beyond the grave.
Genres: mystery, horror, supernatural, african-american-historical-fiction
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: social-commentary, supernatural-elements
Setting: Gracetown, Florida
Period: 1950s
576 pages · Kindle Edition · Gallery / Saga Press
Content warnings: abuse, racism, violence