This is the story of a young Jamaican girl's, efforts to keep her family together while her mother is out of the country working to occasionally send barrels of household goods back to Jamaica, at a time when the government and police force is mostly corrupt and posses and gangs are prevalent. Deja must do all that she can to support her siblings and see that they do well in school, even if it means fishing early in the morning before school and occasionally missing school herself. When her mother is robbed, Deja knows the mortgage payments and school fees are her responsibility to figure out.

Along the way, Deja meets Gabriel, a young man in a gang but looking for a way out. Their lives become intertwined when Deja inadvertently stumbles upon a go fast boat with a wounded man on board who asks her to deliver a satchel that turns out to be full of money, money that Gabriel's gang will do anything to get their hands on.

Deja and Gabriel are challenged to make hard decisions to keep themselves and their families alive. Will they be able to overcome the adversities or will they succumb to the corruption that surrounds them?

A story i'll never forget. You get five stars you get five stars yoou get five stars. round of a freaking applause. so so good. This should be mandatory reading for everyone !!!!

I didn’t love this and I didn’t hate it. It was okay! Started off super slow and once I got around page 85, it picked up. When it did pick up, it took off. One thing I learned from this book is to mind your business. Tryna be a hero can cost you your life. I was so mad at Deja for taking that money from that boat and listening to that DEA. When it comes to drugs/money, you can’t trust anyone. With Deja’s situation I do understand why she took the money though. I felt so bad for her character because she had such a huge responsibility and having to fill her mom’s shoes for her siblings was a lot. I loved the bond she shared with them.

I felt as if the ending was rushed. I do wish that we could have gotten more of the story about what happened once she got to The United States. I would have loved to see what she did with the money, and how her mom was.

Thank you to Simon and Shuster and Desmond Hall. This is a gripping spin inspired by Homer’s classic tale the Odessey, set in Jamaica. Deja is a barrel girl, meaning her mom is in America, and sends the family barrels of supplies, leaving Deja to take care of her two siblings, continue her own education, and help provide for the family. She is an expert fisherman, and while on a routine trip, she comes across a boat and finds a dying man inside, who gives her an impossible mission. To deliver a case of $500,000 U.S. dollars to an agent. Unsure if the dying man is the DEA agent his badge says he is, she decides to embark on this journey, setting off a ripple effect that soon changes the lives of those closest to her.

I found myself laughing, screaming at my Kindle during intense scenes, and not wanting this book to end. Hall has a gift for imagery, and you’ll be transported to Jamaica as you read this novel. Highly recommend!

I'll read anything Desmond Hall writes! What a great storyteller -- this book grabbed me from the very first page!

A well-written novel. I enjoyed the non-US setting and the mystery aspect. This did read a little young even though it had more "mature" content. It would probably appeal to the 12 and up side of YA. I would look for this author's next books.