"Forty Acres" by Dwayne Alexander Smith

5 of 5 stars!

The Basics: This thriller follows lawyer Martin Grey as he befriends Damon Darrell, a high-profile lawyer whom Grey actually beat in a racial discrimination court case. After becoming friends with Damon, Martin is also introduced to some high-powered black men, Carver, Tobias, Solomon, and Kwame. Martin is eventually invited on a rafting trip with the crew, though his wife Anna is hesitant about the trip once finding out that a man died on one trip. Damon seeks to calm Anna's worries by making up a story that Mr. Jackson committed suicide and the men helped to cover it to look like an accident so Jackson's wife would receive a nice life insurance policy to sustain her family's lifestyle.
Once on the trip, Martin realizes that they are not going to Seattle as discussed, they end up at Dr. Kasim's Forty Acres property, which is named after the forty acres that was promised to all African-Americans after the abolishing of slavery. But, Dr. Kasim's Forty Acres is exactly what the name suggests. Dr. Kasim's need to right the wrongs that were imparted on black slaves hundreds of years ago is evident in this secret society he has created where the black man is master and the slaves are ancestors of those who have profited from slave labor. But Martin becomes their salvation...

My Thoughts: This book was awesome, though disturbing. Dr. Kasim is a sick, sick man. His wisdom could be used for better things but he decides to seek revenge in such a heinous way. White slaves?! Why?! I was rutting for Martin the whole time. Martin and Anna are so observant and that paid off for them, though it almost got them killed on several occasions. The end of the book had me intrigued through every chapter. I was hoping that Martin would get revenge on Carver some way, and the way it happened was exactly as it should.
The ending of the novel made me think that the story could be continued if necessary but I suppose if all the ends were tied up,  it wouldn't make for a great thriller. I would certainly read other novels from this author.

Remember, teachers read fun stuff too!