One day in 1990s Brooklyn, Ti Zoot returns from Haiti and decides to pick up his car at his friend Ernse’s home. When Ti Zoot opens the trunk, he discovers Ernse’s body. Readers learn that this may be the vengeful result of Ernse’s impregnating the girlfriend of a gangster named Quico. Flash-forward, and Ti Zoot is missing his pal, while Ernse’s wife, Nancy, is trying to move on and raise her daughter. Nancy begins to date Max, a Miami gangster who recently moved to New York City and has his own crew. Max is making a name for himself on the street, but his friends—namely Pik and Fredo—think they are tough, too, and go after Ti Zoot after he starts a petty beef. (The protagonist puts them in their place.) Ti Zoot and his friends become enemies of Max and his crew, and the two groups face off in a few confrontations. Afterward, Ti Zoot prioritizes protecting his friends—including Jimmy, who is falling for Nancy—and trying to figure out what events led to Ernse’s murder. Meanwhile, Max seriously considers the possibility that the war started because of Pik’s and Fredo’s ineptitude. Duval’s characters are mostly grounded and feel like a real-life community. Similarly, rich details, such as references to the Haitian cuisine the players devour, amplify the story, making it feel as if readers could visit Brooklyn and see these characters. The prologue and epilogue are both strong. The latter deftly delivers a sweet, tender flashback, adding a final note of hopefulness to the tale. Unfortunately, the story’s middle section tends to drag a bit. In addition, the exchanges at times read like dialogue in a play. When Jimmy talks to Nancy about Ernse’s death, it will be easy for readers to picture her standing on a stage as she reveals: “After losing my husband? You can say it….I remember after it happened for weeks…months. I refused to let myself smile, enjoy a moment with my daughter, share my thoughts. I refused to live.” While this scene brings to mind August Wilson, the technique does not work that well in a novel.