Tiffany Jackson has proven to be a storyteller. In “Monday’s Not Coming,” the disappearance of the main character’s friend drives the action. As the main character comes to accept what happened, readers learn her friend, Monday, was killed. In “Grown,” a talented young singer endures the abuse of a music mogul as she hopes for her own career. When the mogul is murdered, she must solve the mystery to prove her innocence.  “Blood in the Water” is set in summertime in Martha’s Vineyard. The main character, Kaylani, is not excited to be sent to the Vineyard to summer with friends of her family, The Watsons, especially since her dad is in jail and she wants to prove his innocence.

The setting is terrifying for a girl who can’t swim, especially when a young man turns up dead, drowned with potential shark bite wounds on his body. As a young Black person, Kaylani interested in the history of Blacks on the island. And she’s not well treated by the Watson daughters. But Kaylani learns to stand up for herself and in the end proves an unthinkable connection between her dad’s imprisonment, the now-dead Chadwick, and her host family. This story will interest young readers who want to read about Black history on Martha’s Vineyard, along with a solid mystery.