This book was equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking. I adored all of the characters and the time period the story was set in is one of my favorites to read about. I loved the mystery aspects of the story and Octobia May is a fantastic little detective. However, this book is so much more than a mystery. It was full of wonderful social commentary and really explored what it means to be free. I adored Octobia May and I think you will too. Thank You to Richard Denney for inspiring me to pick this up. My only reason for not giving it 5 stars is that it was rather confusingly written at certain parts, which made it hard to get a handle on what was happening in those particular moments.