Saving Ruby King

DEBUT When Ruby King’s mother is killed in her home on Chicago’s South Side, the lead suspect is her husband, Lebanon, who’s known to be violent. Ruby flees, fearing that she’ll be her father’s next victim. Her best friend, Layla, is eager to find her, but Layla’s father, Rev. Jackson Potter, refuses to let Layla go looking for Ruby. Layla longs to leave the church behind and move forward with her life, not as the pastor’s daughter. This is a story of intrigue and heartbreaking family secrets from the past that tie together the King and Potter families. Debut author West presents the Calvary Hope Christian Church as a character, with its own chapters. Calvary speaks its wisdom and weighs in on its members that it holds close and dear, from the past to the present. This literary choice creates a deeper understanding of the novel’s setting.