Desmond Hall was born in Jamaica, West Indies, and moved to Jamaica, Queens. He has worked as a high school biology and English teacher in East New York, Brooklyn; counseled teenage ex-cons after their release from Rikers Island; and served as Spike Lee’s creative director at Spike DDB. Desmond has served on the board of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids and the Advertising Council and judged the One Show, the American Advertising Awards, and the NYC Downtown Short Film Festival. He’s also been named one of Variety magazine’s Top 50 Creatives to Watch. He’s the author of Your Corner Dark and Better Must Come. Desmond lives outside of Boston with his wife and two daughters.
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Intimate and lyrical, Better Must Come animates the razor-thin margin between hope and despair that Jamaica’s young sufferers reside on, and it does it with the vibrancy of your favorite dance hall riddim.”
– Jonathan Escoffery, author of If I Survive You, National Book Award and Booker Prize nominee
"Cleverly braiding together thriller, budding romance and biting social commentary, Hall’s compassion for his characters and their humanity shines through on the page. Better Must Come is as much about the power of connection, as it is just plain fun to read!"
– Christina Hammonds Reed, author of The Black Kids, a Morris Award Finalist
"In this thrilling story of love and survival in Jamaica where the tentacles of gang life touch everyone - even those determined to escape - Hall reminds us that it's love that restores sanity, keeps ties strong, keeps us all moving forward. Told with fierce tenderness and humor, Better Must Come is a moving, fast-paced ride."
– Erica Ferencik, author of Girl on Ice, a New York Times Editors’ Choice
Hall (Your Corner Dark) presents an expansive exploration of how class and privilege intersect within Jamaican culture through the eyes of teens in this intimately narrated tale told via Deja and Gabriel’s dual POVs.
– Publishers Weekly, 4/1/2024
The nonlinear dual narration reveals how smitten both young people are and moves the story along swiftly toward Deja’s pivotal discovery of a dead DEA agent and a briefcase full of money, while Gabriel navigates the likelihood of betrayal and death as he struggles to find a way out of the posse. [...] Criminal intrigue and the unique vulnerabilities of Caribbean youth make for high-stakes hijinks with a lot of heart.
– Kirkus Reviews, 5/1/24
Hall showcases a Jamaica beset by poverty and corruption, a place where many try to escape their situations through crime and drug abuse. His gritty descriptions create the perfect backdrop for this tense thriller, creating a foreboding atmosphere where very few can be trusted and violence can erupt at any time. Yet, he also makes sure to show it as a place where family and community are strong, instilling young people like Deja and Gabriel with intelligence and compassion. A well-plotted, taut page-turner.
– Booklist, STARRED Review, 6/1/24
This action-packed and gritty depiction of drugs, death, and divine intervention paradoxically weaves the lives of young adults with that of three gang members. [...] After a whirlwind turn of events, Deja realizes she is caught between the devil and the blue sea, as she must race against time and fate to secure a better future for her family. Hall’s sophomore novel offers readers an introspective look at gang life in Jamaica from juxtaposed perspectives.
– School Library Journal, 2/28/25
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