The Disappearance (Laurel Leaf Books)
by Rosa Guy

Imamu Jones has two defenses against the world—his intelligence and the toothpick between his lips—and he needs them. After being acquitted of murdering the owner of a grocery store, he is released into the custody of the Aimsley family. Their immaculate Brooklyn brownstone is a long way from the dirty Harlem apartment he had been sharing with his wino mother. Things seem to be looking up unitl the Aimsleys’ youngest daughter disappears. And Imamu is the prime suspect …