One thing I've noticed about thrillers is that for the most part, they don't tend to be very deep. (Possibly bc for the most part, they are *cough* about rich white kids and their non-problems *cough*) ACE OF SPADES does not have this problem. This book grapples with heavy, timely, important themes: institutionalized racism, educational gatekeeping, being LGBTQ in POC communities, socioeconomic status and the way it affects POC most of all - whew. This book packs in so much social power. My jaw literally dropped, and I got goosebumps at some of these emotional, stunning lines and scenes.