2004 Edgar Award Winner for Best Young Adult Novel: Acceleration by Graham McNamee

Summary


Duncan, the 17-year-old narrator of Graham McNamee's award-winning novel Acceleration, has the most boring summer job ever: working in lost and found for the Toronto Transit Authority.  When Duncan finds a journal in the lost and found, he decides to pass the time with some reading.  Soon Duncan realizes that the author of journal is a serial killer in the making, and he's accelerating.  Roach, as Duncan nicknames the  owner of the journal, began, like many serial killers, with killing animals and committing arson, but now he is stalking three women, and Duncan is sure that soon he will kill.  The previous summer, Duncan failed to save a drowning girl, and now he sees his chance to be the hero.  When the police refuse to take him seriously, Duncan enlists the help of his friends to find the would-be killer and stop him. Duncan scours the journal for clues.  Will he be able to find out Roach's true identity and stop him before he kills? Or will he fail again in his efforts to save the girl and be the hero? Read Acceleration to find out!

Review


Acceleration is the perfect title for this book, not just because of term's relation to the increasingly violent actions of Roach, but also for the pace of this suspenseful read.  Many young adult readers will identify with Duncan's desire to be the hero, his sense of failure, and his frustration with authority figures, namely the police, who don't believe him.  Those who are fascinated by serial killers or who love shows like Criminal Minds that deal with serial killers will recognize the characteristics in the journal just as Duncan does.  The theme of responsibility in this novel could lead to some great discussions.  This is a novel that I would highly recommend to my teenage students, but one that I, as an adult reader, truly enjoyed as well.

References

McNamee, G. (2003). Acceleration. New York: Wendy Lamb Books.

[Photograph of acceleration cover] (2011). Retrieved on September 26, 2011,

        from: http://www.alibris.com/search/books/qwork/

        7766091/used/Acceleration

Series Selection: Cross Fire by James Patterson

Summary


Shouldn't those who think themselves above the law be brought to justice through any means possible? This is just the question Alex Cross faces in James Patterson's latest addition to his famous Cross series, Cross Fire. Just when Alex and his girlfriend Bree are ready to tie the knot and loyal fans are hoping their favorite detective will finally find happiness, Detective Cross finds himself investigating the murders of a congressman and lobbyist, all known to be less than honest. Alex finds himself in a typical battle over jurisdiction with the FBI, namely with an agent named Max Siegel.  Despite Alex's initial distrust and annoyance with Siegel, he soon finds himself liking the guy, though reluctantly.  Just when it seems matters couldn't get any worse, Alex gets a call from his arch nemesis, Kyle Craig, the Mastermind, a serial murderer Alex believed he had finally put away for good.  But now, Craig is on the loose again and as determined as ever to destroy and Alex and his entire family.  Can Alex work with Siegel to stop the vigilante murders?  Will he be able to protect himself and his family from Kyle Craig and put the Mastermind away once and for all?  Will he and Bree ever make it down the aisle?  Read James Patterson's Cross Fire to find out!

Review


Ok, I should warn you that I'm biased.  I love James Patterson, particularly the Cross novels, and I've read them all.  Sure, Cross Fire is a typical Cross novel, but that is exactly why I loved it!  Short chapters full of action and suspense make Patterson's novels can't-put-it-down selections.  I love Alex and Bree together, and the possibility that the two might make it down the aisle and enjoy a happily -ever-after life had me hoping for the best but fearing the worst.  The reappearance of Kyle Craig really upped the suspense factor.  I mean, Patterson isn't going to kill off his main character, but his family--Bree, the children, Nana Mama?  Well, anything is possible.  Patterson's use of dramatic irony--letting the audience in own truths Alex isn't privy to--just ups the stakes even more. And, of course, Patterson leaves enough open at the end of the book to keep the series going, setting up for the next installment, Kill Alex Cross, set to be released November 14, 2011--just in time for my birthday on the 16th!  Whoo Hoo!


References

Patterson, J. (2010). Cross fire. New York: Little, Brown, and Company.

[Photograph of cross fire cover]. (2011). Retrieved on September 26, 2011,

     from: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7856305-cross-fire

Youthful Sleuths: The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant (Required)

Summary


When Pia's grandmother dies is a horrible accident involving hairspray and an Advent wreath, Pia becomes known as the girl whose grandmother blew up.  Suddenly finding herself as the class outcast, Pia becomes the reluctant friend of another outcast: StinkStefan.  Pia and Stefan also have another unlikely friend, Herr Schiller, a kind old widower who tells them fantastical stories about the history of their town.  When a young classmate of Pia and Stefan's, Katharina Linden, disappears, suspicion quickly falls on the dark and mysterious Herr Duster, whom Pia and Stefan soon learn is actually Herr Schiller's brother.  Town gossip Frau Kessel blames Herr Duster for the disappearance of Herr Schiller's daughter many years ago.  The story is that Herr Duster and Herr Schiller (who changed his name after the disappearance to distance himself from his estranged brother) were both in love with the same woman.  The beautiful Hannelore chose Herr Schiller over Herr Duster, and many in the town believe that Herr Duster took his niece to get revenge.  When more girls go missing, Pia and Stefan take it upon themselves to investigate, convinced Herr Duster is guilty.  Are the new disappearances connected to the disappearance of Herr Schiller's daughter all those years ago? Is Herr Duster the culprit or just a innocent scapegoat?  Will Pia and Stefan be able to find the truth?  Read Helen Grant's The Vanishing of Katharina Linden to find out.

Review


First, I have to say that the copy of this novel that I read was an "advance uncorrected proof," so I don't know if major changes were made to the novel before final publication or not. Overall, I enjoyed the novel.   As a former German major, I appreciated the insight into the German culture provided in the book and feel that it would be a great title for students to read for exposure to other ways of life.  I did feel that the pace of the novel was slow to start; I would be concerned that some readers might give up on the novel before the real action begins.  Also, I figured out the mystery long before the two junior detectives. While I enjoyed reading the remainder of the novel and finding out all of the details that led to the disappearances, I do feel that perhaps the guilty party was too obvious--though perhaps a younger reader  might not have found it so.  In the end, though, I think that reading the novel could lead to some great discussions about making assumptions and placing the blame.  The treatment of Pia and, to a lesser extent Stefan, by their classmates is also a timely one with the growing concern over bullying in our society.  This aspect of the novel would also be great for prompting discussion.

References


[Photograph of cover of the vanishing of Katharina Linden]. (2011).
     Retrieved on September 26, 2011, from: http://www.penguin.com.au/
     products/9780141325736/vanishing-katharina-linden

Grant, H. (2009). The vanishing of Katharina Linden. New York: Delecorte
     Press.

Non-traditional Detective: Blow Fly by Patricia Cornwell

Summary

Kay Scarpetta is a former Virginia Chief Medical Examiner now living in Florida and still mourning the death of her lover, Benton.  Benton is hiding out as Tom but very much alive. Lucy, Kay's niece, runs The Last Precinct, a private, international investigation company.  Marino, a retired cop, works for Lucy and is secretly in love with Scarpetta. Both know that Benton is alive--they helped fake his death. Jean-Baptiste Chandonne, the Wolfman, who suffers from hypertrichosis, is a serial killer on death row obsessed with Scarpetta.  Jay Talley, or Jean-Paul Chandonne, is the strikingly handsome twin brother of Jean-Baptiste, also a serial killer, hiding for the FBI in Baton Rogue and preying on women with the help of his companion Bev. The two men are the twins sons of the head of the dangerous Chandonne crime family.  Rocco Caggiano is Jean-Baptiste's lawyer, an employee of the Chandonne family, and Marino's estranged son.  Nic is a student of Scarpetta's and a detective in Louisiana investigating the disappearances of women around Baton Rogue.  These characters form the cast of Patricia Cornwell's Blow Fly.  Jean-Baptiste faces impending execution still obsessed with Scarpetta having missed his chance to murder her in the past.  In an effort to see her again, he writes her a letter offering to give up his family if she will interview him and person and be the doctor who gives him his lethal injection. Kay is also contacted by Louisiana coroner Dr. Lanier after he, too, receives a letter from Jean-Baptiste about a cold case, the death of a woman from an apparent drug overdose.  So how do all of these puzzles pieces fit together? Will Scarpetta and her friends be able to bring down the Chandonne family?  Will Jean-Baptiste fulfill his dream of killing Scarpetta?  Will they catch Jay and Bev before more women are murdered?  And Will Scarpetta find out that Benton is alive and that her closest friends kept it a secret from her?  Find out in Blow Fly, Patricia Cornwell's follow up to The Last Precinct.  

Review

I chose Blow Fly  because it was on the class bibliography for amateur detectives and my mother-in-law had a copy.  I hadn't read any previous Scarpetta novels and the only Cornwell book I had read was her non-fiction Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper--Case Closed, which was interesting, though I didn't like her writing style.  Having now read one of her fiction novels, I still don't like her writing style.  As you can see from my summary, this novel is full of characters and storylines.  While all are connected, in my opinion, it is really too much for one novel. The constant change of focus from character to character and storyline to storyline is not only hard to follow but is distracting and, I would say, annoying.  I'm sure that had I read the past Scarpetta novels leading up to this one I would have more interest in the characters because I would know more about their back story; however, Cornwell offers enough explanation for new readers to follow the storyline.  Surprisingly, Scarpetta isn't a main player for much of the novel, which might be an issue for dedicated readers, although many might enjoy seeing the other players take a larger role. The pace of the novel certainly picks up toward the end when Scarpetta becomes more involved in the storyline, indicating to me that perhaps Cornwell is more comfortable with her main character and that branching off to cover the other characters was a challenging experiment. I also felt that, at times, Cornwell overdid it with the description. I found myself skimming passages that offered more detail than I needed.  Some of the description, especially relating to the two serial killers, is quite graphic, which some readers, like myself, might find a bit hard to stomach.  Overall, I didn't love the novel.  However, due to the popularity of the Scarpetta novels, I wonder if I might enjoy the series if I read it from the start or if Cornwell just really isn't my speed.  Who knows?  Maybe at some point I'll give her another try. 

References

Cornwell, P. (2003). Blow fly. New York: J. P. Putnam's Sons.

[Image of Blow Fly cover]. (2011). Retrieved on September 22, from: 

     http://www.fictiondb.com/author/patricia-cornwell~blow-

     fly~121543~b.htm

Youthful Sleuths/ Supernatural/ Ghost Stories: The Other Side of Dark by Sarah Smith (Required)

Summary


Through alternating narrator Katie and Law, Sarah Smith presents the mystery of the Perkins Bequest.  Katie has spent the last year dealing with the sudden death of her mother.  To deal with her grief, she is having imagined conversations with her father, who passed away before she was born. At least, she thinks the conversations are in her imagination.  Katie is also an artist, and her drawings have taken a clear turn for the morbid.  When Katie begins seeing and talking to George at the park, she first believes he is a living, breathing boy, but very soon she realizes he isn't.  Katie has to come to terms with the fact that drawing isn't her only talent: she can also see ghosts. George explains to Katie that he lives in Pinebank, the mansion built by George's wealthy grandfather, Thomas Perkins, a famous Boston benefactor, which is now in ruins.  George died when Pinebank caught on fire, and he ran back in the burning house to save a secret treasure hid grandfather asked him to protect.

Law is the privileged son of a black father who speaks for reparations  to be paid to African Americans for slavery and white mother who is a landscape architect.  Law has inherited his father's love of history and his mother' appreciation of architecture. As a result, he has a strong fondness for Pinebank and it's position in the landscape of the park, a landscape designed by his mother's hero and his namesake, Frederick Law Olmstead.  Law and his mother are also involved with the Friends of Pinebank, a group working to stop the mayor of Boston from demolishing Pinebank and working to raise money to have it restored.  Law's father, however, is completely against the restoration of Pinebank and would love to see it destoyed due to Thomas Perkins's past as a slave owner and trader.

When Law sees Katie drawing Pinebank as it looked when George was alive, he approaches her about using her drawings to help save the house.  Katie confides in Law about George and the treasure he died trying to protect. Law knows right away that this treasure must be the mysterious Perkins Bequest.  Hoping the Bequest will be able to save Pinebank, Law and Katie vow to find the treasure, which George says is hidden in a secret place in the basement. There's just one problem: the ruined mansion is a death trap and there's no way Law and Katie can safely reach the basement.

So, what is the Perkins Bequest and can Law and Katie find it without getting themselves killed or will Pinebank claim another life?   Who was Thomas Perkins: an evil slaver or a generous philanthropist? Will Pinebank be saved or demolished? To find out, read The Other Side of Dark by Sarah Smith.

Review


Once I started reading The Other Side of Dark, I couldn't put it down.  I stayed up half the night to finish it and find out the truth about Thomas Perkins and the Perkins Bequest.  The end of the novel, when the mystery is revealed and Katie finds George and releases the Others is very powerful and moving. Once Law's father told him the "truth" about Perkins, I began to suspect there was more to his story and when Katie found George's "secret place," I put it together immediately.  Still, I couldn't wait to read the last chapters to find out how it all played out, whether Katie was saved, who won the Walker Prize, and whether Pinebank would be rebuilt.  I think this is a statement to Smith's skill in creating characters and drawing you into their stories so deeply that you still want to keep reading after the big reveal.  I did not know the story of the Katey or have any idea that the Perkins family, Pinebank, and the Friends of Pinebank were all real, but finding this out just makes the story even stronger.  I think the aspect of historical fiction in the novel, with the information about slavery and the Underground Railroad, as well as the topics of racism and reparations, make this young adult novel a great choice for school libraries and a selection US History teachers should consider using as a supplemental reading.  I can just imagine the great discussions the book would inspire!

References


Smith, S. (2010). The other side of dark. New York: Atheneum Books for

     Young Readers.

[Cover of The other side of dark]. (2010). Retrieved on September 20, 2011,

     from: http://www.sarahsmith.com/index.php?option=com_content&view

     =article&id=15&Itemid=69

Mystery-Suspense/ Psychological-Suspense: The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton (Required)

Summary

Mike, now in prison, suffered a mysterious and horrible family tragedy and near-death experience at a mere eight years old, earning him the name of Miracle Boy, taking away his voice, and setting him on a path he never could have imagined, a path full of more near-death experiences. When Mike goes to live with his Uncle Lito, he discovers that he has two rare talents, both artistic: drawing and picking locks. When "the House," the star football players on the high school football team discovers Mike's talent, he enlists Mike's help in pulling off a seemingly harmless prank on a rival football players.  When Mike has the bad luck to be the only one of the boys caught breaking into the Marshes' house, he ends up on probation, digging a swimming pool in the Marshes back yard.  Mike won't give up the names of the boys involved in the break in, and Mr. Marsh seems ready to kill him until he discovers Mike's talent and realizes it could be the answer to his prayers.  Mike has also found the answer to his prayers: Amelia, Mr. Marsh's daughter.  When Mike learns that Mr. Marsh's shady business dealings have put him and his family in grave danger, he agrees to help by being apprenticed to the Ghost, an expert boxman on his way out of the business.  Mike learns the trade and begins his life of crime, all to protect Amelia.  Mike is fully aware that the man in Detroit, the mobster who now owns him, will not hesitate to have him killed if he ever fails in his duties. All Mike wants is to be with Amelia, but to protect her, he must leave her behind.  So what happened to eight-year-old Mike that set him on this path to a criminal life?  Will he ever escape the man in Detroit and return to Amelia before she moves on?  Will Mike, the Miracle Boy, continue to survive in life and death situations or is his luck all used up?  How did he wind up in prison? Mike tells his story in The Lock Artist: A Novel by Steve Hamilton. Check it out. 

Review

As the first reading for my mystery genre class, The Lock Artist, got me off to a great start.  The mystery of what happened to Mike as a child and the reason for his silence pulled me in right away. By keeping these secrets until late in the novel, author Steve Hamilton kept me hooked until the last page.  Mike tells his story in a series of non-linear flashbacks that some might find confusing or annoying, but that I found intriguing and effective. Hamilton is able to make connections between the more recent and the more distant flashbacks in such a way the organization makes sense and furthers the story while still keeping the reader wanting more, wanting to solve the mystery that is Mike. Though he is a criminal, Mike is an endearing character, and I found myself pulling for him right away.  The reasons behind his choices, even those he doesn't reveal until late in the novel, nearly, if not completely, clear him of all guilt in the mind of the reader, especially his love for and devotion to Amelia.  The horrors that Mike endures to protect his love make it hard for the reader to remember that this narrator is only seventeen years old.  When FBI agent Banks begins contacting Mike and trying to convince Mike to accept his help, the reader is hoping Mike will agree, knowing that he won't, and curious what will happen next if he doesn't, what horror will have to occur to finally convince him that Banks is his only hope. With Mike, Hamilton achieves a powerful depth of character and a mystery that hooks his readers from the start. Through Mike's narrative, Hamilton maintains the suspense, slowing offering small pieces of the puzzle until he brings Mike story to a somewhat incomplete, but completely satisfying conclusion. I would highly recommend The Lock Artist.  I loved it!

References

Hamilton, S. (2009). The lock artist: A novel. New York: Minotaur

     Books.

[Photograph of The Lock Artist cover]. Retrieved September 17, 2011

     from: http://prettysinister.blogspot.com/2011/06/new-stuff-

     lock-artist-steve-hamilton.html