Youthful Sleuths: The Interrogation of Gabriel James by Charlie Price (Required)

Summary


In The Interrogation of Gabriel James, the reader finds out Gabe's story as her relates it to Deputy Sheriff Childress and Officer Kosich in a interrogation related to two murders.  After her dad finds out about their secret camping trip, Gabe and his girlfriend Anita are forced to break up.  When Gabe's friend Wib tells him that the quiet, reserved Raelene Ray is interested in him, Gabe begins to notice the girl and soon becomes intrigued by her reticence.  When Gabe asks Raelene out and she turns him down, saying that she can't date, he strange behavior peaks his interest.  He follows her home only to find out a frightening secret: Raelene and her brother Homer are forced to remove their clothes before entering their home.  Concerned about Raelene but not ready to tell anyone, Gabe continues to investigate.  In the meantime, the new star on the cross country team, Two Bull, a Native American transfer student, becomes the victim of a series of hate crimes, local pets begin to disappear, and Gabe's friend Durmie, a homeless man, tries to commit suicide.  So how are all of these problems related?  What (or who) is the common denominator?  How did these events lead to two murders and who were the victims?  Find out what Gabe knows as he tells his story to the police in The Interrogation of Gabriel James by Charlie Price.


Review


I thought The Interrogation of Gabriel James was a great read.  Price's choice of formatting the book as a sort of transcript of Gabe's interrogation was creative and effective.  As Gabe revealed more and more of what he knew, I became more and more curious about how all the pieces would fit together.  The fact that the two victims are not revealed until the end serves to keep the reader guessing, as does the question of how Gabe was involved. The secrets surrounding the commune are shocking and terrifying and certainly food for thought and discussion, as is the treatment of Two Bull, Durmie, and the local petsI. The fact that the author reveals in the acknowledgements that the novel reflects true events only increases the power of the novel.  I would definitely recommend this novel to my more mature high school students.


References


[Photograph of book cover]. 2011. Retrieved from http://bestbooks4teens.com/
    
     the-interrogation-of-gabriel-james/mysteries/

Price, C. (2010). The interrogation of Gabriel James. New York: Farrar Straus

     Giroux.