Plot Summary:  Mickey Bolitar is not having a very good year.  His dad is dead, his mom is in rehab, and Mickey is forced to change schools and live with the uncle he doesn’t really know.   When his new girlfriend doesn’t show up to school one day, Mickey grows worried and with the help of his new friends decides to look for her.

Critical Analysis:  I am a fan of Harlan Coben’s Myron Bolitar series.  I think that he has a knack for combining quirky characters with real pathos and lots of dry wit added in for good measure.  When I heard there was going to be a young adult series about Myron and Win, I was interested but wondered how that would work, as they did not meet till college. and Win is, well, not a character you would think belongs in many teen books.  So I was glad when the series about Mickey was announced.

Mickey is actually introduced in the last Myron book, Live Wire.  The beginning of Shelter is the ending of Live Wire from Mickey’s point of view.  I have been disappointed lately in bestselling adult authors who have written young adult books just to capitalize on this growing market.  (I was going to name names, but decided most people would be able to think of at least one…)

So it is both a relief and a delight to report that this is a good beginning to what I hope will be a long running series.  (I was going to be mad at Coben if that weren’t the case.  There are not enough books in this genre being written for teens today but we don’t need poorly written ones either.)

Despite sharing a talent for playing basketball, wisecracking  and a deep love for family, Mickey is not Myron.  I bet Myron wishes he would have thought to yell “Homework” whenever his parents were giving him grief.  Perhaps it is because he is a teen, but Mickey feels things more deeply, and is trying to find the balance between being independent and taking help from others.  Mickey’s friends are great, moving beyond the stereotypes they represent as are the stereotypical jocks who have it in for him.  (Shades of Myron again who just can’t seem to keep his mouth shut around meatheads.)  The secondary storyline about the Bat Lady who says his father might still be alive is intriguing and appears to be a thread that will run through at least the first part of the series.

I hope teens find their way to Shelter, and perhaps to the Myron books as well which aside from a great deal of violence are teen friendly.

Review Excerpts: “Shelter begins one of the oddest—and most appealing spinoff series in recent years….[T]he youngster copes with some adult-sized problems, including his father’s death, his mother’s drug abuse problems, switching high schools, and his new living situation. Everything seems less pressing, however, than the mysteries surrounding the disappearance of a new girlfriend.”–Barnes and Noble

“Edgy and action-filled, the novel has interesting, likable characters, and it should fly off the shelves.”
—School Library Journal

“Crackerjack pace and multi-layered plotting…”—Kirkus Reviews

“Coben’s semi-noir style translates well to YA, and the supporting cast is thoroughly entertaining. It’s a strong start to the series.”—Publishers Weekly

“Quite satisfying and points to a good deal of potential for what might come next.”—Booklist

Reviewed from publisher provided advanced copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Plot Summary:  Heavy rains have caused the Williamette River to swell, threatening the city of Portland.  Several people have been caught in the swiftly rising waters and appear to have drowned.  The medical examiner discovers that the latest victim was poisoned before she ever went into the water.  Other drownings are soon shown to be poisonings as well, and Archie Sheridan has a new serial killer on his radar.  Susan Ward is sure that the killings have something to do with the Vanport Flood of 1948.  Archie and Susan are racing against the rising waters, trying to track a killer without becoming his next victim.

Critical Analysis:  It hardly seems fair to the author or the reader to advertise this as book 4 in the Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell series.  Gretchen barely makes an appearance, and when she does, it is secondary to the action and the story.  Don’t worry, there is still plenty of action, thrills, suspense and murder to go around.  But even more than that, the looming presence of the river, the rain and the rising waters add to the atmosphere, sense of place, a sense of urgency.  The story feels leaner and tighter than the previous entries in the series, perhaps because the focus really is on the core group of Archie and Susan with Henry and Clare, and the events are clustered within a short time frame.  It seems reviews are quite mixed, but count me as one who is pleased to see that Cain can write quite a story without an assist from the Beauty Killer.

Review Excerpts: “Perfect for readers who want to mix true crime history with their contemporary serial killers….The pace is as relentless as the floodwaters engulfing Portland.”–Library Journal

“[T[he story is deftly handled, the suspense is plentiful and Cain’s evocation of the gloomy atmosphere and Portland setting is superb.”–Kirkus Reviews

“Cain easily weaves the history of the real-life Vanport flood with her trademark heart-stopping moments, and fans will be pleased to see the series flourishing without Gretchen on every page.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“The enveloping floodwaters are every bit as terrifying as the octopus-toting killer (many of the key action scenes take place in or under the black water), and the river itself takes on a kind of evil persona, a superhuman antagonist of unfathomable power.”–Booklist

Reviewed from public library audio book.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Plot Summary:  Teens Keri, Janna and Sione have something in common.  All had an older brother who committed suicide.  Janna tells Keri she and summer fling Sione think it might have been murder, with a pattern of deaths stretching back for years.  They try and catch the person responsible, but when they get close, strange and dangerous things start to happen.  Will they stop the killer from striking again?  Or end up victims themselves?

Critical Analysis:  I have a hard time writing about a book like this, as I don’t want to give too much away, so here goes nothing.

I hesitate to call this novel paranormal.  For me, as of late, that term invokes visions of vampires, werewolves and ghosts in a sort of other world that might look like our world but is different.  Healey instead gives the reader something real.  Real feelings both on the part of the main characters and the secondary ones.  Grief and fear and a need to do something, to take control.   Human feelings and motives that drive actions both good and bad.  This reality adds a layer of fear and suspense and emotion to the events as they unfold.  This story, the setting, and the characters as so well realized that days after finishing the book, I can see it in my mind, playing like a movie.  (It would be an excellent teen horror movie I think.)

Readalikes:  I was reminded of Shirley Jackson’s short story, The Lottery and of Margo Lanagan’s Singing My Sister Down.

Review Excerpts:  ”[A]n intense and powerful novel that explores the effect of suicide on families….skillfully keeps her characters on an emotional roller-coaster even as they deal with physical threats. The climax delivers a gut punch that only underscores the sensitivity of the subject matter (without lessening the thrill at all).”–Publisher’s Weekly

“Healey has got a whopper of a concept here, and strong main characters to make the most of it. It is easy to identify with at least one of the trio—shattered Keri, lovely Janna, soulful Sione—and get swept up in the mystery that surrounds them as they work to protect Takeshi and Aroha, who are endearing.”–VOYA

“Told in alternating chapters by the teens, the story unfolds at an even pace, with the characters developing into fully realized and distinctly different personalities. Healey merges Maori and Samoan words and cultural influences throughout the text. A good choice for teens who prefer their fantasies mixed with more realism.”–School Library Journal

“…Healey (Guardian of the Dead, 2010) seamlessly integrates noir and fantasy tropes to explore issues of suicide, trust, sexuality, race, insecurity and free will in a way that feels fresh.”–Kirkus Reviews

Reviewed from publisher provided advanced copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Bibliography: Pearce, Jackson. (2011). Sweetly. New York: Little Brown Young Readers. ISBN: 978-0316068659

Plot Summary:  As a child, Gretchen all but watched as her twin sister was taken by a witch in the woods.  Brother Ansel could do nothing either.  They kept waiting for the witch to return for them.  Many years later,  their stepmother kicked them out and they got in their car and drove, and drove and drove until it died outside of Live Oak, South Carolina.  Young and beautiful, candy maker Sophia invites them to stay, then keeps finding tasks for Ansel to do to keep them around.  The witch won’t find them here, or will she?  Local Samuel tells Gretchen of something that lurks in the woods and makes young girls disappear after the chocolate festival.  Could it be after her?  But this time, Gretchen is not going to run, but stand and fight.  The more Gretchen learns, the more afraid she becomes of discovering who the real monster is.

Critical Analysis:  I actually liked this much more than Sisters Red.  The problem I had with Sisters Red was that the book focused on the three characters and really no one else.  This made it hard for the characters to grow or change, and in places was to be honest a bit slow and boring.  Characters need other characters to interact with, they need to be out in the world.  I think Sweetly expands the picture, adding more primary and secondary players to the mix.  It feels more real, like a time and place and people that you might meet in the South.  I also find this loss and fear to be more primal.  The idea that something is lurking in the woods and the only reason it doesn’t have you yet is because it hasn’t caught you feels very much like an underlying theme from any number of traditional fairy tales.  And while I see many call this a reconstruction of the original tale (Hansel and Gretel) for me it is actually much closer to a retelling or re imagining and that works for me.

Review Excerpts: “The story revisits several themes…including sibling bonds and betrayals, the loss of childhood innocence, and the sharp teeth of the big, bad world. Gretchen is a more nuanced character …and her relationship with Ansel doesn’t suffer quite as much from the trials they face together.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“This is more of a mash-up of the fairy tale and some recent best sellers than a reframing of the story in a deep Southern setting, and Pearce’s writing is too long on breathlessness and suppressed anguish and too short on actual plot. Will any of this pull readers in? Make them want to read 300 pages? Highly unlikely.”–School Library Journal

Reviewed from publisher provided advanced copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Plot Summary:  Coming home from a party, Jack is kidnapped by a predator.  He manages to escape telling  no one except his best friend, Connor.  Later when Connor and Jack stumble across the same man, he ends up dead.  Travelling to England to look at boarding schools, Jack arrives in London a few days before Connor.  A strange man gives him  a pair of glasses showing an alternate post-apocalyptic world where Jack is trying to save two young boys while Connor has turned into a monster.  Jack wants to look away but he can’t.  The glasses call to him, and even as he looks through them, Jack wonders what is real and what isn’t.  Is he going crazy?  Or is his world?

Critical Analysis:  Interestingly enough for me, this book feels like a natural progression following Smith’s last book, In the Path of Falling Objects.  As with Objects, there is a real feel of the west here, although in this case, it feels more like a shriveled up ghost town and less like seeking a new (better) life.)  But even more so, Objects dealt with the scary heart pounding thrill of escaping from a mad serial killer.  Here Smith takes us one step closer to the darkness–what if we escape the serial killer only to discover there are even worse things in the world, that is, if the world we are in is even real?

I had a hard time reading this book.  It was so dark and so disturbing I wasn’t sure I wanted to finish it.  And yet, the character of Jack was vulnerable and needy and I had to know what happened to him, that he came out okay in the end.  I felt his fear, at the noises, his longing, his need to pick up the glasses one more time, his loss when he would come back to the present and couldn’t remember anything that had happened in the interim.  I find the juxtaposition of elements here to be as complex as they are surreal–a mix of teenage boys being boys and the darkness that is always out beyond the edge coming closer, threatening to take over.  The ambiguity is as sweet as it is frustrating.  What is real and what is just in Jack’s head?  This may be the first book in years that gets an almost immediate reread so I can soak more of it in.

Review Excerpts:  ”This bloody and genuinely upsetting book packs an enormous emotional punch. Smith’s characters are very well developed and the ruined alternate universe they travel through is both surreal and believable.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“Graphic and nightmarish, this will find a receptive audience of older teens who are fans of Stephen King’s darkest horrors….the story is suspenseful and deeply disturbing, written with multiple layers that will have readers arguing about what the apocalyptic scenes in Marbury are really all about.”–VOYA

“This is a haunting psychological drama, told in very adult language and descriptions that nonetheless is impossible to put down. Not for the fainthearted or the young, this is an incredibly well written story of emotional demons that is hard to forget.”–Children’s Literature

“An engrossing horror/fantasy hybrid, this page-turner will be best appreciated by those with a taste for ambiguous endings….Nightmarish imagery is chillingly effective, and the pacing superbly builds suspense.”–Kirkus Reviews

“This title will keep readers enthralled with its well-developed characters and unique plot…The novel is not an easy read, but it is one that will keep teens hooked….”–School Library Journal

“Mixing a trauma reckoning with dark, apocalyptic fantasy and notes of psychological horror, this commandeering novel’s multiplicity is elusively complex yet never complicated: although the many gut-quivering story elements are not clearly defined, they always speak to each other, and Smith wisely leaves much up to the reader.”–Booklist

Reviewed from publisher provided advanced copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Plot Summary: Felix “Fix” Castor is trying to quit–the exorcism trade that is.  He agrees to take one last case at the Bonnington Archive in London.  Seems like it should be straight forward enough, but he should have learned long ago things are never what they seem, and there are people who will do anything (summon anything) to keep him from untangling this complex web of lies to find the truth.

Critical Analysis:  Felix Castor is a great character with one heck of a back story.  And Carey does an excellent job of making the world he lives in and the skills he has seem rather ordinary in a way.  I love the details and the layers of realism and fantasy that Carey has so carefully created.  But most of all, as a mystery junkie (addict?)  I was pleased when the paranormal dark fantasy turned out to be a an excellent mystery with an exciting and suspenseful climax.  So for me, it is more that this is an interesting well-written mystery with a fascinating protagonist than anything else that will get me to put up the next installment in the series.

Review Excerpts:  ”The resolution of this ingeniously multilayered tale will satisfy fans of both fantasy and detective fiction. Fix Castor’s wisecracking cleverness in the face of weird nemeses makes him the perfect hardboiled hero for a new supernatural noir series.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“After a slow first few pages, the story takes off…. an appealing underdog protagonist who readily acknowledges his many flaws…The job-turned-mystery angle works fine too until it hits a rather chunky spot of explanation near the end. By then the book will have woven a haunting spell over most readers, ensuring anticipation of the next installment….”–VOYA

“Carey’s writing is nimble and witty, his dialogue believable. The exorcist’s sardonic observations and personal sense of tragedy make him an unlikely, likable hero….Carey transcends his comic roots in this quirky, dark and imaginative tale that compels readers to keep turning pages long after they should have gotten to sleep.”–Kirkus Reviews

Reviewed from public library copy.   Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Plot Summary:  The Secretary of the Navy asks John Mahoney, Speaker of the House, to have his fix it guy, Joe DeMarco, investigate his nephew’s claims that fraud is being committed at a naval base in Bremerton, WA.  With the help of retired DIA agent, Emma, they discover it isn’t fraud, but an espionage ring.  When spies begin to show up dead, it seems the their control may be after more than just top secret information.

Critical Analysis:  On the surface, the premise of some of Lawson’s books seem rather like that of other political thrillers being written today.  But the devil, as they say, is in the details.  (I am tempted to go back and reread Inside Ring just so I can write a review of it here–so much about the politics between the different groups and agencies in Washington, it seems absurd but only because it is probably true.)  Here Lawson tells us everything there is to know about how a naval base works.  And, incidentally, how someone might go about infiltrating said base to collect classified information.  Fascinating stuff.

But what sets Lawson apart are his characters.  Joe DeMarco, of course, who so human and so real, and who has that quality that I love in many protagonists of my favorite mysteries and thrillers–a desire for truth, justice and helping others that ignores politics, what it is good for his career and the fact that he could end up dead.  But we also have Emma, who made an appearance in the first book.  What I love about Emma is that she is older, retired, but still sharp and on her game.  And I know that Lawson has to have written her back story and hope that means that she might appear in other entries as well.  And then there is the Speaker himself, John Mahoney.  Lawson makes him as stereotypical as they come and then gives him hidden strength and cunning to get out of the tightest spots.  He’s what you love to hate about politicians and yet in the end he supports DeMarco and Emma.  I have a long road trip coming up, I think I’ll add the next DeMarco book to my listening stack.

Review Excerpts: “…[I]t’s the character of DeMarco, a man of insecurities, weaknesses and outright defects, that separates this new series from the herd. DeMarco also has a dry, self-deprecating sense of humor that contrasts nicely to the solemn gravity of his professional circumstances.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“[T]he author (a former civilian contractor for the U.S. Navy) works in plenty of the kinds of details only an insider could know. At once a solid thriller and a revealing look behind the scenes of American politics, the tale will appeal to a wide spectrum of readers.”–Booklist

Reviewed from public library audiobook.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Plot Summary:  Dave Gurney, recently retired NYPD homicide detective, is having a hard time adjusting to leisurely life.  When old acquaintance Mark Mallery calls in a panic about puzzling messages that contain veiled threats hinting at a past crime, Dave promises to help.  When Mark is murdered and other victims of the same puzzle are uncovered, Dave finds himself chasing a serial killer who seems to have thought of all the answers.

Critical Analysis:  I have such a hard time reviewing a book like this.  Such a unique premise and set up, that to say too much is to spoil the book.  A serial killer that can read the minds of his/her potential victims.  If the killer knows what you are thinking, what else does he know?  I am amazed that Verdon thought of such a diabolical plan for the killer.  It is twisted and crazy and methodical and mad and it works.

Dave Gurney is a new character who feels familiar.  Not in an old tired way, more like he seems like someone you have met before.  As a character, he rings true.  I think many retirees, not just cops, have a hard time adjusting to their new life, and I really liked the portrayal of his relationship with his wife.  She loves him and wants to live this retired life where he finally pays attention to her, but can’t stop him from doing what he must.  Verdon gives them a emotionally charged back story that only adds to the heartbreak of what sometimes seems like indifference if not resentment.

Review Excerpts: “The numbers game gets a murderous spin in Verdon’s deft, literate debut.”-Publisher’s Weekly

“[A] riveting thriller with a wonderfully baffling crime. Dave, Madeleine, their marriage, and Mellery are compellingly observed; lesser characters are vividly sketched. The sense of place, whether the Catskills at the onset of winter, or the shabby Bronx, is almost visceral….[C]rime fans of almost every persuasion will love it. An outstanding debut.”–Booklist

“…inventive and entertaining…The hard-edged characters and gritty plot recall Chandler’s “mean streets,” but the ornate puzzles laid before Verdon’s detective might have challenged the “little grey cells” of Hercule Poirot…Verdon plays fair with the reader, crafting the puzzles with elaborate care and dangling the clues in plain sight. “–Washington Post

Reviewed from public library audio book.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Bibliography

Plot Summary:  Psychologist and investigator Maisie Dobbs is asked to fulfill a death bed wish: settle once and for all whether a couple’s aviator son was killed as reported in the Great War.  Starting with psychics in London, the case takes her to France and a visit with dear friend Priscilla who lost her three brothers in the war, one who may have a connection to the case.  Maisie is forced to deal with her feelings about the war and comes to realize there is much she doesn’t know about her mentor Maurice.

Critical Analysis:  Maisie Dobbs remains one of my favorite characters in fiction.  Winspear has a real talent for creating complex, layered real people who live in complex real worlds.  The setting, the time period only add to feeling–looking back and moving forward from a momentous event that left no one unchanged.

In this volume, I especially liked the deft plot–the mystery within the mystery alongside a parallel case with a twisty ending that may be one of the most suspenseful scenes I’ve read in years.  I actually feel lucky to be a little behind the series, since that means there are several more volumes waiting for me.

Readalikes:  For a different perspective on recovering from the Great War, check out Charles Todd’s Inspector Rutledge series.  Rutledge postponed his career at Scotland Yard to fight in the war.  Now he is back, shell shocked with a dark secret.

I think Maisie Dobbs and Laurie King’s Mary Russell might be kindred spirits.  I was especially reminded of The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, which features multiple mysteries and Locked Rooms where Russell remembers and confronts her past.  Maisie, part of the joy in the series lies in the world building and character growth across the series.

Review Excerpts:  ”Fans of Miss Marple and Precious Ramotswe are sure to embrace Maisie, a pitch-perfect blend of compassion and panache.”–Booklist

“Filled with convincing characters, this is a complex tale of healing, of truth and half-truth, of long-held secrets, some, perhaps, to be held forever. Winspear writes seamlessly, enriching the whole with vivid details of English life on a variety of social levels.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“A thought-provoking series entry, the story contains revelations of secret missions, homosexuality, the lives of persons from all layers of society, and a winning heroine who is not perfect and is willing to learn from her mistakes.”–School Library Journal

Reviewed from public library audio book.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Bibliography

Plot Summary:  Tasked to perpetuate a scientific fake for a class assignment, Missy calls best friend, cousin, and look alike Claire to come to her high school as a long lost twin.  In an interview for the school morning news,  both girls start to realize there is no hoax, and when the story goes viral, three different families are forced to face the choices from their pasts.

Critical Analysis:  A black swan is an event that is hugely important, rare and unpredictable, and explicable only after the fact.  This idea forms the core of Cooney’s compelling plot.  It hooks you and keeps you reading through some improbable scenes to the satisfying conclusion.  Multiple viewpoints take some sorting out, and the writing, well, it could be tighter.  But the story of cousins for whom discovering they are actually twins is only the beginning of uncovering a series of secrets about themselves and their families somehow hits most of the right notes, and teen girls will speed through the pages and hope, that as with Janie (from The Face on the Milk Carton) there might be another chapter to this saga.

Companion Read: The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Taleb.  If teens find the idea of “black swans” intriguing and they can get past Taleb’s arrogant tone, they may enjoy his explanation of how black swans are responsible for most things in our world.

Review Excerpts:  ”Cooney’s psychologically probing story darts among multiple characters, forming a complex web of mistrust, economic stress, and parental sins that will keep readers guessing.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“The story moves at breakneck speed, successfully walking the fine line between over-the-top melodrama and realistic fiction.”–VOYA

“Cooney devises copious explanations to give her tale credibility, but it’s a hard story to swallow. However, the ending, full of good intentions yet unresolved and uncomfortable feelings, is thoughtfully realistic.”–Kirkus Reviews

“Far fetched? Perhaps, but for any girl with a best friend who seems like a sister, this will be a riveting read. Although less tightly constructed than the classic, and similarly identity-based, The Face on the Milk Carton (1990), the entwined stories…will attract and hold Cooney’s many loyal fans.”–Booklist

Reviewed from public library copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.