A dramatic thriller featuring a wily, young protagonist who tackles crime with the ingenuity of a seasoned professional.
Teenage investigator Fiona Frost returns to help stop a serial killer causing vehicular accidents across the United States in Blossman’s (Fiona Frost: Shillingstone Witch, 2015, etc.) YA novel.
Fiona will soon be leaving behind her renowned forensic training program for an internship at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Agent Richard Jonas, however, has the interns forgo the 30-day program so that they can assist in catching the Blood Doll Killer, who’s been dropping blood-filled porcelain dolls from bridges onto passing cars with fatal results. Things are off to a shaky start when wealthy Remy Sinclair, who’d previously “stalked and manipulated” Fiona, joins the internship, along with Fiona’s boyfriend, Wolfe Nero, and best friend, Maddie Christie. As the killer’s murderous efforts continue in various cities, Jonas surprises the four teenagers by taking them into the field. Fiona eventually suspects a link between the Blood Doll Killer and the Bleak Society, a group that’s been hijacking TV networks and asserting a mission to bring criminals to justice. Corresponding to this is her speculation that the accidents aren’t as random as they appear. As the mystery slowly unravels, Fiona remains on call regarding another threat: a potentially deliberate salmonella outbreak. Along the way, she juggles the investigation with her personal life; Wolfe and Maddie are both miffed that she readily forgives the apologetic Remy for his past behavior. But such troubles have to wait when the killer calls Fiona to let her know she’s scheduled to die next. Blossman’s novel is a consummate mix of mystery and drama. Although narrator Fiona persistently notes Wolfe’s handsomeness, their endearing romance never overwhelms the investigation plot. However, the teens mostly just proffer theories, and the FBI’s investigation would likely have been much the same without them. The possibility of supernatural elements, though, shows Fiona’s flexibility, as she sets aside her skepticism in light of peculiar evidence. It also leads to a convoluted pile of suspects and murder scenarios that are fortunately cleared up by the time the story finds a resolution. Blossman’s prose is intelligent and refined, but it’s not above a hilarious bit in which Fiona and Wolfe endure a flatulent taxi driver.
A dramatic thriller featuring a wily, young protagonist who tackles crime with the ingenuity of a seasoned professional.Pub Date: April 12, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9965248-1-0
Page Count: 290
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: July 18, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
