DEATH AT DEVIL’S BRIDGE

DeFelice (Cold Feet, see above, etc.) writes a riveting story of a 13-year-old boy seduced by the thrill of dangerous friendship and, despite good intentions, drawn into the treacherous world of drugs and murder. When Ben spies a red Porsche resting in shallow water off Martha’s Vineyard the story is set in motion and builds like an approaching storm. It is soon discovered that the driver of the Porsche, a vacationer, is missing. Ben then learns that it is the ultra-cool Danny who pushed the vacant car into the water as a revenge prank. Despite evidence that Danny is dabbling in other crime, Ben does not tell what he knows and lets himself be persuaded to work for Danny, delivering groceries, mail, and the like. After Ben discovers the drowned body of the missing driver, it is not long before he suspiciously peeks into one of the envelopes he has been sent to deliver and discovers he has inadvertently been drug-running. Confronting Danny, Ben learns that though he has been a patsy in Danny’s dealings, Danny is a pawn to someone far more dangerous and sinister. Brought to an exhilarating close, this novel is both absorbing and thought-provoking. DeFelice dexterously weaves in the conflict of us (the poor) vs. them (the rich) as Danny makes excuses for his illegal activities. Keeping the reader in the grip of the plot, she explores a teen’s use of moral tools in the face of pressures from peers. (Fiction. 10-12)