Ryan Dooley returns (Dooley Takes the Fall, 2008), trying to figure out a mystery very close to home: the suspicious death of his estranged mother from an apparent overdose. Ryan, who has been living with his uncle, a retired cop, has his difficulties, what with problems with school, efforts to overcome the troubled time spent with his mother and his attraction to a girl from a privileged background. As he copes with secrets revealed by his mother’s death, a friend from his old life is murdered and there are indications the two deaths may be related, something that keeps the police focused on him and his suddenly secretive uncle. Dooley is an intriguing character, and his attempts to overcome demons from a neglected childhood make compelling reading. However, the plot takes a very long time to unfold, and some of the police interrogations seem pointless. There is some attempt with language to make this gritty and edgy, but the leisurely pace detracts. Patient readers will pull for this resilient teen determined to rise above a tough life. (Mystery. YA)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-88995-431-1
Page Count: 346
Publisher: Red Deer Press
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2009
The third Kat Colorado novel (Katwalk, Katapult), a contrived affair, replete with Meaningful Chapter Headings, that concerns weepy Paige (formerly Pearl) Morrell, who hires the sardonically edgy Kat to find her unknown mom—her granny, who has just died, brought Paige up and said nary a word. The usual p.i. statistics- dredging discovers granny's twin daughters, Opal and Ruby, one now heading up an Omaha future-trends consultancy and the other squirreled away in a care facility. Are they lying about who's who, and does it relate back to their late teen years and one girl's illicit romance and the other's departure for the East? Paige's fiancÇ, yuppie Paul, nearly kills Kat to get her to drop the investigation, and Derek, the business brains behind the trends company, romances her into virtual slow-wittedness. Two more deaths later, Kat unravels an unsurprising identity switch, turns a goodnight kiss into a shootout, and stares unblinkingly at Paige's crocodile tears. A calculated rendering of p.i. conventions, readable if not particularly original.
Pub Date: March 16, 1992
ISBN: 0-385-42095-1
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1992
Maynard (Quiet, Wyatt!, 1999) makes fire the pivotal plot element in this short, episodic action novel. In the small village of McIntosh, Jed, the fire chief’s son, is branded a fire bug for a past transgression in which he accidentally burned down the family garage. Now, when a local swamp catches fire, he is the first to be blamed. Norm Dempsey, wannabe fire chief, is first to point the finger. Through a freak accident, Jed’s father lands in a coma in the hospital. A series of fires, a swamp fire, brush fire, barn fire, and school fire in the sports equipment room, forms a string of actions that make up the story. Toss in a few boyish pranks and some not-so-subtle clues and the story builds to its natural climax—an even bigger fire. This time, a monster train wreck sets the whole pond ablaze. Not surprisingly, Jed takes charge and steps in to rescue the day, the nursing home and surrounding houses, with a little help from his recuperating father, all in the name of saving face and proving that Norm Dempsey is behind the arsons. This fast-moving, predictable fare has some great action sequences, with appeal for mystery fans. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-399-23439-X
Page Count: 149
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2000
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