A fast-moving, detailed thriller.
An intrepid San Francisco reporter investigates what appears to be the sabotage of a gay liberal candidate’s gubernatorial campaign.
Multicultural and multitalented reporter Enzo Lee has returned to his beloved Bay Area hometown after experiencing professional and personal heartbreak on the East Coast. He wants to stick to covering light and frothy news at the city paper, but his sexy young editor, Lorraine Carr, cajoles him into covering the race for governor of California. This hotly contested election has come down to liberal, gay candidate Andrew Harper and conservative businessman George Chapman. Enzo’s keen investigative instincts kick in, albeit against his better judgment, as he begins to suspect that the repeated unlucky occurrences plaguing the Harper campaign might not be coincidences. As a result, his story gradually begins to intertwine with those of Brent Daggart, the fanatically hateful executive of a Christian ministry, and Steve Walberg, a traumatized Army vet looking to get revenge on the government in any way he can. Author Lowe has put together a remarkably diverse and realistic cast of characters in this second mystery starring Lee (Project Moses, 2012). Fortunately, all have their own unique voices, or the reader would not be able to keep track of them all. The mystery is simple but gripping, and the heroes are most definitely worth rooting for. The adrenaline-filled climax, combined with compelling characters, keeps readers engaged. Lowe also has a great eye for detail, noting everything, from Enzo’s meals to the look of particular street corners in San Francisco. The overall effect is a blend of sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the Bay Area which sets this thriller apart from other entries in the genre—a vast improvement on the sea of similar, less fleshed-out suspense stories.
A fast-moving, detailed thriller.Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2012
ISBN: 978-0988644816
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Enzo Publications
Review Posted Online: Dec. 19, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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
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BOOK REVIEW
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