Another delectable entry in a brilliant series.
In Young’s (Fleeting Chance, 2014, etc.) fifth series installment, semiretired private detective Enescu Fleet and his friends find themselves in a real pickle when they attend a restaurant opening and discover that murder’s on the menu.
John “Hath” Hathaway—the Watson to Fleet’s Sherlock—narrates this story in his signature beguilingly baffled way. Arriving home from his honeymoon with his new wife, Hath finds a message awaiting them in the mail. Although he suffers a natural aversion to invitations, due to their propensity to embroil him in danger (“Witness last summer’s banquet at the famed Pendleton Institute in Baltimore; poker night on The Stacked Deck touring yacht—there have been others”), he’s happy to receive this one. An old classmate, Ditters Dittersdorf, is opening a restaurant, Le Vrai Cornichon, and wants his friends there for the soft opening. As it turns out, the whole gang is invited, including Hath’s friends Hutton and Ate, as well as Fleet. But Fleet’s invite leaves a bad taste in Hath’s mouth: “When would he have met Ditters? It didn’t make sense.” After they all arrive at the remote restaurant, Young rapidly introduces readers to the staff and other guests, which include three TV cooking show chefs. This smorgasbord of characters, though delightful, appears so quickly that just keeping track of who’s who distracts from the plot, which teems with red herrings and revelations that hinge on characters’ histories. In simpler terms: Young very nearly has too many cooks. At least one of his characters agrees, as it’s not long before a chef goes missing. From there, the story complicates quickly, boiling over with riddles, hidden pasts, former lovers, devious plots, and even a second Maltese. As Hath himself advises, it’s best to have read the other books in the series first. This will free up the reader’s attention to savor Young’s subtle wit and playful style—hallmarks of the series and the reasons why Fleet’s adventures are among the most entertaining in the genre. But like Fleeting Chance before it, this story isn’t all laughs; the re-emergence of an old enemy marks a new arc for the series and hints at slightly darker territory ahead. It turns out that if Fleet wants to preserve his friends, he may be forced to be less semiretired.
Another delectable entry in a brilliant series.Pub Date: July 27, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9912324-7-5
Page Count: 254
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Oct. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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