SHELTER

Being the new kid at his high school is the least of Mickey Bolitar's worries; how about a missing girlfriend and dad's possible rising from the dead?

Walking to school one morning, Mickey is accosted by an eerie old lady (whom he dubs Bat Lady) who dramatically declares that his father is alive, despite the fact that Mickey saw his dad die in a car accident. Bat Lady is only on a back burner of Mickey's lively mind; in the forefront is finding out what happened to new girlfriend Ashley Kent, who stopped coming to school one day. Attempts to learn more have been stonewalled by teachers and the administration. Mickey teams up with two unlikely sidekicks: Ema, a sarcastic overweight goth girl whom Mickey rescued from humiliation in gym class, and Spoon, a hacker nerd who knows all about Mickey's mad basketball skilz (which he's keeping under wraps). Many daredevil acts ensue. This teen spinoff of the prolific Coben's adult Myron Bolitar (Mickey's uncle) series (Long Lost, 2009, etc.) benefits greatly from his trademark crackerjack pace and multi-layered plotting. Most of the time, Mickey's short-attention-span snark seems both age appropriate and believable. His mother's struggle with drug addiction adds poignancy.

A not-bad-at-all entry into the teen market for this adult author. (Mystery. 12 & up)