FELL

by M.E. Kerr ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 1987

Kerr, deservedly popular for her many perceptive novels exploring the teen-age condition, writes again of betrayal among those who love or fail to love, this time combining teen-age angst with a mystery/suspense story. John Fell is stood up by his wealthy date, Keats of the snobbish Keating family, minutes before the prom. Preoccupied with his distress, he collides with Woodrow Pingree, who, apparently undismayed by the damage to his Mitsubishi, invites him in to make friends. Mystified by Pingree's interest, Fell is later astonished at his proposition: Fell is to masquerade as Pingree's son at the exclusive Gardner school, renowned for its elite Sevens Club; meanwhile, young ""Ping"" Pingree will attend a Swiss school as Fell. Fell will be paid $10,000 a year, with a dividend for making Sevens, if he should be so lucky. With misgivings, the impecunious Fell seizes this opportunity, and is indeed tapped for the secret club; and when it turns out that Pingree has secrets to hide that are far more serious than the devious switch allegedly made to keep a bequest in the family, Fell's privileged Sevens status saves him from ignominious dismissal. Wrapping this melodramatic (an unlikely) plot in her usual mixture of homey realism, deftly drawn characters and the tensions of their bittersweet relationships, Kerr holds attention even with these bizarre events. Readers will be intrigued, as intended, with a last-page preview of the next in the projected series: school bully Lasher, apparent suicide, is judged by second-generation detective Fell to be a victim of foul play: ""Someday I'll tell you about it.

Pub Date: July 1, 1987

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 160

Publisher: Harper & Row

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1987

Categories: CHILDREN'S