Uneven pacing can’t drag down good camaraderie and snappy humor.
The shooting of a superstar actor turns out to have all the intrigue of one of Hollywood’s big-budget blockbusters.
When Oscar-winning actor Dev Roberts is shot and killed by his ex-lover and co-star Ali Garland, it seems like an open-and-shut case. Not only was the crime caught on numerous cameras, but two of Los Angeles’ finest—Detective Blake Ervansky and his new partner, the mysterious and beautiful Sgt. Maureen O’Brien—were also on the scene at the time. During their investigation, what Blake and Maureen discover doesn’t look like coldblooded murder at all but rather a horrible accident, an unfortunate meeting of strained nerves and reality-show prank gone awry. This backbending twist is just the first of many, and when Ali is acquitted by the grand jury, Dev’s estranged father uses his money and influence to wrangle O’Brien and Ervansky away from the force to work solely on his son’s closed case. What the now-private investigators uncover suggests that Ali may indeed have fooled them all, and they’ll have to turn to Maureen’s screenwriter father for a show-biz solution to this perfectly crafted Hollywood murder. Kelly (Winged, 2011) and Lyons’ novel peels back the curtain on not one, but two worlds, giving the reader a glimpse into the glamour of show business and the slow grind of down-and-dirty police work, while blending the two domains in clever metatextual ways. The schemes of stars and starlets take on a noirish feel, while the detectives’ dialogue is not unlike an ’80s cop show, with plenty of snappy banter and clenched-jaw exposition. While this does skirt cliché, the novel’s humor keeps it from being bogged down by its own conventions. The narrative suffers some pacing problems; it captures charming intimate moments with ease, but struggles with the story’s bigger conflicts, often blowing past them far too quickly. As a setting, the city shines, as much a character in the story as the rest of the cast. The only character that falters is Ali, whose personality is a touch too mercurial to be believed.
Uneven pacing can’t drag down good camaraderie and snappy humor.Pub Date: May 18, 2012
ISBN: 978-0615645339
Page Count: 332
Publisher: Flight Risk Books
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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