A fun, satirical mystery that proves just how ridiculous partisan politics can be.
Former political reporter Steinman offers a witty debut political thriller heavily laced with satire.
Floridian Vik Patel is excited to leave his job as a junior press aide in the House Energy and Commerce Committee to become the press secretary for the charismatic congressman Johnson Jack Jr. He’s not even bothered very much by the fact that his predecessor was the first victim of a serial killer targeting young Republican politicos in what’s being called the Elephant Hunt Massacre. As Vik gingerly pursues a long-distance relationship with an insecure woman named Angelina, he navigates the treacherous Washington, D.C., social scene with his suave friend Max Murch. Meanwhile, as the number of murder victims grows, so does the media attention surrounding them. Vik scores a major victory for his boss, who’s currently vying for a Senate seat, by drafting the Washington Heroes Act for Arlington—a law that would temporarily waive the requirements for burial in Arlington National Cemetery and permit the serial killer’s victims to be given heroes’ burials. However, the killer seems to be closing in on Vik, even as two detectives, Deb Twentymon and Maurice “Momo” Morris, try to solve the case. The novel includes a full cast of memorable secondary characters, including U.S. Sen. Burland Gorge from Georgia and his perpetually inebriated, inappropriate wife, Bettye; the hairy Democratic Rep. Tony Varga Teatro from New Jersey; the comely conservative congressional staffer Isabelle White; gun-toting legislator Susan California; and a seemingly inept investigative reporter, Russ Gollub, who stumbles onto the story of a lifetime. Readers may almost need a score card to help keep the various personalities and their political affiliations straight. With such a large number of characters, some are inevitably one-dimensional caricatures, but in this satire, it often works well. Most readers will identify with the earnest Vik, who’s eager to prove himself and make his way in a cruel world. Mystery lovers, meanwhile, will be kept guessing in this unpredictable whodunit.
A fun, satirical mystery that proves just how ridiculous partisan politics can be.Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2014
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 438
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2014
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
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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