BEING

During a routine exam, 16-year-old Robert Smith feels the scalpel’s slice and helplessly views metal and plastic parts inside his stomach wall. Who, or what, is he? Like a character from Robin Cook’s medical thrillers, the teen breaks out of anesthesia, throws down with the bad guys and executes a daring escape. Trusting nobody, Robert decides to hide out with Eddi, a former acquaintance. His protector is a 19-year-old master criminal running her own fake ID business. Here the story grinds to a glacial pace and the author turns his suspense story into a character-driven work. Over 200 pages feature Robert droning on about his current dilemma, mysterious background and destiny. Eddi and Robert have roles more like cloak-and-dagger spies than frightened teens, and conflicts are easily solved. The story limps along until the final 18 explosive pages. After being teased by early suggestions of an action story, readers may be satisfied by the gruesome ending. However, it’s more likely that once the opening premise fades, teens will give up on this title. (Fiction. YA)