Though not spectacular, this competent, swift novel would be welcome spring-break fare.
An undemanding YA thriller heavy on chaste teenage romance.
Ashley Devoe is a typical high school senior. She and her best friend, Brianne, have after-school jobs, swooning crushes and, in Ashley’s case, separated parents who can sometimes go overboard with the protectiveness. Ashley’s father, an undercover cop, has come off a tough stint busting a meth lab; while Ashley respects his work, she resents the distance it has created within her family. Plus, her dad’s friend Chase is spending too much time with her mom for Ashley’s taste. So when Trent, a new, desperately handsome addition to the senior class, takes an interest in Ashley, she relishes the opportunity to connect. Trent, however, is somewhat more mysterious than the other boys at school: Why won’t he open up more about his past, his family or where he lives? Why does he have Ashley’s father’s cellphone number? Why does he always seem to show up when least expected? And why on Earth does he have a gun in his car? At first, Ashley is too enamored to care; the scent of his cologne alone is romantically overwhelming. Trent’s mysterious qualities—and his reason for the gun—are illuminated after a late, rainy night at work when Ashley catches a ride with a fellow employee who turns out to have deep connection to her father. Author Veil (Psychomanteum, 2014, etc.) knows how to dial up the suspense: For about the first half of the book, the titular chance of rain slowly increases until both the literal and figurative thunderstorms arrive. After this initial climax, the short, final chapters are told from Ashley’s first-person perspective and from other characters’ third-person perspectives, which, though jarring at first, lend texture to Veil’s fairly run-of-the-mill thriller. Veil also captures the occasional inanity of teenage speech, and yet she never condescends to her young protagonists. Young adults will recognize the nuances of high school relationships, and the happy ending will satisfy those who enjoy neat resolutions.
Though not spectacular, this competent, swift novel would be welcome spring-break fare.Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1492225409
Page Count: 200
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Readers will be captivated by this twisty thriller and its uncompromising protagonist.
The mother Annabel Price thought was dead returns with a story about where she’s been—but 18-year-old Bel knows she’s lying.
Ever since Rachel Price’s unexplained disappearance 16 years ago, true-crime fans have come up with plentiful theories about what happened. Bel and her family members, who are white, cobbled together lives for themselves after a jury found Bel’s father, Charlie, not guilty of murdering his wife. Beset with medical bills for his elderly father, Charlie recently agreed to participate in a documentary about the unsolved mystery. Black British filmmaker Ramsey Lee is well into the process of interviewing the Prices when his project gets an unanticipated boost after an exhausted, disheveled Rachel staggers back into town. Rachel is eager to resume her role in the family, but the inconsistencies in her accounts raise alarms for Bel. With the help of the youngest member of the filmmaking team, Bel sets out to learn what really happened. Along the way, someone else disappears, and Bel uncovers a tangle of lies that make it impossible for her to trust people she thought she knew. When things come to a head the night of her grandfather’s 85th birthday party, Bel ends up in a race for her life. The last quarter of the novel tears along at a breakneck pace before arriving at a satisfying and unexpected conclusion.
Readers will be captivated by this twisty thriller and its uncompromising protagonist. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9780593374207
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense.
Everyone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago—except Pippa Fitz-Amobi.
Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood; he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. Andie’s body was never recovered, and Sal was assumed by most to be guilty of abduction and murder. Unable to ignore the gaps in the case, Pip sets out to prove Sal’s innocence, beginning with interviewing his younger brother, Ravi. With his help, Pip digs deeper, unveiling unsavory facts about Andie and the real reason Sal’s friends couldn’t provide him with an alibi. But someone is watching, and Pip may be in more danger than she realizes. Pip’s sleuthing is both impressive and accessible. Online articles about the case and interview transcripts are provided throughout, and Pip’s capstone logs offer insights into her thought processes as new evidence and suspects arise. Jackson’s debut is well-executed and surprises readers with a connective web of interesting characters and motives. Pip and Andie are white, and Sal is of Indian descent.
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-9636-0
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
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