A resourceful hero under threat, memorable villains, some gritty violence, and fast-moving suspense.
A Depression-era orphan falsely accused of murder launches her own investigation in Barden’s YA historical novel, one in a series.
It is 1932 in Los Angeles. Tough, orphaned street kid Sparky had planned the perfect way to celebrate her 11th birthday: She intended to grab her secret candy stash, find her favorite park bench up on Bunker Hill, and chow down while watching the sun rise. (The only blight on the view is the sight of City Hall below, “full of the types who liked to round up the likes of me and throw us in ‘homes.’”) But somebody is already on Sparky’s bench, and that somebody, a little girl, isn’t moving. In fact, the little girl is dead. Within minutes, Sparky is on the run, accused of killing the child. Public hysteria builds: Sparky is wildly cast as a serial killer, a Prussian spy in disguise, a demon, and one responsible for millions of war dead. Her suspenseful efforts to dodge police and seekers of the ever-increasing reward money for her capture lead her to the mansion of Tootsie, a rich, reclusive former star of the silents, and her devoted butler, Gilbert. There are shades here of “Little Orphan Annie” and even a bit of Sunset Boulevard, but Tootsie isn’t locked in the past—she uses her theatrical talents to engage with Sparky’s world, joining the girl’s perilous investigation into the little girl’s death. There’s fun to be had, but little sugarcoating, in this wild, often chilling murder mystery. Barden’s vivid characters also include Spooky, a shellshocked World War I veteran; the glad-handing mayor at the mystery’s center; Mug, a big, intimidating cop; Whisper-Whisper, the mayor’s sadistic fixer; Doctor, who helps Tootsie with her “nerves”; and a disturbing character known simply as “the bad man,” who lures kids into his orbit in order to threaten them with violence and humiliation. If and when Sparky is caught and hanged, he says, “I will watch as you drop, twist, and choke. And I will laugh.”
A resourceful hero under threat, memorable villains, some gritty violence, and fast-moving suspense.Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2018
ISBN: 9798989280803
Page Count: 302
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
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