A teenaged boy’s quiet life in Elmore, N.Y., in 1972 is literally swept along when a dead body surfaces in the local river and he befriends a quirky young Vietnam vet. When 14-year-old Todd isn’t making beds and doing chores at his family’s motel, he writes stories about aliens. Chance connects him with 17-year-old Rat, a mysterious Vietnam vet who works at the local drive-in theatre and offers Todd a summer job. Eager for pocket money and strangely drawn to the taciturn Rat, Todd accepts. Gradually, Todd tries to get Rat to tell his story and wonders if Rat is connected to the murdered man in the river. As Todd unravels the mystery of Rat’s life, he must decide whether to trust his own instincts or avoid Rat because he’s a “ticking time bomb.” Realistically and sensitively written as Todd’s own manuscript, this entertaining and thoughtful account is an absorbing snapshot of early 1970s life, as well as fast-paced coming-of-age fare that should appeal to young male readers. (author’s note) (Fiction. 12-17)
Pub Date: April 1, 2007
ISBN: 0-8037-3020-9
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Sleuth/Dial
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An atmospheric and entertaining thriller perfect for snowy night chills.
A group of teens stranded in a snowstorm discovers a murderer in their midst.
While traveling on the highway to a state theater competition, Nell and her friends Min, Raven, Adam, and Jermaine are caught in a dangerous blizzard. Their teacher, Mrs. McElroy, who is driving the minivan, decides to stop for the night at the run-down and shady-looking Travel Inn and Out. The motel is labyrinthine and spooky, with dingy corridors and walls adorned with moldering kitsch. Nell and the gang meet another group of kids who are also stranded by the storm, making fast friends. A game of Two Truths and a Lie starts out flirty and fun but devolves into something more sinister when one slip of paper reads “I like to watch people die,” and “I’ve lost count of how many people I’ve killed.” The snow falls and the winds howl, and soon power and cell service are lost, cutting off the motel patrons from the outside world. As the first victim is discovered and the body count begins to grow, the terror becomes palpable. Everyone at the motel seems to have an insidious secret: Will Nell be able to uncover the killer before they strike again? An homage to Agatha Christie, Henry’s locked-room mystery is tautly plotted, with quick-moving nail-biting chapters, relatable characters, and a deftly wrought setting that paradoxically manages to feel both claustrophobic and sprawling. Nell is White; there is diversity among the secondary characters.
An atmospheric and entertaining thriller perfect for snowy night chills. (Mystery. 12-16)Pub Date: May 24, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-32333-8
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
Dark academia rendered toothless.
At an elite boarding school, a group of teens find themselves in the midst of a decades-old mystery.
Nestled in the mountains of Colorado lies the prestigious Meddlehart Academy, a prep school with a storied past. Sutter Heyward is returning for his junior year, but this time things are different: His beloved older brother, Lawson, a fellow Meddlehart student, went missing the previous year. Sutter and his friends—Margot, Carter, Fallon, and Grayson—learn about a secret society, the Order of the Vipers, that’s seeking a rumored treasure buried somewhere on campus. The teens are recruited, and they hope that joining the order will help them learn the truth about what happened to Lawson. But before long, they discover that the school’s secrets are more sinister than they ever could have imagined. Jackson’s debut is ambitious in scope but falters under the weight of a bloated narrative that mixes a secret society, treasure hunting, a romance, and a missing-persons case without fully integrating the strands into a coherent whole. A central love triangle feels overly melodramatic and stiff, often eclipsing the thriller aspects. The chapters rotate among Sutter’s, Fallon’s, and Grayson’s third-person perspectives, but their voices sound irritatingly similar. The teens encounter few red herrings and decipher clues with breezy ease, lessening the suspense. As the case concludes, there’s a hint of more adventures to come. Carter has dark brown skin, and other main characters are cued white.
Dark academia rendered toothless. (map) (Thriller. 12-17)Pub Date: April 28, 2026
ISBN: 9798217026982
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
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