Lehr, Dick. Trell.

Lehr, Dick. Trell. Candlewick Press  2017  307p    $17.99    ISBN 978-0-7636-9275-9    ms/hs  Mystery  VG         

Romero Taylor is imprisoned, but is it wrongful imprisonment? His daughter Trell believes it is. Rejected in the plea for a new trial, Trell continues her quest with a reporter. Together, they tackle the impossible, trying to find witnesses who have disappeared in gang-ridden neighborhoods of Boston. Author Dick Lehr, in his first attempt at the young-adult audience, has a solid plot, an interesting, fast-paced writing style, and well-developed characters. His protagonist is Trell, a young teen who is resourceful, resilient and resolved.  Readers see this in her actions. She lives in a dangerous part of Boston, but that has not shaped her life. She has elevated herself by gaining acceptance into a prestigious private school with a scholarship. What establishes the plot is her desire for justice for her father, a former drug dealer accused and convicted of murder, and she doggedly pursues the people who can help. First? She elicits the help of a young lawyer, Nora Walsh. Nora shows Trell just how difficult the journey of proving one’s innocence can be, yet the pair forge ahead to file for a new trial. When that petition is denied, Trell next elicits the help of a reporter, a down-and-out former success who fell apart after the death of his child years before.  Clemens Bittner comes aboard after first avoiding Trell, and the two become sleuths, interviewing witnesses who were coerced into testifying at Romero’s trial and searching out alibis who were with Romero when the murder of young Ruby Graham occurred. Gangs, drugs and poverty provide a dramatic backdrop for this powerful story. However, it is the story and principal characters that compel the reader forward. Lehr has not created a new genre of literature, fiction based on a real-life incident, but he establishes himself as a writer who knows how to tell a story that is exciting for younger readers.  They will want to find out if Trell proves her father’s innocence. That is the sign of good writing. This novel is a good choice for middle-school and high-school readers who like a book they can tackle in a few sittings. The drama combines with the detective genre in just the right amounts to make this a worthwhile read. Good writing; very good plot.   

Summary: Trell pairs up with a young lawyer to find evidence of her father’s innocence in the crime of murder. 

Murder-Fiction                                     --Martha Squaresky

McClintock, Norah. Out of Tune.

McClintock, Norah. Out of Tune. Orca           2018  222p.  $10.95          ISBN 978-1-4598-1465-3          ms/hs            Mystery/Detective VG

In this murder mystery, the third in the Riley Donovan series, our sleuth Riley figures out who killed one of her classmates, a girl who had everything going for her. The mystery will keep readers turning pages, but the author's choice of words can sometimes be a bit confusing. Will definitely appeal to those who like a good mystery story, in middle school and high school. Use of the word "bitch" and "perky breasts" but no really bad language.

Summary: When one of Riley’s classmates turns up missing, and murdered, the search is on for her killer. Suddenly, it seems there are several suspects, with sufficient motives and no alibi, who may have wanted the girl dead.     
                                   

Murder-Fiction                                                                     -- Carol Kennedy

Middleton, Dana. Open If You Dare.

Middleton, Dana. Open If You Dare. Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends       2017  279p.  $16.99          ISBN 978-1-250-08572-6            ms/jr    Mystery-Suspense         VG-BN         

A reader makes a journey when reading, and young teenaged girls will definitely enjoy the journey of three protagonists, stars of this new book by Dana Middleton.  A book of note needs to be special, exuding a certain element of warmth, or drama, or entertainment, as it were.  The strength of this book of note lies in the way three girls change as they navigate their final summer together before Rose moves to England with her family and Ally goes to a different middle school than Birdie, the story’s narrator.  It is plain to see that Birdie is scared of being alone.  But characters need to demonstrate growth, and in this case, all three of them experience new changes that will shape them as they move forward in this world, especially Birdie.  Rose is a violinist.  She is in love with Romeo, a classmate who happens to be in love with someone else.  Birdie is keeping a big secret from Rose, which is that Romeo loves Birdie.  Ally is a baseball star pitcher, undeterred by her female status in a man’s world.  Quite surprisingly, she inadvertently allows her brother to influence her negatively when she overhears him ranting about his lack of success and his sister’s shining talent. 

The incident that launches the plot happens right away, when the three girls find a wire around the base of a tree, a wire that they unravel to reveal a hidden box.  Inside that box is a mysterious letter whose words will become Birdie’s obsession throughout the novel: "If you’re reading this, I’m already dead.”  All the while she tries to figure out who was murdered and by whom, the three girls play out the dramas in each of their lives.  Rose must reconcile her unhappiness at the move to England.  Ally must find out how to channel the angst that she feels with her ever-deteriorating pitching, and Birdie finds conflicts with her family, her friends and herself, especially when she is stymied by two more clues she discovers when trying to solve the mystery of the missing girls.  Middleton knows the true voice of an early teen, she crafts a seamless plot, and her characters share conflicts that are experienced by all of us.                             

Summary: When Rose has to move to England with her family and Ally’s baseball pitching turns sour, Birdie tries to help both. At the same time, she comes to terms with her own feelings about being alone as she embarks on her journey to middle school.  A mysterious letter sets the three on a crime-solving mission that keeps them guessing.           

Friendship-Fiction, Murder-Fiction                      --Martha Squaresky

Giles, Lamar. Overturned.

Giles, Lamar.  Overturned. Scholastic Press     2017  341p  $17.99  Hardback  ISBN 978-0-545-81250-4    hs  Adventure, Romance  VG

Nikki takes after her father, who is a world class poker player and the owner of a boutique casino just off the Las Vegas strip. He has just been exonerated from a death row sentence for the murder of another Vegas player. But his homecoming is short lived, as he is soon gunned down. Now Nikki is out to find out who killed him. This novel only somewhat successfully balances its various threads -- a high school sports rivalry with another local school, a new love interest for Nikki, the adult world of her mother’s adultery, casino rivalries and questionable business associates, and Nikki’s job of running the family casino, in which revenue rarely meets expenses. Her love interest in a high-school boy whose father is a megacasino rival seems to be more convenient to the plot than believable. For those looking for a book about gambling, this will disappoint, as it is more about the seedy side of Vegas, motorcycle gangs and murder investigations. The focus shifts awkwardly from high-school troubles to adult relationship problems, as though the author couldn’t decide if the book was for high-school students or a new-adult audience. Honest conversations between mother and daughter would have ended the book before it started. On page 283, there is a major typo: "Gavin’s arm went lip (limp?)".    The novel is recommended for those who love murder mysteries.

Summary: Nikki, a brilliant African-American high-school poker player, balances a new love interest, her father’s assassination, her desire to leave town, and high school rivalries in this Las Vegas novel of concealment, murder investigations, and family unease. Grades 9+.

Gambling-Fiction, Murder-Fiction                                  --Lois McNicol

Carter, Ally. See How They Run. (Embassy Row, Book Two)

Carter, Ally. See How They Run.  (Embassy Row, Book Two)  Scholastic Press  2016  323p    $9.99  ISBN 978-0-545-65493-7  ms/jr  Mystery/Detective  VG 

In book two of the Embassy Row set of three novels, Grace is distraught over the death of her mother.  No one blames her, least of all her brother and grandfather, but Grace knows she is responsible for her mother’s death.  Adria, a small country with an unusual history, is the setting for this adventure-packed novel with its quick, realistic and entertaining style.  It is definitely not a stand-alone book, and the reader might be a bit confused by his/her lack of knowledge of the events that led to Grace’s current emotional state if he/she starts the series with the second novel.  In the exposition, one encounters a brief description of the history of Adria, which Ms. Chancellor recounts as she describes the need for a secret society of females who are record keepers and protectors of information.  The reader might be a bit confused by this society, because in book two there is little follow-through with respect to this group.  Grace is perplexed about her new role as a member of the society, and her confusion continues. When Grace’s brother brings a friend to Adria from West Point (where they are cadets), the friend is murdered.  It appears that Alexei, son of a Russian diplomat, is responsible, but Grace knows that Alexei would never commit such a crime.  Or would he?  Grace spends a large part of the novel investigating Spence’s death and trying to help Alexei.  However, she is unaware of the danger she is in.  In the background is Dominic, AKA the Scarred Man, who seems to be Grace’s self-appointed protector, especially when he binds up the wounds she incurs while helping Alexei escape arrest.  It is increasingly evident that Grace herself is a target.  In a surprise ending, everything is not resolved, but the reader learns why Grace is protected by Dominic in a moment of revelation.  Book three has lots of questions to answer, and fans of this series will undoubtedly pour right into Carter’s falling action and resolution in an attempt to find closure for a number of questions they will have at the end of took two.              

Summary: Grace knows she played a role in her mother’s death, but she must learn to accept it.  This book begins with her turmoil, exacerbated by events such as the death of her brother’s friend Spence, a car explosion that might have killed Grace’s friend Alexei, the accused killer of Spence, and new revelations about Grace’s country of Adria.   

Murder-Fiction, Fantasy-Fiction                                   --Martha Squaresky