 |
| Source: Author Website |
The last thing Chris Russo remembers
is knocking on a girl’s front door to take her to a party. When he wakes up, he’s
tied to a chair in someone’s basement. What’s worse, the kidnapper that
confronts him is an angry, garden shear-wielding teen named Derek.
He and Derek have met before. A
week prior, something happened that ended with Chris shooting a 13-year-old boy
to death. Derek, the boy’s older brother, reached out to him for answers. When
Chris avoided him, Derek turned to kidnapping. Now, Chris must answer: why is
Derek’s brother dead? Over the course of the novel, Chris tries to explain to
Derek—and the reader—what led to that fatal encounter.
Although the characters aren’t particularly
vibrant, and the storytelling a bit simplistic (with chapters alternating
between “Now”—during Chris’s interrogation—and “Then”—before the shooting),
Johnston still does a good job at entertaining. Opening with a scene guaranteed
to grab any reluctant reader by the throat, the novel ends with a final plot
twist that turns the story completely on its head. This title contains mature
themes, and includes scenes of threatened torture and use of firearms. Although
the violence in this thriller isn’t explicitly graphic, it limits my
recommendation to older teens, ages 16-18.
No comments:
Post a Comment