Author: Katie Henry
Genre: Mystery
Similar books: Cold by Mariko Tamaki
Dead Weight by Terry Blas
Rating:
Summary (provided by publisher): Gideon’s short-lived run as a locally famous boy detective ended when middle school started, and everyone else—including his best friend, Lily—moved on while Gideon kept holding on to his trench coat, fedora, and his treasured film noir collection. Now he’s sixteen and officially retired. That is, until Lily shows up suddenly at Gideon’s door, needing his help.
He might be mad at her for cutting him off with no explanation, but Gideon can’t turn down a case. As a cover, Gideon joins Lily on the school paper. Surprisingly, he finds himself warming up to the welcoming, close-knit staff . . . especially Tess, the cute, witty editor-in-chief.
But as the case gets bigger than Gideon or Lily could have anticipated, Gideon must balance his black-and-white quest for the truth with the full colors of real life—or risk a permanent fade to black.
My opinion: It's a plot we don't often see: the once loved child detective finds the world has moved on and his interests in solving mysteries now make him an outcast. And much like in the lesser known movie "Mystery Team" we have a young detective used to finding missing toys and observing strange goings on at a neighbor's house suddenly confronted with the realities of real, dangerous crime. While the book has it's amusing moments it leans more into the noir feel. It shoots for grit, often falling a bit short, leaving the reader in a bit of a no-man's land of tone. Gideon's development as a character, having to confront his own short comings and learn to rely on and trust other people, give the book some depth and heart, making it worth a read.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
No comments:
Post a Comment