Dodgers

Starred review from February 8, 2016
Beverly (On the Lam: Narratives of Flight in J. Edgar Hoover’s America) makes his fiction debut with a dazzling crime novel that’s equal parts coming-of-age tale à la Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and travelogue à la Kerouac. East, a 15-year old gang member from South L.A., sets out for Wisconsin with three other teenage boys at the behest of his uncle, on a mission to kill a key witness in an upcoming trial. Along for the ride is East’s brother, Ty, an emotionless killer at 13. The revelations experienced by the young men as they drive cross-country through America’s heartland are life changing, and in some cases, life ending. The narrative is simultaneously coldhearted and lyrical. For example, the dark, abandoned houses in a neighborhood known as the Boxes are described as “a row of loose teeth,” and planes flash “like blades” in the morning sky. Readers won’t soon forget East and his bloody journey of self-discovery and, ultimately, salvation. Agent: Alia Hanna Habib, McCormick & Williams.

This audiobook encompasses believable dialogue, vivid writing, well-done plot twists, and a narrator who not only keeps pace but also takes the listener on a journey. And what a journey it is. Young drug runners are thrust into committing a crime and can rely on little but themselves. Not being particularly close as a group, that becomes a challenge. Narrator JD Jackson carries the dialogue delivered by streetwise kids who are at once scared and trying to act tough. The protagonist of the bunch, named East, finds himself at various personal crossroads, which Jackson makes clear through shifting his tone. Here's hoping Beverly and Jackson team up again. M.B. � AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine