From the Dead

August 15, 2014
When David McLean dies, leaving behind a notebook filled with code, a dozen different passports and a trail of mysterious clues, his seven grandsons follow seven different paths to try and figure out exactly who their grandfather was. It falls to Rennie Charbonneau to investigate Klaus Adler, one of his grandfather's aliases. Other than a fake Argentinian passport, an old newspaper clipping featuring a photo of three Nazis and a hand-drawn map, Rennie has little to go on. But he is determined to find out whether his grandfather was a spy, as his cousins assume, or a Nazi-as they fear. The paltry trail of clues takes him to inner-city Detroit, where he quickly becomes entangled with an old man obsessed with Nazis and his dysfunctional family. If Rennie can keep from getting himself killed or thrown in jail, he might be able to solve a mystery that will free more than just his own family from the past. While the premise is intriguing, lackluster writing robs Rennie's quest of its energy. Bright spots of suspense are overwhelmed by extraneous detail and a meandering plot. An intriguing mystery that fails to deliver on its promise. (Mystery. 10-14)

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September 1, 2014

Gr 7 Up-This unusual series features seven books that are connected but can stand alone as individual adventures. Building upon a plot line first laid out in the "Seven" series (Orca, 2012), each entry follows one of David McLean's seven grandsons as he embarks on a dangerous mission in a far flung locale, as per instructions in Grandpa McLean's oddball will. In From the Dead, Rennie is tasked with finding out if their dear grandfather was a Nazi supporter and sympathizer. In Double You, Adam discovers that Grandpa hid a loaded pistol and sets out to prove that the old man was not a traitorous spy. Bunny is kidnapped in The Wolf and Me, and his captors are fixated on what he might know about his deceased granddad. Coda features Spencer, Bunny's brother, on a race to save his sibling. Steve's vacation is nearly ruined when Grandpa McLean's legacy implicates him in an international spy ring. This thrill-a-minute series will hook reluctant readers as well as fans of James Bond and Jason Bourne. (Ed. note: Read the full review of Tin Soldier [the first book in this series], p. 140.)

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November 1, 2014
Grades 6-9 Vivid descriptions of a devastated Detroit provide the background to this layered suspense story from indefatigable crime writer McClintock. Seventeen-year-old Rennie journeys from Argentina to Detroit to pursue the long-cold trail of a possible Nazi that his mysterious grandfather, David McClean, may or may not have helped escape from justice. Rennie's determination to find out the truth about his grandfather's past leads him to the home of a downtrodden Detroit family, headed by an obsessive collector of Nazi memorabilia, where he promptly becomes the only witness to a murder. Rennie's impulsiveness, his issues with his military officer father, and his failure to consider potential consequences as he pursues answers add a degree of authenticity to this over-the-top, unrelenting thriller. The unembellished, plot-focused writing should appeal to reluctant readers looking for an adrenaline story. Part of the interlocked Seven Sequels series (follow-ups to the Seven series), which can be read in any order.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)