Code of Silence

goofy127 - He didn't do it. He didn't do it. Honest to God. He didn't do it. But then why is he hiding? Acting like a criminal himself? Cooper and his two friends watched as the men almost killed Frank - the owner of Frank'n'Steins, their favorite place to hang out. They watched them drain his life savings and remove the evidence. And they escaped - with some of the evidence. The criminals want that evidence back, but the cops want it as well. But now Cooper, Hiro and Gordy are bound by their Code of Silence to keep what they saw secret and lie to keep themselves and their families safe. However, the lies inflate and become bigger than they could have imagined when the police come to their school, looking for the mystery 8th grade witness that was spotted right after the incident. Hiro urges Cooper to break the Code and go to the police, but he can't convince himself to do it. The criminals were wearing cop-pants that night. One could be a dirty cop, and then his life would be over, literally. As Gordy struggles to keep their friendship together, Cooper comes up with more and more elaborate plans to keep themselves hidden and still offer what he has to know to the police. He is afraid, they all are. No, they are scared out of their wits - fearing for their lives. But in the final hour, Cooper is forced to face himself: who is he really protecting with the lies? Himself? Or the criminals? I think this is a great read. It's chock full of suspense, mystery, and twists at every corner. It's not as action-packed as I would have liked, especially in the beginning, but it really gets your heart rate up. It's also highly realistic which makes it a tad bit scarier. I think anybody fifth grade and up would enjoy it.

August 1, 2012

Gr 6-8-A well-written and well-plotted tale about friendship, trust, and doing the right thing. When Cooper, Hiro, and Gordy witness the robbery and beating of a beloved diner owner, they flee the scene, Cooper with the diner's video surveillance in hand. One of the masked men sees him and orders him to surrender the hard drive containing footage of the holdup. In fear, Cooper begs his friends to keep quiet about the robbery. He is sure dirty cops are involved, while Hiro (a dead cop's daughter and a bit of a detective-in-training) suspects a local bully and his father. The trio is in a race to uncover the criminals before cagey Detective Hammer interrogates the entire eighth-grade class and fingers them as witnesses, putting them all at risk. Cooper is an adept liar who manages to evade the criminals and the police. Hiro, the group's conscience, struggles to remain silent, and Gordy just wants things to return to normal. Afraid to contact police, these three teens attempt to discover the criminals themselves at great personal risk. Suspenseful and with a heart-pounding conclusion, this crime drama is a great recommendation for fans of mysteries and thrillers.-Kimberly Garnick Giarratano, Rockaway Township Public Library, NJ

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 1, 2012
Grades 7-10 *Starred Review* Like many a crackerjack thriller, this one boasts a breakneck beginning. Thirteen-year-olds Cooper, Gordy, and Hiro are snacking at their favorite burger joint, Frank n Stein's, when they witness a brutal robbery. Two men, masked as a clown and Elvis, savagely beat the owner and steal his considerable stash of cash. The kids manage to escape, and with the security camera hard drive to boot, but Clown gets a good look at Cooper and swears he'll find him. Afraid to go to the police (the robbers were wearing cop pants), Cooper convinces his friends to enact a code of silence. As the maybe-crooked police and other possible suspects get closer to identifying the witnesses, the kids' lies to their parents, their teachers, and one another set off increasingly desperate maneuvers and dangerous infighting. Some will find Shoemaker's covering of every angle too exhaustive, but it is just this meticulousness that makes the novel stand apart. Rarely are kids in thrillers portrayed this realistically: sick with worry, horrified by injury, and smart but not preternaturally so. Mentions of multiple characters' Christianity feel shoehorned in, but that doesn't take away from this deliberate, plausible, and gritty whodunit.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)