Shelter

August 29, 2011
In this suspenseful, well-executed spin­off of his bestselling Myron Bolitar mystery series for adults, Coben introduces readers to Myron’s nephew Mickey, a high school sophomore who is reluctantly living with his uncle after his father died in a car crash and his mother went into rehab. When Mickey’s new girlfriend, Ashley, vanishes just weeks into the school year, Mickey attempts to find her. With the aid of new friends Spoon and Ema, Mickey discovers that everything he knew about Ashley was false, and the truth is fraught with danger. Simultan­eous­ly, he looks into the history of the enigmatic Bat Lady, a local recluse who claims to have knowledge of his father. As the two mysteries intertwine, Mickey learns more than he ever expected about those closest to him. While Mickey’s voice is occasionally too sophisticated for his age, and he’s a little too good to be true, it doesn’t make this thriller any less enjoyable. Coben’s semi-noir style translates well to YA, and the supporting cast is thoroughly entertaining. It’s a strong start to the series. Ages 12–up. (Sept.)■

August 15, 2011

Being the new kid at his high school is the least of Mickey Bolitar's worries; how about a missing girlfriend and dad's possible rising from the dead?

Walking to school one morning, Mickey is accosted by an eerie old lady (whom he dubs Bat Lady) who dramatically declares that his father is alive, despite the fact that Mickey saw his dad die in a car accident. Bat Lady is only on a back burner of Mickey's lively mind; in the forefront is finding out what happened to new girlfriend Ashley Kent, who stopped coming to school one day. Attempts to learn more have been stonewalled by teachers and the administration. Mickey teams up with two unlikely sidekicks: Ema, a sarcastic overweight goth girl whom Mickey rescued from humiliation in gym class, and Spoon, a hacker nerd who knows all about Mickey's mad basketball skilz (which he's keeping under wraps). Many daredevil acts ensue. This teen spinoff of the prolific Coben's adult Myron Bolitar (Mickey's uncle) series (Long Lost, 2009, etc.) benefits greatly from his trademark crackerjack pace and multi-layered plotting. Most of the time, Mickey's short-attention-span snark seems both age appropriate and believable. His mother's struggle with drug addiction adds poignancy.

A not-bad-at-all entry into the teen market for this adult author. (Mystery. 12 & up)

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September 1, 2011

Gr 9 Up-Coben's first YA novel starts off with a bang and keeps going strong until the end. Sophomore Mickey Bolitar's happy, globe-trotting family returned to the States so that the teen could complete high school. Then Mickey sees his father killed in an accident and his bereft mother, who has taken to using drugs, enters rehab. Mickey goes to live with his Uncle Myron. On the way to school one morning, he encounters the Bat Lady, an old woman who lives in a dilapidated house, who tells him that his father is not dead, and disappears. Strangely enough, Ashley, a girl with whom Mickey has formed a relationship, also disappears. When he tries to find out what happened to her, he learns more than he bargained for about Ashley, the Bat Lady, and his own family. The cast includes Spoon, who has a tendency to spout odd bits of information at the wrong time; Ema, a self-proclaimed "fat girl" who dresses all in black, is covered in tattoos, and has some secrets of her own; and Rachel, the hottest girl in school. Myron Bolitar, the protagonist in Coben's adult mystery series, tries to take care of Mickey but doesn't really know how to be a parent. The boy has more freedom than most teens, giving him the opportunity to search for answers to his questions. Edgy and action-filled, the novel has interesting, likable characters, and it should fly off the shelves. The ending ties up some loose ends but leaves readers awaiting the sequel.-Diana Pierce, Leander High School, TX

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2011
Grades 8-12 Mega-successful mystery and thriller writer Coben launches a spin-off to his long-running Myron Bolitar series for adults by having the sports agentsleuth's nephew, high-school sophomore Mickey, come to live with him. Mickey's got problems and mysteries of his own: his father died eight months ago, his mother is a relapsed junkie, and the cool girl he has just met in high school has disappeared. (And Mickey's not nuts about long-estranged Uncle Myron, either.) Disturbed by the vanishing of his friend, Mickey investigates on his own, getting lost and beaten and nearly destroyed by the underworld he discovers. This series opener gets off to a slow start, with Coben trying to establish that he knows some high-school lingo, what texting is, and so forth. Mickey himself, the first-person narrator, often sounds more middle-aged than teen. The resolution, though, is quite satisfying and points to a good deal of potential for what might come next.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)