The Unprotected Witness

May 3, 1999
PW's starred review of this sequel to the thriller The Bones in the Cliff called it "just as skillfully crafted--and even more hair-raising." Ages 12-up.

Starred review from September 29, 1997
Taking up where his winning thriller, The Bones in the Cliff, left off, this next chapter in Pete's unsettled life is just as skillfully crafted--and even more hair-raising. The novel opens just after Pete's father, living in a remote Missouri town under the protected witness program, is shot to death. Now members of the mob are determined to find the $3 million of stolen drug money the man allegedly had in his possession. But Pete and his friend Rootie feel compelled to uncover the stash before a pair of shrewd gangsters do and, in the process, become alarmingly unprotected witnesses. Stevenson's plot takes several unanticipated turns and offers some memorable images: the principal at Pete's new school grabs an errant student and lifts the youngster "between his thumb and two fingers, like he was selecting a chocolate out of a box of candy"; Pete and Rootie toast marshmallows on the metal floor of a friend's rusted-out car, in which loose ends of duct tape "dangled down like vines in a jungle." Though ambiguous flashbacks occasionally make for baffling time sequences, readers will be swept up in the narrative's steadily building momentum. There's a strong hint of a sequel at tale's end, when Rootie's grandmother invites Pete to join them on a trip to Saratoga. Fans of this endearing young duo will hope he accepts. Ages 10-up.

September 1, 1997
Gr 4-6-In this sequel to The Bones in the Cliff (Greenwillow, 1995), Pete is trying to adapt to his new life in Manhattan with his friend Rootie and her wealthy grandmother. The first part of the book is rather slow; it begins with the murder of his father, who is in a witness protection program in Missouri, but then flashes back to their life on the run from the Mafia, and also explores Pete's alienation at his privileged Manhattan private school. Readers who stick with this section will be rewarded by the sensitive and wry portrayal of Pete and his relationships with his alcoholic father and with the exuberant Rootie. The pace begins to zoom in the second half of the book. At his father's funeral in Missouri, a man furtively passes Pete a letter, whispering that it is from his father. Too upset to open it immediately, he later discovers that it is a coded message meant to lead him to stolen money. Members of the Mafia have been watching Pete and waiting for just such an opportunity, however, so when the boy goes after it, they're ready to move in. The suspense mounts to an almost unbearable level as Pete and his friends attempt to get to the treasure before the bad guys get them. Eminently satisfying as a sequel, The Unprotected Witness also stands well on its own. Hand it to any kid who craves suspense.-Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library