Tru Detective

April 1, 2015

Gr 10 Up-When Truman's girlfriend, Natalia, doesn't show up for the romantic dinner he's planned for her, he becomes angry-angry enough to trash the dining room in his parents' house. So when he wakes the next morning to two detectives informing him that Natalia has been murdered, he quickly becomes the primary suspect. Determined to prove his innocence and bring the real killer to justice, Truman embarks on a quest to find out the truth-only to discover that there was much more to Natalia than he ever could have imagined. With a story that unspools across the pages, laying out clues and the details as it goes, this mystery begs to be read in one sitting. Stark black-and-white illustrations give the book a noir feel that contrasts with the youth of the main character but doesn't conflict with it-instead it makes Truman's journey into the darkness of Natalia's story more powerful. VERDICT A mystery graphic novel, beautifully done.-Heather M. Campbell, formerly at Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2015
Grades 8-12 McClintock follows I, Witness (2012) with another highly engaging suspense graphic novel geared toward struggling readers. When Truman's parents leave him home alone for a week, he plans nothing more or less exciting than a romantic dinner with his girlfriend. But when she doesn't show up, and police find her murdered, Truman becomes the primary suspect. As the days unwind, Truman and his best bud Sticky discover that his girlfriend wasn't who she pretended to be, and discovering her real identity takes them into the underground Russian mafia world, where Truman is suddenly a target. As more Russians appear, the body count rises, and when Truman is fired on by the police, his story becomes more and more terrifying. Hughes imparts lots of information and characterization in his angular grayscale art, which depicts the story from Tru's perspective. The appealing layout and compelling story, as well as the straightforward dialogue, make this very accessible to a wide audience, both reluctant and struggling readers as well as those looking for a pulse-pounding thriller.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)