Deep Water

April 15, 2017
A multimillion-dollar drug-smuggling operation led by a high school Spanish teacher thrived in Southern California throughout the 1970s until it was brought down by the Drug Enforcement Agency.Based on these facts, Nichols' account has all the makings of a gripping, dramatic story but disappoints in its weak treatment. The story focuses on teenager Eddie Otero and Lance Weber, an ex-con in his 20s, and spans both several years and the globe. Although the tale is presented as a nonfiction account and, with One Cut, by Eve Porinchak, launches the Simon True nonfiction series, the absence of source notes makes it impossible for readers to discern which dialogue and situations are recorded fact. Extended exchanges of (frequently banal) conversation test credulity, and novelistic flourishes abound: "Eddie stacked the bills, smelled them, and stuffed them into his pocket; a girl at the bar used her middle finger to dab gloss on her lower lip, watching him. He grinned at her, knowing in one surge of eye contact that his life had just changed forever." Even as strictly pleasure reading, the story is surprisingly uncompelling. The young protagonists lack depth and development. Aside from fleeting moments of suspense during their drug smuggling activities, the narrative's pace is static. Nichols offers little insight into the characters' motivations and fails to reveal any overarching conflicts or themes. A true but lackluster tale of teenage drug smugglers. (bibliography) (Nonfiction. 14-18)

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June 1, 2017

Gr 8 Up-Readers are transported to the summer of 1969, when then teenager Eddie Otero was just a dreamer, planning on spending his summer vacation catching waves off Coronado Beach in San Diego. Otero yearned for the good life, so when his buddy made him a get-rich-quick offer, he couldn't resist. Otero was instructed to transport a package of illegal narcotics from Mexico into the United States. Seeing only dollar signs, he agreed. Otero swam under the cover of night, desperately avoiding Border Patrol and any other dangers lurking in the water. After he completed his first run, he decided he was eager to try it again-eventually growing a onetime thrill ride into a $100 million global smuggling operation. However, with rewards also come consequences. The narrative is at first slow-moving, but excitement and intrigue build along the way. Otero's dream of having it all will resonate with teens, and the 1970s setting will attract historical fiction readers. An epilogue acts like a "where are they now?" segment, updating readers on the lives of the book's major players. VERDICT Purchase for large collections with a devoted true crime following.-Amy Caldera, Dripping Springs Middle School, Dripping Springs, TX

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2017
Grades 9-12 Seventeen-year-old Eddie Otero craves the thrill of adventure, and in 1971, he gets in over his head. A strong and talented swimmer, he accepts the challenge to swim a waterproof package of weed from Mexico back to his small California town near San Diego. The danger fuels his desire to succeed, as does the prospect of big money. Along with other high-school friends and the Spanish teacher, Eddie starts a small business with big payouts, which expands into a multimillion-dollar global smuggling concern. But no amount of money can prevent them from becoming federally indicted fugitives. This highly readable book publishes concurrently with One Cut, by Eve Porinchak, as part of the new Simon True line, which focuses on real crimes involving teens. Deeply researched and evocative, Nichols' narrative clearly illustrates where a single bad decision can lead. As events unfold, readers experience the emotional roller coaster inherent to dangerous, illegal activities. Readers who love true crime will find themselves engrossed in this true tale of excess.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)