Trial by Fire

February 1, 2016
This latest Riley Donovan mystery takes Riley to a small town that doesn't want to accept an immigrant farmer. When Riley and her aunt Ginny move to a small town so the latter can begin her career as a police detective, Riley meets their neighbor, Mr. Goran, a Kurd. One night Riley sees a glow and runs to his farm to find his barn on fire and Mr. Goran trapped inside. He barely survives, but the police identify the fire as arson and name Mr. Goran as the chief suspect. While his father is in the hospital, his son arrives. Riley tries to help by selling the Gorans' produce at the farmers market, but a local boy and his friends trash their stall, and the bystanders all claim to have seen nothing. Despite the hostility of the townsfolk, Riley remains certain that Mr. Goran could not be guilty and tries to find out who might be the real culprit. She faces plenty of opposition, including from her aunt, who wants to keep her out of trouble. Interestingly, McClintock does not overtly accuse the townspeople of bigotry, focusing their anger on the fact that Mr. Goran bought the farm at an auction that the town had conspired to win for the previous owner. The mystery unfolds in standard fashion, with a hint of possible romance for Riley. A solid mystery with social overtones. (Mystery. 12-18)

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 15, 2016
Grades 7-10 When Riley Donovan moves to a small town for her aunt to take a position as the local police detective, she expects a slower pace of life. But when their neighbor's barn catches on fire with him shouting for help inside of it, the small town suddenly has a big mystery on its hands, and no one seems to be trying particularly hard to solve it. As the townspeople band together against the victim of the fire, Riley questions their motives and sets out to uncover the truth. With more than 60 books under her belt and five Arthur Ellis Awards for exceptional crime fiction for youth, McClintock is clearly in her element. Within the first 10 pages, there is arson, attempted murder, and an explosion that knocks the protagonist airborne and unconscious, and the pace doesn't slow until the final page. The mystery is compelling, the ending surprising, the protagonist plucky, and the language appealing for reluctant and avid readers alike, while the small-town race issues ground it as a discussion piece.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)