Seconds Away

November 26, 2012
Action packed would be an understated description for Coben’s novel—the second spinoff of his bestselling Myron Bolitar series featuring 14-year-old Mickey Bolitar. Picking up where the last book left off, Mickey is stunned by the news, supplied by the town’s mysterious and scary old crone, that his father, whom he saw die in a car crash, is still alive. Before Mickey can begin to digest this information, his girlfriend is shot in the head, he’s interrogated by the police, threatened, trapped in a burning building, and terrorized by two hit men—all while making time to try out for his high school’s basketball team. Narrator Nick Podehl turns in an inspired performance, lending a youthful voice to Mickey that captures all his teen angst, confusion, and impatience. Podehl also effectively renders the book’s cast of characters, from the snarling, bullying police chief to the screechy little nerd named Spoon. Ages 12–up. A Putnam hardcover.

September 1, 2012
High school sleuth Mickey Bolitar continues to find trouble...or maybe it finds him (Shelter, 2011). In a spooky house, Mickey squares off with a gnarled crone he knows only as the Bat Lady. She freaks him out by telling him that his father is not dead, and Mickey responds with a revelation of his own: that the paramedic who whisked his father away on the day of his death is a notorious Nazi war criminal. As implausible as this sounds, the Bat Lady's violent reaction seems a validation of his claim. This troubling issue is shoved onto a back burner with the news that Mickey's friend Rachel was shot by an intruder, who also killed her mother. The mutual attraction of Mickey and Rachel is a thorn in the side of her boyfriend, basketball star Troy Taylor, who also happens to be threatened by Mickey's mad court skills. Since Troy's dad is the police chief, Mickey finds himself treated like a suspect. He and outcast pals Ema and Spoon try to unravel both mysteries, too busy to even note the arrival of movie star Angelica Wyatt, who's managed by Mickey's Uncle Myron, with whom he lives (and around whom Coben has spun a successful series for adults). Coben deftly weaves these multiple plot threads into a compelling whole. An involving thriller that moves like lightning. (Mystery. 11-16)

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November 1, 2012

Gr 7 Up-High school sophomore Mickey Bolitar is no stranger to mystery and danger and has a rap sheet to prove it. Flashing back to Shelter (Putnam, 2011), in which his father dies in a car crash and his mother is sent to a mental hospital, Mickey is now shown a photo of a Nazi named the Butcher of Lodz, who is a dead ringer for the creepy paramedic who whisked his father's body away the day of the accident. The owner of the photo is an Auschwitz survivor and eccentric neighbor known as the "Bat Lady," so when her house burns down and she turns up missing, Mickey is sure it all has something to do with his father. In a parallel plot, Mickey's classmate Rachel is wounded and her mother shot and killed at their home, by unknown assailants. Mickey's busy sports-agent guardian, Uncle Myron, is more focused on Mickey's chances of making the school basketball team than on answering questions about his brother's death, leaving the teen and friends Ema and Spoon the opportunity to investigate Rachel's shooting. Pulled in many directions by a plethora of red herrings, including the random appearance of Abeona butterfly symbols, a beautiful movie star neighbor, and a shady character named Shaved Head, it is clear that many contrivances will be needed to tie everything together. Action-loving readers, however, will enjoy the page-turning intrigue offered up by this otherwise typical teen hero spawned from the author's "Myron Bolitar" series for adults.Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2012
Grades 8-11 Barely recovered from the adventures of Shelter (2011), Mickey Bolitar plunges full force into his second mystery when classmate Rachel's skull is grazed by a bullet and her mother is killed. With the help of Ema, a feisty goth, and Spoon, a kid with Asperger's-like behavior, the high-school sleuth resolves to track down the shooter at all costs. Meanwhile, there are ongoing questions surrounding his father's death, the Abeona Shelter's secret mission to save children, and whom to trust. When not saving his town from murder and corruption and getting to know more about his sidekicks in the process, Mickey hopes to make his school's basketball team, just like his estranged uncle. His uncle's imparted advice ( There are always consequences to being a hero ) help direct the teen's choices and slowly heal their awkward relationship. Mickey's fast-paced, first-person narration won't disappoint his growing fan base. The satisfying conclusion leaves enough open-ended questions to continue this gripping series. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The only question is whether Coben's adult megastardom crosses over to youth. Given the big author tour and print and TV ads, we're betting on it.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2013
Still reeling from events in Shelter, Mickey and new friends Ema and Spoon dive headfirst into another dangerous mystery when Rachel is shot and her mother is killed. Meanwhile, Mickey suspects his father may not really be dead. The onslaught of secrets and sub-stories works thanks to solid plotting and lightning-quick pacing; Coben has a knack for crafting twists readers won't anticipate.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)