Crime? Pick: The Art of Secrets

The Art of Secrets
by James Klise
Algonquin
2014
255 pages
ISBN: 9781616201951

All I can say is: WOW! The Art of Secrets will rock your world! Readers will be invested in the many faceted characters of the main characters and  bit players who tag along for the ride but provide insight will pull the story along. James Klise has written a teen tour-de-force so compelling and lavishly layered  that it is sure to become a classic.

A tragic apartment fire destroys an immigrant family's American dream; Saba Khan's family would be homeless and penniless if not for the generosity of wealthy strangers who let Saba's family stay in their luxury condo rent free. Others step in with donations and Saba's online presence explodes. Students in Saba's  prestigious school offer to hold a fundraiser to help her family.

When it's discovered that the fire was set and obviously arson, questions are raised. Could the Khan's be looking for a handout, or is this a hate crime? Someone so enraged with "outsiders" set the fire knowing it would destroy the family? Maybe even hoping to kill members of the family? The school is rife with opinions which bleed over to Facebook.

The students at the school believe in Saba as a victim, and won't bow to pressure from outsiders who gossip that the Khans set the fire themselves. When pieces of donated art are discovered to be hidden gems of  Chicago artist Henry Darger--an artist whose works are considered "outsider" but priceless--all forms of human sins are revealed. The school principal sees the chance to raise money for her floundering budget, the Khans realize they could be "rich" and feel blessed but unworthy, students begin to whisper, the police investigate, the school art teacher dreams of having a closer look, and hungry journalists descend upon the school hoping for the scoop of the century.

Readers will be sucked in the vortex that is The Art of Secrets--secrets truly are an art, and this page turner proves it. James Klise has written a novel that will make readers question what is right and what is wrong. A reader is likely to see the issue one way at the opening of the book, but do a complete 180 when the truth is revealed. This one left me gasping for breath! Thank you, James Klise, for one helluva ride!

Highly, highly recommended for mature readers. The twists and turns of the plot make this a more difficult read but highly worth your time!  Anyone who loves a great, dark tale full of intrigue and drama will love The Art of Secrets.

Grade 8-up due to nuances and subtle storytelling. The story is told in what appears at first a haphazard and difficult way--it is a series of interviews, Saba's journal entries, monologues, articles and conversations--but as the story gains momentum, readers realize it is told in a uniquely sublime way. The only way it could be told. I say hurrah, James Klise! I believe you have a runaway winner of a book, likely to cause a lot of buzz and be selected for quite a few honors. Good luck, sir.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Adult Fiction Pick: Daddy's Gone A Hunting

Daddy's Gone A Hunting
by Mary Higgins Clark
Simon & Schuster
2013
338 pages

Suspenseful, powerful, and masterful, Daddy's Gone a Hunting will not disappoint Mary Higgins Clark 's fans. When a powerful fire and explosion destroys their family's antique furniture reproduction plant, sister Hannah is injured and in a coma. Officials know someone set the fire, possibly to recover insurance money that will bail out the failing business. Kate doesn't believe her sister Hannah has anything to do with the explosion, but what on earth was she doing at the factory in the wee hours of the morning? Kate suspects her own father, Doug Connelly. He is dogged in his attempts to save his business and will stop at nothing to save his own name.

As officials tighten the investigaion, the real arsonist is getting jumpy. A cold case of a missing girl is reopened when her body is discovered, further complicating matters. Hannah is starting to come out of the coma and remembering things...things that happened a long time ago, and her memories will blow the case wide open.

As entertaining as Daddy's Gone a Hunting is, it lacks depth of character, at least  for me. I wanted to know more about Kate--other than the fact that she's an up and coming designer and that she loves her sister Hannah, Kate was underdeveloped. The reader never knows Hannah either. It's a real missed opportunity to build the story of their sister bond.

Recommended for fans of crime capers, murder mystery and fans of Mary Higgins Clark.
No sex; no language.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Chick Pick: My Life Undecided

My Life Undecided
by Jessica Brody
RR Donnelley & Sons Company (Farrar Straus Giroux)
2011
299 pages
(Amazon has it listed as 320 pages, but my copy has 299)

Blogger's Note: I find the idea of a teen using a personal blog to make her decisions quite quirky and wish I had thought of this idea!)

Funny, quirky, comic, quick-witted, and over-the-top melodramatic Brooklyn Pierce is a character girls will love. She is so confused and in so much trouble, she turns to the "people" of the Internet to make her life's decisions for her. Since she burned down her mom's model home and faces arson charges and tons of community service hours in a local nursing home, she knows the decisions she has been making on her own just aren't good ones. She feels genetically pre-disposed and blames her DNA for making bad decision.

So Brooklyn posts her blog "My Life Undecided" and asks readers to choose for her. Their job is to choose which book she should read for English--The Grapes of Wrath or The Old Man and the Sea. Their second vote is whether she should sit alone in the cafeteria like a leper or hide out in the library like a wimp. A total of eleven people find her blog and decide she should read The Grapes of Wrath and have lunch in the cafeteria. Brooklyn is true to her blog readers and follows their directions.

Brooklyn sits alone at lunch and tries to eat quickly so she can escape, but as luck would have it, she begins choking on canteloupe. Lucky for her, someone grabs her from behind and wraps arms around her waist causing the canteloupe to dislodge. Her savior is a boy from her English class--Brian Harris. She's never noticed him before probably because she used to hang out with only the most popular people and Brian is just a quiet guy. Brooklyn soon nicknames Brian "Heimlich" on her blog and hot guy Hunter becomes Rhett Butler--in one comic moment, Brooklyn originally names him "Red" Butler, but her blog readers correct her and tell her the name is actually "Rhett."

When "Rhett" invites Brooklyn to a funky downtown club that his father has just opened, she knows it's off limits. Her parents would never allow her to go. She dearly wants to go and hang with Hunter, "Rhett," but leaves the choice to her blog followers. The majority assures her to stay away; it will only get her in trouble. Brooklyn follows them again and goes to dinner with her parents just blocks away from the club.

Performing community service in a nursing home is no laughing matter, but Brooklyn meets a crotchety old lady named Mrs. Moody who allows her to read to her. Soon Brooklyn actually looks forward to her visits and decides maybe old people aren't so bad after all, especially moody Mrs. Moody.

Brooklyn pines over Hunter, "Rhett" and can't see the good guy standing right in front of her Brian "Heimlich." It takes her blog readers to spell it out for her. In a cute twist, Brooklyn finds out Heimlich has been following her blog for weeks! Readers who like girl-y picks with plenty of comedy and drama will love My Life Undecided.

Highly recommended grades 7-up. No language, no sex, but mention of underage drinking and a "party." No more details mentioned other than that there was a party and people were drinking.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not received monetary compensation for this review.