Genre: Young Adult/Mystery

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I am a big fan of Harlan Coben, and an even bigger fan of his series protagonist, Myron Bolitar. I have read the entire series and reviewed most of them through the years. When Myron introduced us to his nephew, Mickey, in one of his novels, I realized he had an ulterior motive. Coben wanted to write young adult novels, and Mickey was a perfect foot in the door.

In Shelter Mickey recently witnessed his dad’s death and helped send his mom to rehab. Even though he had been estranged from his uncle, Myron, he had no where else to go. Suddenly he has to acclimate to a new school and an uncle that he really doesn’t like. Meeting Ashley at school makes everything a bit better, and when she suddenly disappears he knows he has to find her.

What he finds shocks him, and he is suddenly in much deeper than a high school student should be. Since author Coben has a great deal of experience fleshing out investigators, Mickey becomes a character who is interesting to follow. Sometimes it is a bit difficult differentiating him from his uncle, but I think that as the series continues, Mickey will stand out as his own strong character.

My favorite part of the Myron Bolitar series is the addition of wonderful supporting characters. Mickey’s friends fill the same roll. Ema is a bit of an outsider, and Spoon, the janitors son, kept me chuckling as they try to help Mickey solve the mystery of Ashley’s disappearance.

This is a great book to buy for your young adult children and then read it when they are through. It will lead to some interesting dinner time conversations.

- Beverly
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Publisher - Penguin Group (USA) LLC
Date of Publication - ​September 6, 201

Genre: Young Adult

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Although I do not generally read/review young adult (YA) books, this one caught my eye, and I am so happy it did.  The subject matter in The Computer Code Mystery was interesting for all ages, and the subtle messages were perfect for those preteen years when it is difficult to tell your child anything.  

The first message clearly shows the reader that science can be interesting (and fun), and girls can be just as involved as boys in that field.  Eleven year old Celia wants to speed up her computer to play her video games more efficiently. A day off of school (yaaa snow) gives her time to figure out how to work on the mother board successfully, but her mom insists she have an adult on hand when working with electricity.  Since mom is busy at that moment, grandma comes to help.

The second message that clearly resonates throughout the book is that working together as a family is the way to succeed.  Parents, siblings and extended family are important components to a successful life.  Celia actually figures out how to amp up the computer, and she and her younger sister are soon involved in the fastest computer game ever until the game is replaced by strange coding on their screens.

Although the reader knows what is happening, Celia needs to break the code.  I loved the book and so enjoyed watching this young girl's mind at work.  It is science and mystery written at a level that can be enjoyed by young and old.  I just might start adding more YA literature to my reading collection.

- Beverly
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Publisher - I_AM Self-Publishing
Date of Publication - August 9, 2016