Author: Katie Henry
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books / HarperCollins

Truly Devious meets Turtles All the Way Down in critically acclaimed author Katie Henry’s YA contemporary comedic mystery, a hilarious send-up of the hardboiled detective genre that spotlights family, friendship and love.

Gideon’s short-lived run as a locally famous boy detective ended when middle school started, and everyone else—including his best friend, Lily—moved on while Gideon kept holding on to his trench coat, fedora and his treasured film noir collection. Now he’s sixteen and officially retired. That is, until Lily shows up suddenly at Gideon’s door, needing his help.

He might be mad at her for cutting him off with no explanation, but Gideon can’t turn down a case. As a cover, Gideon joins Lily on the school paper. Surprisingly, he finds himself warming up to the welcoming, close-knit staff . . . especially Tess, the cute, witty editor-in-

chief.

But as the case gets bigger than Gideon or Lily could have anticipated, Gideon must balance his black-and-white quest for the truth with the full colors of real life—or risk a permanent fade to black.

A very interesting and enjoyable story. I love how the main character connects personally with the reader through the first-person point of view. The novel eloquently introduces characters based on Gideon’s no-holds-barred perceptions. Characters are very relatable and each has their moment in the story wherein readers can dig deeply into them.

The plot is enjoyable because who would have thought to make a book about a very smart and sensible boy detective. The sequence of events is properly organized, the twists and turns are not your average, usual crime book (it is really surprising and unexpected!) and there is a sense of real-life teenage years to which I am pretty sure young adults will relate.

I also admire how Katie adjusted the main narrative so that other characters can have their own short stories. She was able to incorporate it flawlessly with the main character and narrative. This just shows that every one of us has a story to share -- good or bad, light or heavy.

Overall, it is two thumbs up! A crime-solving mystery book with a quirky plot, mixed with excitement, wit, sarcasm and believable teenage issues perfectly blended together to make this good material. This book could be adapted to the big screen, the plot is just so good.

Here is one of my many favorite exchanges in the book:

In the car, halfway to Verde, I decide to try out a new defense strategy. I’m not asking for full immunity. Just a commutation of my sentence.

“Dad, I know you’re mad at me---”

“Glad you picked up on that,” he says.

“But this is an overreaction.”

- Kevin Velayo