Book Review: The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard

Release Date: January 7, 2010
Publisher: Viking (Penguin)
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 208

Source: My local library.

Summary:
Seventeen-year-old Colt has been sneaking out at night to meet Julia, a girl from an upper-class neighborhood unlike his own. They’ve never told anyone else about their relationship: not their family or friends, and especially not Julia’s boyfriend. When Julia dies suddenly, Colt tries to cope with her death while pretending that he never even knew her. He discovers a journal Julia left behind. But Colt is not prepared for the truths he discovers about their intense relationship, nor to pay the price for the secrets he’s kept. (From the author's website.)
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I read most of The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard* in one sitting, and--I don't care how cliched this next clause sounds--I enjoyed every page of it.

The Secret Year in a nut shell: take Romeo and Juliet, subtract the double-suicide, add class conflict and a heaping cup of secrecy, and add an extra dash of suspense. Mix thoroughly.

Colt Morrissey is a boy from the flats--think wrong side of the tracks--and Julia Vernon is a privileged girl from Black Mountain Road, a fancy neighborhood not too far from the flats. They attend the same school, but hang out with different people: Colt with his friends from the flats, and Julia with the Black Mountain elite. Julia already has a Black Mountain boyfriend, but after she and Colt meet by chance at the Willis River bridge and share an illicit kiss, she begins leaving Colt secret notes and asking him to meet her at the bridge. Julia tells Colt that she wants to have a secret, no-strings-attached relationship with him; she tells him that he wouldn't enjoy the social obligations of being her public boyfriend. And Colt agrees. The two meet at the bridge in secret for a year, until Julia dies in a car accident. Colt is left to grieve for his secret sort-of girlfriend in private.

No one can know about the Secret Year because Julia wouldn't like it if their relationship became public, and besides--who would believe him? Julia already has one grieving, real, Vernon-family-approved-Black Mountain-boyfriend.

Julia was beautiful, cunning, and spirited. She was also a poet who kept a lot of journals. And, not long after the funeral, Julia's younger brother approaches Colt with one of Julia's journals. It's full of letters written to a C.M.: Colt Morrissey. Colt reads the journals over the school year following Julia's death, and Julia becomes a forceful, if deceased, character through her journal. Julia is constantly in Colt's head, and his secret relationship with her begins to affect his relationships with his friends, potential girlfriends, and family.

The Secret Year is a beautifully written novel about love, friendship, and the power people can have over others even after they are dead. I recommend The Secret Year to readers of contemporary and realistic fiction as well as readers who appreciate stories filled with social intrigue, class conflict, and stories dealing with family dynamics.
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*Not to be confused with Jenny Hubbard, author of Paper Covers Rock. Although, funny story, the only reason I picked up The Secret Year was because I did get them confused. I liked Paper Covers Rock so much that, if Jenny Hubbard wrote any other books, I wanted to read them, pronto. Did I think the different first names and the middle initial were odd? Yes. But the two novels contain so many similarities that it's spooky: both feature first-person narration from male protagonists, guilt, unrequited and/or secret love, poetry, settings centering around rivers, untimely deaths, and tell either all or part of the story through journal entries. These elements could easily be the favorite motifs of one writer.

Except that they are not. The J. Hubbards are talented--and distinct--authors. And I'm so glad I mistook one for the other and ended up reading The Secret Year.

Book Review: Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard

Release Date: June 14, 2011
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 192

Source: My local library.

Summary:

At the beginning of his junior year at a boys' boarding school, 16-year-old Alex is devastated when he fails to save a drowning friend. When questioned, Alex and his friend Glenn, who was also at the river, begin weaving their web of lies. Plagued by guilt, Alex takes refuge in the library, telling his tale in a journal he hides behind Moby-Dick. Caught in the web with Alex and Glenn is their English teacher, Miss Dovecott, fresh out of Princeton, who suspects there's more to what happened at the river when she perceives guilt in Alex's writing for class. She also sees poetic talent in Alex, which she encourages. As Alex responds to her attention, he discovers his true voice, one that goes against the boarding school bravado that Glenn embraces. When Glenn becomes convinced that Miss Dovecott is out to get them, Alex must choose between them. (From the publisher.)
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Alex Stromm, a student at a North Carolina boarding school in the early 1980s, begins keeping a journal after his friend Thomas drowns in a river near the school. He hides his "journal/Not-So-Great American Novel" behind an ancient copy of Moby Dick in the library. He greets the reader on the first page:

My apologies to Herman Melville, from whom I may have to steal a few words to tell the story that is about to be told, that is in the middle of being told, that will never stop being told. Such is the nature of guilt; such is the nature of truth. But it is also the nature of guilt to sideline the truth.

Welcome to the sidelines, Dear Reader.*

The sidelines of Alex's thoughts are an intriguing place to be: the story of what happened at the lake the day Thomas died unwinds slowly, and details come to light that surprise even Alex, who was there. What Alex knows for sure, however, is that if anyone finds out what happened before Thomas drowned, he and the other two boys who were at the river--Glenn and Clay--will be expelled. And Glenn, the ringleader of the group, is not about to let that happen to himself.

Miss Dovecott, a new English teacher and recent Princeton graduate, was out for a run when she stumbled on the scene of Thomas's death. Glenn is certain that she knows more about what happened at the river than she lets on, and he suspects that she's waiting to use her knowledge against them. Glenn's plan to find out what Miss Dovecott knows (and get rid of her if necessary) coincides with Alex's growing relationship with Miss Dovecott. (It's not a romantic one, although Alex spends a lot of time writing about his awkward crush on her.) Miss Dovecott notices Alex's talent for writing, and she begins meeting with him one-on-one to encourage him to develop his skills.

Glenn is the one to suggest that Miss Dovecott may be using Alex to see if he reveals anything about Thomas's death in his writing. Glenn--who grows increasingly paranoid that Miss Dovecott plans to expose them--pushes Alex to choose between him and Miss Dovecott.

Alex's choice is guaranteed to spark conversation between readers.

Paper Covers Rock is a short novel, but I read it slowly. Author Jenny Hubbard's prose is beautiful and full of thoughtful observations about life and literature, yet still believable as the journal of a precocious high school poet-boy. Literary allusions springing from Alex's studies fill the novel's pages, too; Paper Covers Rock is as much about poetry as it is about the aftermath of Thomas's death.

(And in spite of the plot's intensity, Paper Covers Rock finds time to be funny: the school installs a fountain in memory of Thomas, who--let's not forget--drowned.)

Paper Covers Rock isn't a fantasy, but it is set in another time and-- unless the reader happens to be at a boarding school for boys in rural North Carolina--another place, and the setting feels real. For this reason, and also for the novel's prose, tight plotting, and wide appeal, Paper Covers Rock is one of the best books I've read in the past few years.

Paper Covers Rock possesses crossover appeal; Alex's struggle between self-preservation and doing the right thing is universal, and Miss Dovecott--although seen through the eyes of a teenage boy--is a strong adult character who provides someone for older readers to identify with. I recommend Paper Covers Rock to readers who appreciate psychological drama, mysteries, and realistic fiction.
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*This book may shame me into reading  Moby Dick . . .**
**Bad English major, I know.

Book Review: Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Release Date: May 24, 2011

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 400

Source: My local library.

Summary:
From bestselling, Print Award-winning author Libba Bray comes the story of a plane of beauty pageant contestants that crashes on a desert island.

Teen beauty queens. A "Lost"-like island. Mysteries and dangers. No access to email. And the spirit of fierce, feral competition that lives underground in girls, a savage brutality that can only be revealed by a journey into the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Oh, the horror, the horror! Only funnier. With evening gowns. And a body count. (From libbabray.com)
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Reading Beauty Queens is like watching a classic screwball comedy such as Bringing Up Baby*, but smarter: author Libba Bray keeps the satiric laughs and plot twists coming so quickly that reading this novel is almost exhausting.**

After the contestants for the Miss Teen Dream pageant crash on an island en route to the pageant venue, the survivors form two teams--the Sparkle Ponies and the Lost Girls--to salvage materials from the wreckage of the plane, and search for more survivors in the jungle. Unfortunately, the list of survivors is few, and food and water are in dangerously short supply. One beauty queen reflects on the girls' predicament:

 "Ohmigosh. No food at all . . . . I am going to be so superskinny by pageant time!"

The beauty queens soon have more to worry about than food. In the universe of Bray's novel, a giant company called The Corporation seems to hold a monopoly on TV shows and all sorts of products. The Corporation also has political ambition and takes part in shady deals with leaders from other countries, like the one that's scheduled to take place between The Corporation and MoMo B. ChaCha, the dictator of the Republic of ChaCha (whose most trusted advisor is a stuffed lemur named General Good Times), on the same island as the one the beauty queens crashed on.

The resulting hijinks, violence, and explosions are wacky fun. Also, there are sequins.

Bray executes her outlandish plot with plenty of satire and wit, and the laughs don't stop when the Deep Thoughts begin. In Beauty Queens, Bray goes after materialism, gender roles, racism, society's attitude toward the handicapped, environmentalism, the fashion and beauty industries, and more. Bray invites readers to question the world around them: just because certain social ideas exist doesn't mean they're right.

Bray's main aim, however, seems to be to subvert the social expectations placed on girls and women. Bray clearly states within the novel that Beauty Queens is a sort-of retelling of Lord of the Flies, but with girls and a more positive view of humanity. While thinking about life on the island, Miss Nebraska muses:

"Maybe girls need an island to find themselves. Maybe they need a place where no one's watching them so they can be who they really are."***

Much of the novel focuses on identity. Each beauty queen has a specific struggle, although some characters bleed into the background while others are forceful and memorable.

I had mixed feelings about Beauty Queens until I finished it. The serious and funny parts don't always mesh very well, and much of the novel feels all-over-the-place. But now that I'm done reading it, I'm still thinking about it. And laughing. (General Good Times, anyone?) Beauty Queens is an enjoyable, intellectual novel, and I highly recommend it.

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*Bringing Up Baby trailer

**I'm not sure how Bray lives in her own head without laughing 24/7. Or maybe it's more of a cackle.

***This quote instantly reminded me of Barbara Kruger's 1981 work Untitled (Your Gaze Hits the Side of My Face), which uses the format of a magazine cover to suggest how aggressive the way society scrutinizes women can be.

Image from SGA Art History

Book Review: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Release Date: April 5, 2011
Publisher: Dutton
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 208

Source: My local library.

Summary:

It’s been three years since the devastating accident … three years since Mia walked out of Adam’s life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Julliard’s rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia’s home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future—and each other.

Told from Adam’s point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance. (From gayleforman.com)

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I made time for Where She Went back in the craziness of April when school was still in session, and I've been waiting to pull out my notes and rave about it ever since.* Whenever I opened it, I always read for longer than I meant to. That said, there seemed to be many natural stopping points. I rotated between being glued to the pages and wanting to put the book down for awhile, but Gayle Forman's characters and the delightful atmosphere of Where She Went were always on my mind.

The same economical, beautiful prose in If I Stay is present in Where She Went, only Adam plays the narrator, instead of Mia.

*Spoiler alert: People who haven't read If I Stay may want to quit reading now, although the biggest spoiler--the fact that Mia stays--is already evident from the existence of Where She Went. This warning is only a little unnecessary. . .*

I have much respect for Forman's unconventional handling of Mia's and Adam's romance. Where She Went is a funny (at times bitterly so), ultimately feel-good novel populated with realistic, imperfect people who don't always deal with each other and their situations in the best possible ways. Adam's voice comes across as realistically upset and depressed as he makes sense of the downside of rock 'n roll fame and Mia's inexplicable rejection of him. (Translation: He swears. A lot. But never for no reason.)

Where She Went is intense, yet cozy. Even when it's strained, Mia's and Adam's relationship feels like a well-worn pair of shoes. I imagine the coziness is amplified for readers who are already acquainted with these characters, but enough background information is provided for readers to read the two books out of order.

Where She Went is a graceful novel that explores changes and ups and downs in relationships while allowing the reader to vicariously experience the exciting lives of two remarkably successful twenty-one-year-olds: a rockstar and a classical cellist. Forman highlights beautiful details, like how the sounds of the crowds at concerts for Adam's band changed as the band grew in popularity. I recommend Where She Went to readers who like contemporary fiction with a dash of inspiration, as well as readers interested in romance and family dramas. Where She Went is a book that affirms that people can get back together and grow and change. And the writing is GORGEOUS.
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*Any book I made time for in that whirlwind of a month had to be very, very good, and Where She Went was evidently good enough to come between me and my textbooks.

Previously by Gayle Forman: If I Stay

Book Review: Foreign Tongue by Vanina Marsot

Release Date: April 2009
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 384

Source: My local library.

Summary:

Paris, the storybook capital of romance—of strolls down cobblestone streets and kisses by the Seine—may not be the ideal location to mend a wounded heart. But pragmatic professional writer Anna, who has been unlucky in love in L.A., has come here with keys to her aunt's empty apartment. Bilingual and blessed with dual citizenship, she seeks solace in the delectable pastries, in the company of old friends, and in her exciting new job: translating a mysterious, erotic French novel by an anonymous author.

Intrigued by the story, and drawn in by the mystery behind the book, Anna soon finds herself among the city's literati—and in the arms of an alluring Parisian—as she resolves to explore who she is . . . in both cultures. (From Harper Collins)
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Vanina Marsot’s novel Foreign Tongue: a Novel of Life and Love in Paris tells the story of Anna, a half-French and half-American freelance writer. Anna believes she’s found The One when she meets Timothy, but in less than six months she discovers that Timothy is involved with other women. Anna walks away from the relationship. Unfortunately, Timothy is difficult to get over because, in Anna’s words, “Timothy became famous. Magazine-cover famous. Pop-culture famous." So Anna flees L.A. for Paris. Luckily—miraculously, really—Anna speaks French and has an aunt willing to lend her an apartment in Paris, rent-free.

Anna explores Paris for awhile and reconnects with her European friends but eventually needs something to do. She is also fired from her freelance job at an American PR firm after a change in management, and she needs money. Anna is browsing through the used books at Shakespeare & Company when she notices a job posting for a translator for an exotic novel at Editions Laveau. Anna hurries to Editions Laveau. Monsieur Laveau is a crotchety old man, and he is quietly amused that Anna misread the job posting: Laveau is looking for someone to translate an erotic novel, not an exotic one. Anna takes the job anyway. Later, while waiting for another chapter to translate at Laveau’s office, Anna meets Olivier. Olivier is a handsome Frenchman. He’s also an actor, just like Timothy. Anna starts a relationship with Olivier but cultural differences complicate their relationship.

I enjoyed this book. The plot moves quickly; Anna is in Paris by page seven. The novel Anna translates also acts as a story within a story. The novel, by an anonymous author, tells the story of one Frenchman’s “great love." Jean-Marc, the first-person narrator, is initially repelling. He keeps two girlfriends, one boring and public and one fiery and secret. The secret one, Eve, is his "great love." Their relationship begins as a sexual one and the love scenes are (uncomfortably) anatomically accurate and odd.

(A little warning, reader-to-reader: this novel is labeled adult fiction for a reason.)

Anna’s world is a little steamy, too: a friend takes her to a Parisian sex club and Anna and Olivier share several intimate scenes. Jean-Marc’s story becomes more readable, however, as he falls in love with Eve and becomes heartbroken when she leaves him, while Anna’s relationship with Olivier mirrors one of the cultural differences remarked on by Anna when she sees a couple kiss in a café. Anna explains that the French “kiss in public, and I mean big, wet, sexy kisses. People of all ages do it, and no one yells ‘Get a room!’ If you don’t like it, you can lump it, or look the other way."

I read Foreign Tongue before visiting France this January, and I noticed this profusion of PDA in Paris.
 
Beyond the plot and cultural dimensions of Foreign Tongue, the novel is largely about language. Marsot discusses the craft of storytelling through Anna from page one, beginning, “I could start like this, third-person omniscient: ‘She chucked it all and moved to Paris.’ . . . . Or no dodge-and-weave, no embroidery, no third-person, no all-knowing voice: I left.” Marsot also peppers her prose with French conversations, and she does not always provide a translation. One does not need much French to follow the story but knowing none would have frustrated me. I would have been on Google Translate at every other page.

 Foreign Tongue is steeped in French language, culture, and Parisian scenery. I recommend it to readers looking for a fun yet realistic romance as well as anyone who is interested in linguistics, writing, travel, and--of course--Paris.

Book Review: Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan

Release Date: October 19, 2009

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 336

Source: My local library.

Cover image from BTSB Bookstore

Summary:

Fifteen-year-old Blake has a girlfriend and a friend who’s a girl. One of them loves him, the other one needs him.

When he snapped a picture of a street person for his photography homework, Blake never dreamed that the woman in the photo was his friend Marissa’s long-lost meth addicted mom. Blake’s participation in the ensuing drama opens up a world of trouble, both for him and for Marissa. He spends the next few months trying to reconcile the conflicting roles of Boyfriend and Friend. His experiences range from the comic (surviving his dad’s birth control talk) to the tragic (a harrowing after-hours visit to the morgue).

In a tangle of life and death, love and loyalty, Blake will emerge with a more sharply defined snapshot of himself. (From the author's website)
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I didn't pay attention to this book when it came out last year because I didn't like the cover--shallow, I know. Other people paid attention to it, though. Flash Burnout won the 2010 William C. Morris Award, an ALA award that honors YA debut authors. I looked past the cover after author Stephanie Perkins recommended Flash Burnout in this post.

I now understand why it won an award.

Flash Burnout is a love story: first love, love going well, love gone wrong, parental love, brotherly love, friendship, and self-acceptance. Blake, the main character and first person narrator, has a likable, humorous voice that made me laugh even as bits of Blake's life were falling apart. Blake has a girlfriend he loves and a girl friend and fellow photography student he likes spending time with, and who, after Blake unknowingly snaps a picture of her meth-addict mom, needs him.

Author L.K. Madigan navigates first-relationship awkwardness and the tension between Shannon and Marissa, the two girls in Blake's life, well. Each scene flows neatly into the next; Flash Burnout is well-paced and well-suited for long sittings. I liked all of Madigan's characters--Blake has a great family that includes a Medical Examiner dad who occasionally brings his work home, a no-nonsense mom and a surprisingly awesome older brother, as well as a dog named The Dog Formerly Known as Prince. Half the fun of this novel is watching Blake's family interact and support each other.

Anyway. The drama of Blake's girl issues escalates until it explodes, and Blake does a Bad Thing. I won't say what it is, but Blake's actions and their fallout invite much serious thought about a mature subject. Through it all, though, I never disliked Blake, nor did I feel sorry for him. Madigan walks a tightrope of feelings and ends up with a beautiful, sad (not oh-no-somebody-died sad, but rather realistically bleak), and funny novel. The plot is intense--externally and internally--and but for one awkward sneaking out at night scene, I have no complaints.

I recommend Flash Burnout to readers of contemporary fiction, those who enjoy juicy internal conflict, and anyone looking for a thoughtful, funny read.

Book Review: Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani

Release Date: September 1, 2009
Publisher: HarperTeen
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 288Summary:
I'm marooned.

Abandoned.

Left to rot in boarding school . . .

Viola doesn't want to go to boarding school, but somehow she ends up at an all-girls school in South Bend, Indiana, far, far away from her home in Brooklyn, New York. Now Viola is stuck for a whole year in the sherbet-colored sweater capital of the world.

Ick.

There's no way Viola's going to survive the year—especially since she has to replace her best friend Andrew with three new roommates who, disturbingly, actually seem to like it there. She resorts to viewing the world (and hiding) behind the lens of her video camera.

Boarding school, though, and her roommates and even the Midwest are nothing like she thought they would be, and soon Viola realizes she may be in for the most incredible year of her life.

But first she has to put the camera down and let the world in. (From Amazon.com)
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Viola in Reel Life is a novel that is what it sounds like--plus a little extra. As the summary suggests, Viola goes to boarding school, complains, meets people, learns Important Lessons, and spends a lot of time with her camera. But there is also a ghost, massive amounts of creativity, phenomenal friendships, a wonderful depth of emotion, a lot of laughs--and it just made me happy.

I really enjoyed listening to Viola tell her story--Adriana Trigiani crafted a good-natured, savvy, and funny narrator. Viola makes one hilarious--and true--observation about life after another. On Viola's first night at her new school she says:

I'm sure everybody will be wearing new pajamas tonight. I know I will. My mother got rid of my "Vote for Pedro" T-shirt and cupcake jam pants because they had holes in them. I'll be mad at her until the day I die for that one. This is one thing all mothers have in common. When it comes to boarding school, or sleepaway camp, or a visit with the grand-p's, a girl needs a new wardrobe from the underwear out.

That statement is so true I guffawed and got a strange look from my college roommate.

As for the plot, I enjoyed it: there are a few twists and turns, but nothing that shook my world too drastically--it's predictable in a comfortable, fuzzy slippers sort of way, and I had no serious issues with anything in the writing.

The most striking element of Viola, however, is the close friendship that develops between Viola and her roommates. It's genuine and downright heartwarming. In fact, all of the relationships in the novel are very well-drawn, as are the characters from Viola herself to Trish, the sparkly, enthusisastic resident assistant who lives on Viola's floor.

Viola in Reel Life is a feel-good book; Trigiani tells the story she chose to tell well, and I recommend reading it. I laughed, I said, "Aww," and I closed the book with a satisfied smile.

Book source: My local library.

Book Review: Gentlemen by Michael Northrop

Release Date: April 15, 2009
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 256

Summary:

Micheal, Tommy, Mixer, and Bones aren't just from the wrong side of the tracks--they're from the wrong side of everything. Except for Mr. Haberman, their remedial English teacher, no one at their high school takes them seriously. Haberman calls them "gentlemen," but everyone else ignores them--or, in Bones's case, is dead afraid of them. When one of their close-knit group goes missing, the clues all seem to point in one direction: to Mr. Haberman. Gritty, fast-paced, and brutally real, this debut takes an unflinching look at what binds friends together--and what can tear them apart. (From The Scholastic Store)
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On the same day that Micheal's friend Tommy goes missing, his English teacher, Mr. Haberman, begins teaching Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment--a novel I actually enjoyed in high school. In order to pique his students' interest, Mr. Haberman places a large barrel at the front of the classroom and asks the students to guess what's inside, then talks about words and ideas like crime and punishment. At the end of the class, Mr. Haberman asks Micheal, Mixer, and Bones to help him take the barrel to his car. At this point, Micheal and his friends don't know what's in the barrel, but they do know that's it's incredibly heavy and seems to have joints. Add that to the strange looks Haberman seems to give them in class as he talks about the murder in Crime and Punishment and Micheal and his friends think they know what happened to Tommy.

While Gentlemen may sound like a typical mystery novel, it's not all clues and snappy dialogue. Rather, it's a group of boys trying to get through school and life; finding Tommy is important to them, but it doesn't completely consume their attention.

Micheal is a likeable, realistic main character with an appealing first-person voice, but he's too wrapped up in himself to let readers become anything more than acquainted with the other characters. And even though he makes plenty of questionable decisions and spends a considerable amount of his freetime scoping out girls, drinking, and smoking, I never stopped rooting for him.

Now, if you've read this far you may have noticed that I keep misspelling the name "Michael"; it's not a mistake. I'll let Micheal explain it to you:

"My first name is spelled wrong. It's Micheal instead of Michael. Mom or Dad, one of them dropped the ball on that one, probably Dad, in the hospital or wherever it is you fill out that paperwork."

Micheal's a funny guy, and I laughed quite a few times while reading Gentlemen.

There were plenty of moments, however, where I wasn't laughing. Gentlemen is a dark story, and it's not always easy to read. The most shocking scenes include a possible-rape (That's how I took it, anyway) and a good bit of violence at the climax. These parts weren't particularly enjoyable, but they didn't keep me from finishing the book. After the violent climax, however, the ending becomes predictable and inevitable, and I didn't want to watch; it was almost a chore to finish the book.

As far as language goes, Gentlemen is actually pretty clean; Micheal edits himself when it comes to the "F" word and no piece of profanity appears uncalled for.

Gentlemen is a dark, occasionally funny, and always intense read. The mystery of Tommy's disappearance held me spellbound until the last couple chapters, when all the pieces fell into place. This book is like a magnet. I enjoyed Gentlemen, and I recommend it to anyone in the mood for a quick, suspenseful read.

Book source: My local library.