So, a little over a week ago I was browsing my Facebook newsfeed when a sponsored post appeared, advertising a local YA author's book launch at a nearby Barnes and Noble. The book, FAKE ID by Lamar Giles, was advertised as part YA mystery thirller, part family drama, and I admit the premise alone intrigued me. Plus, as I thought to myself, no one ever came to the book signings I ever did, so I should go to either comiserate or see what he's doing right.
As it turns out, Giles is doing a lot of things right, most important among them writing a taunt, action-packed YA thriller that should have plenty of appeal to guys and gals alike. FAKE ID grabs your attention from the begining and doesn't let go until the very end, keeping you guessing until the last twist that you never see coming.
The basics: Nick Pearson and his mom and dad have just moved to Stepton, Virginia. Except Nick Pearson isn't his real name. Nick and his family are in Witness Protection, after Nick's dad turned state's evidence on his boss, gangster Kreso Maric. With Maric on the run, Nick and his family have been moving around the country under federal protection for the last 4 years, and his dad just can't seem to stay out of trouble.
But trouble has a way of following Nick, starting with a run-in with the school bully on his first day at school. Rescue comes from an unlikely source in the form of Eli Cruz, the school's resident journalist. But in a month's time Eli will be dead, and he won't be the last to die. It falls to Nick to unravel the mystery, and all he has to go on is the codename of Eli's last investigation....Whispertown.
I think one of the hardest part of writing YA fiction as an adult is making everything feel authentic and organic. Giles makes it look easy. I can't quite describe his writing style, but I like it. The book flows very well, and in addition to being an entertaining story, it's very well written. I highly reccomend it.
FAKE ID is out now for Kindle, in hardcover, and as an audiobook.
-Mike, out.
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