Crazy Dangerous

Gr 7–10—Sixteen-year-old Sam Hopkins is a PK—preacher's kid—and has always had a goody-goody reputation. Then he starts hanging out with a trio of teen car thieves who show him everything they know. When Sam intervenes as the gang bullies Jennifer, the "weird" girl at school, he gets beaten up and earns Jennifer's adulation. She tells Sam about her visions, complete with demons, the devil, murders, and lots of blood. Sam believes that she's foretelling the future, and sets off to stop the violence. Edgar winner Andrew Klavan's book (Thomas Nelson, 2012) has a Christian slant. It could have used tighter editing; we learn Sam's thoughts and actions in minute, sometimes excruciating detail. Believability is strained as Sam, a driver with limited experience and a learner's permit, steals a Mustang and weaves in and out of traffic at high speeds without a scratch. Nick Podehl does a wonderful job narrating, expressively voicing Sam's emotions and confusion and clearly delineating all the other characters; Jennifer's voice is suitably creepy. A supplemental purchase for those who like their thrillers a little far-fetched and tinged with horror.—Julie Paladino, East Chapel Hill High School, NC