Thursday, March 14, 2013

Confessions of a Murder Suspect by James Patterson




Confessions of a Murder Suspect (Teen Detective Series #1) by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
Publication date: September 24, 2012 (Little, Brown and Company)

The lack of evidence in the sudden death of Tandy Angel’s successful parents make her and her siblings prime suspects. She wants to insist she’s innocent, but the truth is she doesn’t know. There’s a lot that she doesn’t remember. The deeper she digs trying to clear her family’s name, the more secrets she reveals that have her questioning who she’s been her entire life as well as the ones she loves.

Being a fan of James Patterson’s Maximum Ride series since practically the beginning, and looking for something to fill the void after its conclusion in August (2012), I was rather excited to hear of this first installment of his new YA series.

His usual short chapter format makes this book a breeze to read. It strays into predictability at times, and contains more Maury-esque drama than the legitimate mystery/action that one would hope for. You can’t help but become attached to smart, strong Tandy, but I found myself hating the rest of the crew. Malcolm and Maud (may they rest in peace) perhaps had good intentions but they were really just horrible people. While this book need not exist without Tandy’s impressive sleuthing skills, the real detectives on the case were almost unbelievably incompetent.

I honestly can’t say whether I was satisfied or dissatisfied with the ending. On one hand it feels like a stand alone because I really don’t know where it could go from here, but then you realize, “Hey, what about...”? So while a little different from what I would usually read, and not a complete disappointment perse, I don’t know how closely I’ll be following from here.

(3.5 out of 5)

- Rachel