First Shot by Walter Sorrells

Booklist starred (September 15, 2007 (Vol. 104, No. 2))

Edgar Award–winner Sorrells writes both adult mysteries and young adult thrillers; among the latter is Fake ID,  a 2005 Top 10 Youth Mystery. His latest youth thriller is captivating on several counts. For starters, its teen narrator, David Crandall, is in the midst of a Dickensian drama: his mother was murdered, and his father, the head of the boarding school that David attends, abuses David emotionally and physically. Keeping the suspense taut is David’s suspicion that his father murdered his mother. David’s first-person narration pulls readers into the young man’s torment, which is vividly reinforced by the bleak atmosphere of his school. Add to that David’s desire to hold on to his distinction as the best marksman at school, and the plot fairly races. The only false note is the action of two secondary characters: a teacher and the town police chief, who, quite unbelievably, reveal family secrets and details of the murder and the subsequent investigation. That creaky aspect aside, this is a fast-paced, intriguing read for genre fans.

School Library Journal (March 1, 2008)

David Crandall feels useless. Though he comes from one of Maine's great families, he is convinced that he doesn't have what it takes to live up to its powerful longstanding reputation. His stern and demanding father is headmaster at The Arsenal, the prestigious academy the boy attends, and his life is a constant challenge. Between the fear that his father has murdered his mother, and the longing to earn top honors as the school's best target shooter, is a young man who struggles with feelings of inadequacy. With the arrival of Misty, a stunning new girl who is an even better shooter than he, he finds the strength to go beyond the surface of his beliefs to solve the dark mysteries surrounding his family. Their investigations into the murder put both of their lives in danger. Sorrells sets this modern story on a rocky spit in historic Maine and does a great job of capturing the feel of an elite military academy. As readers are taken through its austere halls and forbidden tunnels, the author unravels a fast-paced mystery that's sure to have wide appeal.-Caryl Soriano, New York Public Library Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.