There are two big things going on in Guy Langman's life right now. The first is that his father recently passed away. It wasn't completely unexpected, given that his father was born during the Great Depression, but it's still not something that Guy was prepared for. There's a big hole in Guy's life, an absence that just emphasizes how much of a loss it really was. The other thing is that Guy and his best friend Anoop have recently joined the school Forensic team. Yeah, it might not be as up there as losing your father in the scheme of things, but it does seem to be having an ...interesting effect on Guy. It turns out he's a natural at gathering fingerprints! As the mysteries in his life seem to pile up, can he use his newfound scientific knowledge to make sense of it all?
I really enjoyed this book. Strangely, I read it before The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin, which worked out great for me, because I had more Josh Berk to turn to. Guy at first seemed like many other YA male narrators (quippy, occasionally emotionally stunted, likes to make 'your mom' jokes), and I wasn't sure how much I could take. But then he won me over with his quirks, his struggle to deal with his grief, and his humour. There were also a number of strong supporting characters: his parents, his best friend, the other Forensic club members. (vague spoilers, but not really) I liked how the members of the Forensic team often had theories that sounded completely ridiculous, but they'd convince the others how plausible it was, only to find out that...it ended up being completely ridiculous. There are some themes of 'things aren't always what they seem' that are woven throughout the story, relating to everything from people to crime scenes. I want to read more from Josh Berk, and I would like it as soon as possible, please.
I read an advance review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Random House.
Find out more about Josh Berk at his website.
Find it at IndieBound.
Read it with:
The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Beat the Band by Don Calame
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