Publishers Weekly
- Publisher's Weekly
When Brad tells Tracy that his little sister Mindy has been kidnapped by his stepfather, she promises to help him locate the child. Tracy is moved by Brad's story and defiant of the aunt and uncle she has lived with ever since her mother was stabbed to death. They find the toddler Brad is searching for, and Tracy arranges to baby-sit for Mindy, then turn her over to Brad. But the situation turns dangerous when Brad shows up with a gun, and Tracy realizes that the story he told was far from the truth. Duncan, a master of the YA suspense novel with such books as Locked in Time and The Third Eye, has created another gripping psychological tale with an absolutely unpredictable but thoroughly believable twist at the end. Ages 12-up. June
Children's Literature
- Amie Rose Rotruck
Tracy has trouble adjusting to a new town, a new school, and a new family after her mother's death. When she meets Brad, she is both drawn to and suspicious of him. After finding out he lied about being a student at her school, she finds that he befriended her for a reason. Brad is tracking his stepfather, who stole Brad's younger sister. Brad needs Tracy to help him get his sister away from his stepfather. Tracy agrees but soon finds herself in over her head. On the run with Brad, she begins to realize that nothing, especially Brad, is what it initially seemed. At the same time, Tracy needs to come to peace with her mother's death and her absent father. This thriller falls a bit flat, as Brad is made to seem far more sinister than he really is. Still, it is an entertaining read if you are in the mood for suspense.
School Library Journal
Gr 5-9 Tracy believes that she's doing the right thing when she helps Brad kidnap his little sister after she had been stolen by his stepfather. But things are not as they seem. Brad and Tracy have taken the wrong child, whom Brad mistakenly believes is his sister Mindy. Too late, Tracy realizes she's trapped in the car with a boy who may be crazy, and whose actions have led to a search warrant for their arrest. Duncan skillfully draws readers into this twisting and suspenseful plot. She captures perfectly the gullibility of adolescence; Tracy's well-meaning intentions make the resulting consequences of her actions all the more horrifying. As in I Know What You Did Last Summer Little, 1973, this book relies on realism, rather than the supernatural, to terrify. One minor complaintalthough Brad and his friend Jamie both gain some insight into themselves by the end of the book, it is not clear that Tracy ever does. There is no evidence of her acknowledging her aunt and uncle's love for her or the consequences of her own actions. In spite of this, Duncan offers a well-written thriller that's sure to be popular. Cathryn A. Camper, Minneapolis Public Library
