Review: The Quick Fix by Jack D. Ferraiolo

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

In this much-anticipated sequel to The Big Splash, junior high detective Matt Stevens is back on the case, bringing us another hilarious middle school noir.
When the star of the basketball team is blackmailed, it's up to Matt, the lone voice for justice in a morass of middle school corruption, to figure out who's behind the scheme. Is it eighth-grade crime lord Vinny "Mr. Biggs" Biggio, who has made his name peddling forged hall passes and leading a crew of social assassins who send enemies to the Outs with a humiliating squirt-gun blast below the belt? Or is it his lieutenant and Matt's former best friend, Kevin? Or a pair of scheming twins who sell Pixy Stix to sugar-addicted classmates? One thing's for sure: There won't be a quick fix for the trouble at this middle school.

MY TAKE:


This book sounded like exactly just like my cup of tea, so I decided to give it a try even though I didn't read the first book.


The Quick Fix is told from the point-of-view of Matt Stevens, a teen detective. 


While the setting is a high school, there are a lot of things in this book that make it read like a film noir. From the gangsters to the slang, everything about this book is like a homage to the old movies.


Matt is very sarcastic and talks much like a detective from the old school detective movies. I kept getting flashes of Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon. Matt is the most interesting character for me in the book. None of the other characters felt particularly well-fleshed-out to me.


Some of the plot points were quite predictable, but there were a few interesting surprises along the way. I would have preferred everything to come out of left field, but this works too, I guess, especially since it's meant for a younger audience.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amulet Books for the e-ARC. Publication date of The Quick Fix is on October 1, 2012.


THE GOOD:

1. There aren't a lot of YA books with this style.
2. Matt has his funny moments.
3. There are some nice plot twists.

THE BAD:

1. Some parts can seem a little bit weird.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

"Because nothing surprises you any more. You've forgotten how to believe in magic!"

READ IT IF:

1. You like mysteries.
2. You like sarcastic heroes.
3. You like books wherein you can just jump in to the series without having to read the previous books.

RATING:


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