Things are not going terribly well for Mickey Bolitar. His father died recently in a car accident, his mom is in rehab, and he has to live with his uncle who he doesn't even like. He is lucky enough to meet a great girl at his new high school and things are going pretty well until she vanishes without a trace. Mickey's two new friends help him in his quest to figure out what happened to Ashley and they end up in some dangerous, life-threatening situations. Mickey uncovers a conspiracy that involves those close to him, and makes him question everything in his life.
Shelter (Mickey Bolitar #1)—Book Review
{spoiler alert}
Spun off from Harlan Coben's adult Myron Bolitar series, Shelter is the first in the young adult Mickey Bolitar series. First introduced in Live Wire, Mickey is the nephew of Myron Bolitar. Mickey is very much like a young Myron--a talented athlete, passionate about basketball, funny, sarcastic and smart. In typical Harlan Coben fashion, this story is action-packed, fast-paced, suspenseful, and exciting. Main characters are often in extremely dangerous, life-threatening situations and several violent assaults occur. A white slavery ring involving some serious bad guys is uncovered, and a murderous sociopath is the ringleader. Teenager Mickey uses a fake ID to get into a go-go dancing club while trying to find the missing Ashley, and young girls dance in this bar, though no nudity or stripping is involved. Some typical high school behavior takes place--bullying, fist fighting, name calling, etc., and language is mild (a-s, wisea-s, b-tch, fugly). Characters are quirky and endearing, and a nice message is conveyed about the value of true friendship. Addiction is central to the storyline, as Mickey's mother is in rehab and can't quite seem to get sober. Mickey begins to scratch the surface of some family secrets and this story ends with an incredible cliffhanger that will have readers eagerly anticipating the next book. >Book review trailer from YouTube:
