Reviewed for the very first time!

Exciting news: my juvenile novel, The Dead Kid Detective Agency, received its first review: an advance blog review from Richard at Bound & Determined To Find a Good Read, based on the advance reading copies. And he liked it! He really liked it!

He’s got some valid criticisms, but to paraphrase Meatloaf, four out of five stars ain’t bad. I’ve put an excerpt below, but please support my very first reviewer and check out his site:

From Bound & Determined To Find a Good Read:

Ok, so lets just say that I was wrong about this book. I apologize to the Dead Kids. I misjudged the book by it’s first 80 pages.

I had a hard time getting into it. The first 80 or so pages were hard. Very dull. Day in the life of a 12-then-13yo genius Goth girl kinda dull. The story is told from a narrator’s and from October’s points of view. Hard to follow? Yes. Interesting writing style? Yes. Clever writing & funny? Yes. Easy to follow? No. You get the picture.

October (who’s name has to be the best character name of 2011) is new at school, shy, self-conscious, and only 13 … as a freshman in high school. Anyone hear the Doogie Howser theme? Yeah, but it’s not like that. She’s not some uber-freak smart kid, she’s just ahead based on the curriculum from her last school. Anyway, she’s a loner, has a couple friends, spends time in a graveyard. Yeah, and that’s about all that happened until Chapter 6.  But keep reading, trust me. I did. Things get SO much better.

The mysterious death of her favorite teacher leads October, with the help of the BEST part of the entire book: THE DEAD KIDS (!!!!), on a search for the who’s, what’s, when’s, where’s, why’s, and how’s. It’s a comedy of errors, mixed in with some Canadian history lessons, and a lot of Nancy Drew-esque sleuth work. As a 30-something I was entertained. As a tween, with my ever-present discerning taste in literature, I would have been entertained as well.

(He even snuck in a Doogie Howser reference! Amazing!)