Shelter

Title: Shelter

Author: Harlan Coben

Genre: Mystery, Action and Adventure

Pages: 320

Awards: None at the time of this review

Rating: 5/5 stars

There is always something going on, with a lot of clues popping out in each chapter. The main character, Mickey,tries to put all the clues together so he can find out what happened to his girlfriend Ashley, and if his dad is still alive. Mickey has to make many choices throughout his journey, which leads to finding out more answers. Ashley has disappeared, at the same time an odd old lady that people call “Bat Lady,”tells Mickey that his dad is alive. However it couldn't be possible, because a few months before Ashley disappeared,Mickey and his dad got into a car crash, and sadly Mickey's dad didn't survive. All of this is happening during the school year, in a town located in Newark. This is also where Bat Lady's creepy,old house sits. Everyone in town avoids that house, which looks somewhat like a dungeon. Except one day, Mickey decides to take a stroll past Bat Lady's house and that's when weird things start happening.

Ema and Spoon are two of Mickey's best friends. They help him through everything, and they all have each others backs. Mickey isn't a very popular kid at his school and neither are his best friends, but they still have a very good bond with each other. When they find out Ashley went missing and everything turns upside down, they all stick together. Mickey does everything to try to find her. Everyday clues add up, and with the help of his best friends, Mickey tries putting them all together. Eventually everything does come together, and at the end Mickey solves the case and  finds out the truth. However, all the confusion does not get resolved until you read all 3 books. This specific novel keeps you on the edge of your seat. You will always want to read more and know what's going to happen next. If you don't like that feeling, then it's not the right book for you. You would need to read everything or you would be confused later on and the book wouldn't be as good.This book is for people who like mystery and action. More for teens  than adults,but overall both boys and girls would like it. What I really liked, was how a lot of things were happening at the same time,I was never bored when I was reading this book. Shelter really brought me in, and there really isn't anything I did not like. Later in the book after Mickey talks to Bat Lady, he starts realizing that you should never give up on looking for something/someone you love. While Mickey was looking for Ashley he would not waste one second. He risked getting killed just by looking for her. Overall I definitely think this was a great book!

Contributed by: Elizabeth Fridman