Skink No Surrender by Carl Hiaasen

When Richard's cousin, Malley, fails to meet him on the beach one night, he knows something is wrong. He can't reach her by phone or text and when he checks her house, it is obvious that she is not there. When he finally gets a text from her, saying that she was grounded, he knows it is a lie.

Richard and Malley meet regularly at the beach to search for turtle nests and contact the state wildlife office so the nest can be marked and protected. The person Richard did meet at the beach when Malley didn't show, is Skink, former Florida governor, Clinton Tyree. Several years ago, while still governor, Skink was so disgusted by the greed and corruption that he snapped and disappeared. He now lives off off the grid, crusading against environmental crimes and sabotaging development projects that he considers harmful. He was on the beach that night to catch turtle egg poachers and he dispatches one in ambulance shortly after that. Skink is a character in several of Carl Hiaasen's adult novels.

Malley's parents are not concerned about her disappearance because they think she is in New Hampshire at the boarding school they wanted her to attend, to keep her out of trouble. Richard manages to piece together various clues to figure out that Malley has run away with a guy she met online, Talbo Chock. When he discovers that Talbo Chock is an alias and that the real Talbo Chock was killed in Afghanistan, he knows he has to let Malley's parents know and they contact the police.

Richard isn't really satisfied with the police efforts and teams up with Skink to find and rescue his cousin, using the cryptic clues that Malley gives him in her few phone calls. Their escapades include encounters with alligators and wild boars, an odoriferous gar fisherman and his brother, and the slightly deranged kidnapper.

Carl Hiaasen's novels are well known in adult and children's literature. This is his first young adult novel. Hiaasen's love of the environment and horror at the destruction of it by overdevelopment is central to the book, as it is in his others. He also manages to convey the dangers of online encounters, without going into gory detail or becoming preachy. The relationship between Richard, the very likable protagonist, and Skink is well developed. Malley is a spunky and confident, despite being the cause of all the problems. A really fun read as long as the reader is willing to suspend disbelief at times. 2014

R. Rauch

Jade Green: A Ghost Story, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

This is a page-turning ghost story that will have readers hooked once they hear about the ghostly presence that haunts the house and the story. Judith Sparrow, the 15 year old narrator and heroine, moves to the town of Whispers, South Carolina, to live with her uncle, who was the only relative who agreed to take her in when she was orphaned. Judith has a sunny disposition and is inclined to make the best of whatever life hands her. She likes Uncle Geoffrey despite his stiff formality and she likes his housekeeper, the warm and loving Mrs. Hastings. She is not fond of her 40 year old cousin, Charles, and his unwanted attentions. But Judith does her best to be helpful around the house and finds a job in a local hatmaker's shop. It is in the hat shop that Judith hears the gruesome story of Jade Green, who once lived in Uncle Geoffrey's house. Jade Green died presumably by her own hand, three years earlier. Is it Jade Green's ghost that haunts the house or is it some other wandering spirit?
2000
R. Rauch

The Deadly Sister, by Eliot Schrefer

Abby is shocked and frightened when she discovers the body of her sister Maya’s boyfriend in the woods with Maya’s bloody cell phone beside it. To further complicate matters, Maya is missing, making her the prime suspect. Vowing to protect her often troubled younger sister from the police – and their parents - Abby begins to investigate the crime. However, she soon discovers there were many people with motive and opportunity that could have committed this murder.

Twists and turns abound in this suspenseful, fast-paced mystery. Just when the reader seems to have figured out who the killer is, the author skillfully throws in another curve. The surprise ending does not disappoint, giving an entirely new perspective to the whole story. 2010

A. Basso