Description:

Jack Lime, amateur private eye, solves mysteries for his high school classmates in exchange for future favors. He stops at nothing — except for an occasional bout of narcolepsy — to crack three seemingly standalone cases while dodging bullies, Principal Snit and tireless reporter KC Stone. In the tradition of 1950s noir but with a thoroughly modern hero, these stories — shot through with Lime’s acid wit — are best served with a root beer float.

From School Library Journal

Gr 7-10-In this follow-up to The Adventures of Jack Lime (Kids Can, 2010), the hard-boiled high schooler has three new cases to solve. He follows the suspicious dealings of a popular football player only to uncover a gang's connections to a dodgeball gambling ring. Then he tracks down a stolen painting, nearly getting himself expelled in the process. Finally, a case involving a valuable comic book leads Jack to uncover a criminal mastermind who's been playing him all along. The novel ends on a cliff-hanger. For an amateur detective who claims to want out of the business, Jack sure gets a lot of requests for help. Unfortunately, he is no Veronica Mars. Although he has guts, he barely manages to solve a case unscathed as he runs from thugs, his grandma, and Principal Snit. Still, the premise and brevity of the novel might appeal to younger teens, especially those who love mysteries. Hokey lines like, "I'm going to be on you like a wet sweater on a gorilla" might be a little off-putting (not to mention, unfunny) for the intended audience, but Jack Lime doesn't take himself too seriously, and neither will readers.-Kimberly Garnick Giarratano, Rockaway Township Public Library, NJα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About the Author

James Leck is a high school teacher who has spent a lot of time around teenagers, using their sardonic and offbeat voices in his writing. He is author of The Adventures of Jack Lime.