books:

	The Boxer and the Spy Robert B. Parker Philomel, 2008 - 224 pages average customer review:based on 16 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

When a shy high school student?s body is found washed up on the shore of a quiet New England beach town?an apparent suicide?fifteen-year-old Terry Novak doesn?t know what to think. Something just doesn?t add up, so he decides to do some investigating of his own with the help of his best friend, Abby. It doesn?t take long before they learn that asking questions puts them in grave danger, and surviving is going to be a fight. Fortunately, Terry has been learning a thing or two about fighting, thanks to a retired boxer named George, who teaches the boy to use his head and always keep his feet set beneath him?lessons Terry takes to heart in more ways than one. He will need to.

Robert B. Parker, New York Times bestselling author of the Spenser novels, delivers a taut, empowering mystery for young readers.

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A well-crafted teen mystery

Fifteen-year-old Terry Novak has two hobbies: learning to box with former fighter George and trying to talk his best friend Abby into kissing him --- and maybe more. A new pastime comes his way when local teen Jason Green washes up on the tide near their small town. Jason was quiet and unassuming, yet his death is blamed on suicide caused by steroid usage. Terry can't believe that is what happened; he thinks Jason had help dying and is determined to prove it.

Terry's father lost his life at his job in an electrical plant a few years ago, and Jason's dad passed away some time earlier. Terry remembers that Jason is the only one who offered him words of comfort, and though they did not have much to do with each other since then, he can't let go of this mystery.

Abby is smart and a great confidant, not to mention beautiful --- at least in Terry's eyes. Terry begins to ask around school and town about the side-effects of steroids. He doesn't think it can cause people to go crazy enough that they would want to kill themselves. Abby keeps track of all the research and comments they collect. Then Terry is told by the school principal to stop nosing around in things that aren't his business. He is also warned by Kip, a top athlete and bully. Abby steps up her game to become an official spy who runs a spy network. The teens in the town begin to watch the principal, as well as Kip. A new home built by high school design students and some local officials also seem to be involved. The kids know something is going on, and as the reports around town come in about the activities of the two people, pieces start coming together.

Frequent workouts with George become frustrating. How will he know what to do in a real fight? When will he know he's ready? Terry even brings Abby in to a practice session, and she's surprised by this side of him she has not seen before. Who is he becoming?

The warnings to stop asking about Jason and steroids don't let up. Terry is threatened with suspension, and Abby is cornered by Kip. He does not intend to let a threat to her go unanswered. Soon this fight pulls in everything Terry knows about boxing, fighting and control. He's aware that, when it's important, you have to fight for what is right.

Robert B. Parker is the author of the Spenser series for adults, and this is his second teen mystery (following EDENVILLE OWLS). While it is easy to tell who some of the villains are in this story, the hows and whys will keep readers wondering until the end. What really makes the book such a page turner is the way that Terry grows and steps up to the ring to make this terrible situation right. His romantic tension with Abby is fun and quite realistic, as the two friends struggle with the line of when to become something more. Parker is sure to find new young adult fans with THE BOXER AND THE SPY.

--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

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Teenage Slueths

For an entertaining read that measures up well to the
Spencer pithy to the point dialogue this is your book.
Quick moving, humorous, charmingly irreverant, you won't
regret spending an evening with Robert B. Parker!


Teens Reveal the Truth behind a Puzzling Death

What would Spenser and Susan Silverman have been like as a teenage couple? It's possible they might have sounded and acted a great deal like Terry Novak and his friend, Abby. That link in characterization gives this book extra fascination for adult fans of Robert B. Parker. I particularly enjoyed the innuendo in the dialog where Terry and Abby refer to their physical desire for one another in flirting, boy-girl terms.

The mystery isn't all that mysterious; the main mystery is how two high school students will be able to bring out the truth: A high school student is found dead and most adults presume it was suicide related to using steroids. Terry doesn't believe it and starts asking around.

His detection is interspaced with boxing lessons from his fifty-five year-old friend, George. There's a bullying jock at the high school who tries to stop Terry, but Terry jabs on. In the background are some greedy adults looking out for themselves at the expense of everyone else.

I would have loved to read this book when I was a young teen. I also loved it as a 61-year-old man. I suspect the appeal wouldn't be as great for those in the 25-45 age range.

I look forward to reading other books for younger readers by Mr. Parker.

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Great for Reluctant Reader shelf

Robert B. Parker repackages his knowledge of boxing for the young adult, giving us a fresh addition to our guy reluctant read shelf. The book has some of those ingredients Dav Pilkey, author of Captain Underpants, recommends for the reluctant reader: fast moving plot, villainous school principals, and wide margins. (Unfortunately, there are no cartoons.) Our victim is murdered by page five, so there can't be any complaints that nothing happens. The plot is a bit threadbare. One has the feeling the author found it in an old cardboard box labeled "Plots, OK - 1973" while cleaning out his attic. However, the characters themselves are fresh enough and pleasant enough to carry us easily through the book's 200 pages. Interestingly, both of Parker's sons are openly gay, as was the book's victim. Several times during the book, the hero is asked, "Did you think he was gay?" to which he always replies, "Yes." "Did you care?" "Not really." Teen sexual confusion gives the book's characters an added dimension of reality and depth.

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the boxer & the spy

Good book for a teenager. I thought it was for an adult but enjoyed it thoroughly.


reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

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