Shelter

Mickey Bolitar is having a difficult time. His father is dead, his mother is in rehab, and he's been forced to move in with his estranged uncle Myron, and to start at a new high school. The only good thing about his new school is fellow new pupil Ashley, but after just a couple of weeks of getting to know each other, Mickey's perfect new girlfriend has stopped turning up to classes, just as if she's simply vanished into thin air.

Unwilling to let another person disappear from his life, Mickey starts to investigate what has happened. Unexpected help comes from two fellow school outsiders, Spoon and Ema, who rapidly become friends - but as the three follow Ashley's trail, they soon discover that she wasn't all that she appeared to be. What's more, the mystery of Ashley's disappearence leads to some extraordinary discoveries about Mickey's own family, and especially his beloved father.

Pulsing with energy, suspense and excitement, US crime writer Harlan Coben's first book for teenagers is both gripping and intelligent. With far more content and complexity than your average teen thriller, and an ingenious plot full of unexpected twists and turns, Shelter is both an engaging and a rewarding read. Mickey and his friends are engaging, believable characters, and the final twist will leave readers tantalised until the next installment in this series.