All Kinds of Bad

Rachel
Rust
Genre: 
Young Adult

MYSTERY:  Lydia is almost shot while she is working at the gas station in Thorn Creek. Then, someone throws a brick through the window at the bank. Graffiti appears on school property. The police think they know who did it, but they have no solid proof. They believe Nathan did it because he was guilty of similar crimes before he left to live in Denver for a year. The day he came back, the crimes started again. Nathan was with Lydia each time the new crime was committed, but why would the police believe them? Risking their lives, the duo goes out to get the evidence to prove that Nathan is innocent, and to uncover the truth of who is behind the crimes.

The central figure in this action-packed story, Nathan is the perfect reformed criminal. He has the attitude and look of a trouble maker, and out of a cast of many, he is the perfect scapegoat. The backdrop is the reservation and it is written as desolate as it truly is; a desert where little grows and the dust continuously blows. While Nathan and Lydia are strong characters with lots of depth, the opposite can be said for the others. Alex is very shallow and thinks only of himself, the remainder of the secondary characters are flat and not given enough time in the story to be rounded out. Written for teens, the attitudes of the various characters come out during the story – the shy one, the arrogant rich one, the athlete, the loner. Almost everyone will find someone with whom to relate. This is a wonderful story that will delight both young and old alike!

Belinda Wilson