Acceleration

By: Graham McNamee

Narrated by: Scott Brick

It’s a hot, hot summer, and in the depths of the Toronto Transit Authority’s Lost and Found, 17-year-old Duncan is cataloging lost things and sifting through accumulated junk. And between Jacob, the cranky old man who runs the place, and the endless dusty boxes overflowing with stuff no one will ever claim, Duncan’s just about had enough. Then he finds a little leather book. It’s a diary filled with the dark and dirty secrets of a twisted mind, a serial killer stalking his prey in the subway. And Duncan can’t make himself stop reading.

What would you do with a book like that? How far would you go to catch a madman?

And what if time was running out. . . .

Critic reviews

An Edgar Award Winner

4 ½ stars.

I was frequently smiling during this book - which is rare.

There’s mystery wondering if and how they will ever find the psychopath. There’s edge of your seat suspense toward the end. The ending was good for the good guys and bad for the bad guy. This is great for young adults and older. It’s about half the length of a regular novel.

What I found most entertaining were thoughts, dialogue, and actions of three 17-year-old boys. That is why I was smiling so much. One example: when Wayne and Duncan go to the local swimming pool their habit is: as soon as they enter, they cannonball jump into the water at the same time in a way to maximize splashing the sunbathers. When they come up and see angry looks glaring at them, they say “sorry.”

I had a few minor complaints.
The book is told in first person by Duncan. One time the author used second person which threw me. Duncan was talking about golf putting and said “I’m getting pretty good at it in case you’re wondering.” By saying “you’re” it added me to the story which did not belong. I did not like the feeling. I’m watching. I’m not supposed to be having a conversation with him.

Some months before the story begins, a girl Mia drowned. Duncan was nearby and felt guilt or something bad. What happened was not described. I wanted to know more.

The same thing with Duncan’s former girlfriend Kim. I wanted to know why they broke up. Just a little, a sentence or two would do.

NARRATOR:
This is a personal preference thing. I don’t enjoy Scott Brick as a narrator. He has an arrogance or too much self confidence that comes through when he reads. I prefer someone like Frank Muller who projects a sense of wonder about what’s going on.

Genre: mystery suspense, young adult mystery suspense

Predictable

Very straight forward. You can see where the book is headed from go and there is no change in path. Scott Brick is excellent as always.

Great Read

I love this book. Really amazing to listen to. This is my new favorite book and author.

Love this book!

Acceleration is a great book to read and listen to! I enjoyed listening to it!