Hit and Run

Launching the Mike & Riel crime fiction series, written at a fourth-grade reading level, McClintock introduces an unlikely investigative duo of a teenage boy and an ex-cop. Fifteen-year-old Mike has had a tough time since his mother was killed in a hit-and-run accident. His difficulties—and poor academic standing—don’t go unnoticed by his history teacher (and former police officer), Mr. Riel. After butting heads, the two join forces to revisit what really happened to Mike’s mother, with chilling results. The action is somewhat slow and the central mystery convoluted, but the final pages suggest a budding relationship that could make Mike and Riel an enjoyable team to follow in future cases. Simultaneously available: Truth and Lies and Dead and Gone. Ages 11–up. (Mar.)