Raven Lucas : Dead wrong by Christine Harris

Scholastic, 2012. ISBN 9781 86291 928 0.
(Ages: 10+) Recommended. Adventure.
The second in the series of stories about young gun, Raven, the storyline is at once familiar and startlingly different as Raven pursues lines of inquiry trying to track her father's disappearance. There are many people on her trail: the slimy Gerald, her father's business partner, the stepsister, Bell, her father's secretary, Marissa, as well as the two from the papers, the journalist and photographer, who seem to be there at every turn. But there is also someone she does not know, but is aware of their presence, stalking her in the dark underground passages of the car park, returning her shoes that she threw off while running away, watching from a safe distance. Marissa asks to meet her but she is found in her car, wrecked in a ravine, and when Raven and Bell go to visit her in emergency, wanting questions answered, they find she has been moved to a different hospital, but no-one knows where. The plot darkens.
The storyline has familiar overtones, but the main characters are full of life and interest and will intrigue middle to upper primary students. Raven's support group of friends, an interesting and diverse group, adds to the pleasure of reading, as do her encounters with Joe, who may or may not be an undercover agent. Police wearing sneakers who bundle her into the boot of their car, Joe who will not give a straight answer, and the mysterious biker who she sees kissing Bell, all add an air of mystery which will keep readers glued to the end.
Fran Knight