Seconds Away (Mickey Bolitar Series #2)

by Harlan Coben

Overview

This action-packed second book in international bestseller Harlan Coben’s Mickey Bolitar young adult series follows Mickey as he continues to hunt for clues about the Abeona Shelter and the mysterious death of his father—all while trying to navigate the challenges of a new high school.

When tragedy strikes close to home, Mickey and his loyal new friends—sharp-witted Ema and the adorkably charming Spoon—find themselves at the center of a terrifying mystery involving the shooting of their classmate Rachel. Now, not only does Mickey need to keep himself and his friends safe from the Butcher of Lodz, but he needs to figure out who shot Rachel—no matter what it takes.

Mickey Bolitar is as quick-witted and clever as his uncle Myron, but with danger just seconds away, it is going to take all of his determination and help from his friends to protect the people he loves, even if he does not know who—or what—he is protecting them from.

From Kirkus Reviews: “Coben deftly weaves…multiple plot threads into a compelling whole. An involving thriller that moves like lightning.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780142426357
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	09/17/2013
Series:	Mickey Bolitar Series , #2
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.06(h) x 0.96(d)
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

Harlan Coben (www.harlancoben.com) is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous adult novels, as well as the two young adult novels, SHELTER and SECONDS AWAY. He has won the Edgar Award, Shamus Award, and Anthony Award—the first author to receive all three. His books are published in forty-one languages—with over 50 million copies in print worldwide—and have been #1 bestsellers in over a dozen countries. He lives in New Jersey.

Hometown:

Ridgewood, New Jersey

Date of Birth:

January 4, 1962

Place of Birth:

Newark, New Jersey

Education:

B.A. in political science, Amherst College, 1984

Website:

http://www.harlancoben.com

Read an Excerpt

“Have you met Rachel Caldwell’s father?”
That question threw me. “No.”
“How about her mother?”
“No.”
“Any family member?”
"No. Please. What’s going on? Is Rachel okay?”
“Tell us about your phone conversation with Rachel Caldwell.”
“I already did.”
“From the beginning. Word for word.”
“I don’t understand. Why do you need to know word for word?”
“Because,” Homicide Investigator Dunleavy said, “right after you finished talking to her, someone shot Rachel Caldwell in the head.”

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

FROM KIRKUS REVIEWS:
 
“Coben deftly weaves these multiple plot threads into a compelling whole . . . An involving thriller that moves like lightning.”
 
 
FROM BOOKLIST:
 
“Mickey’s fast-paced, first person narration won’t disappoint his growing fan base. The satisfying conclusion leaves enough open-ended questions to continue this gripping series.”
 
 
FROM VOYA:
 
“The character development is solid . . . and readers will enjoy Mickey’s internal dialogue as well as his relationships with Ema and Spoon . . . Recommend this for readers who enjoy Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider series or Charlie Higson’s Young James Bond novels.”

Editorial Reviews

"Mickey’s fast-paced, first-person narration won’t disappoint his growing fan base."

Booklist

FROM KIRKUS REVIEWS:
 
“Coben deftly weaves these multiple plot threads into a compelling whole . . . An involving thriller that moves like lightning.”
 
 
FROM BOOKLIST:
 
“Mickey’s fast-paced, first person narration won’t disappoint his growing fan base. The satisfying conclusion leaves enough open-ended questions to continue this gripping series.”
 
 
FROM VOYA:
 
“The character development is solid . . . and readers will enjoy Mickey’s internal dialogue as well as his relationships with Ema and Spoon . . . Recommend this for readers who enjoy Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider series or Charlie Higson’s Young James Bond novels.

From the Publisher

High school sleuth Mickey Bolitar continues to find trouble...or maybe it finds him (Shelter, 2011). In a spooky house, Mickey squares off with a gnarled crone he knows only as the Bat Lady. She freaks him out by telling him that his father is not dead, and Mickey responds with a revelation of his own: that the paramedic who whisked his father away on the day of his death is a notorious Nazi war criminal. As implausible as this sounds, the Bat Lady's violent reaction seems a validation of his claim. This troubling issue is shoved onto a back burner with the news that Mickey's friend Rachel was shot by an intruder, who also killed her mother. The mutual attraction of Mickey and Rachel is a thorn in the side of her boyfriend, basketball star Troy Taylor, who also happens to be threatened by Mickey's mad court skills. Since Troy's dad is the police chief, Mickey finds himself treated like a suspect. He and outcast pals Ema and Spoon try to unravel both mysteries, too busy to even note the arrival of movie star Angelica Wyatt, who's managed by Mickey's Uncle Myron, with whom he lives (and around whom Coben has spun a successful series for adults). Coben deftly weaves these multiple plot threads into a compelling whole. An involving thriller that moves like lightning. (Mystery. 11-16)

Kirkus Reviews

Mickey Bolitar’s life has become rather complicated. After assisting in the rescue of a schoolmate, Mickey is shown a picture of the Butcher of Lodz, a Nazi SS officer responsible for the massacre of thousands during World War II--only the man in the picture looks shockingly like the paramedic who pronounced Mickey’s father dead after the car crash that changed everything. This information shatters the new reality Mickey has built for himself and leads him on a dangerous path where nothing is what it seems and everyone is a suspect. Coben’s newest young adult novel is all over the place in terms of plot, and moves at such a pace that readers need to sprint to keep up. There are so many mysteries to follow that the reader really must pay attention or risk substantial confusion. The initial mystery of the Butcher of Lodz is overshadowed by the investigation into who shot Rachel and Mickey’s preoccupation with trying out for the basketball team. The character development is solid, however, and readers will enjoy Mickey’s internal dialogue as well as his relationships with Ema and Spoon. Generally, it is a decent read, but it lacks the depth of some other young adult thrillers. Recommend this for readers who enjoy Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider series or Charlie Higson’s Young James Bond novels. Ages 12 to 18.

VOYA - Rebecca Denham

Mickey Bolitar's life has spiraled into a world of mystery and impossibilities. After his father's death and his mother's breakdown, Mickey is trying to figure out how to live with his uncle. But the mysteries and uncertainties that surrounded his parent's lives are following Mickey and putting everyone around him in danger. When Mickey's friend, Rachel, gets shot and he becomes a suspect, Mickey, along with his close friends Ema and Spoon, decide to discover who tried to kill their friend, and what Mickey's parents have to do with the danger that is following them. Real life issues and supernatural intrigue entwine throughout the story, creating unexpected twists and turns that keep the reader guessing what will happen next. The novel follows close on the heels of Shelter, Coben's first Mickey Bolitar novel. The text is engaging and interesting, but it is highly recommended that Shelter be read first. Reviewer: Danielle Williams

Children's Literature - Danielle Williams

Gr 7 Up—High school sophomore Mickey Bolitar is no stranger to mystery and danger and has a rap sheet to prove it. Flashing back to Shelter (Putnam, 2011), in which his father dies in a car crash and his mother is sent to a mental hospital, Mickey is now shown a photo of a Nazi named the Butcher of Lodz, who is a dead ringer for the creepy paramedic who whisked his father's body away the day of the accident. The owner of the photo is an Auschwitz survivor and eccentric neighbor known as the "Bat Lady," so when her house burns down and she turns up missing, Mickey is sure it all has something to do with his father. In a parallel plot, Mickey's classmate Rachel is wounded and her mother shot and killed at their home, by unknown assailants. Mickey's busy sports-agent guardian, Uncle Myron, is more focused on Mickey's chances of making the school basketball team than on answering questions about his brother's death, leaving the teen and friends Ema and Spoon the opportunity to investigate Rachel's shooting. Pulled in many directions by a plethora of red herrings, including the random appearance of Abeona butterfly symbols, a beautiful movie star neighbor, and a shady character named Shaved Head, it is clear that many contrivances will be needed to tie everything together. Action-loving readers, however, will enjoy the page-turning intrigue offered up by this otherwise typical teen hero spawned from the author's "Myron Bolitar" series for adults.Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY

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