Risky Pursuit by Nancy G. West

RISKY PURSUIT

by Nancy G. West

Fire and Ice Young Adult Books

YA Mystery

292 pages

High school senior Decker Savage, burdened by his baby brother's death and dreading his parents' impending divorce, sees his mother with a scruffy stranger and follows him to a dark house. He hears shouts upstairs, a man hits the floor, and the culprit escapes. Decker follows the victim's ambulance. Through their mutual love of baseball, they become friends; but the elderly man can't remember who attacked him, and Decker fears the assailant will return. His grades crater, his relationships go south, his baseball skills are erratic, and by entering the man's house, he broke the law.

He suffers anonymous attacks and receives threatening notes. If he doesn't forget the man and the house, he, his family, and his friend will be the next victims. Will Decker be able to uncover the culprit's identify, solve the mystery, and stop the attacks?

GOODREADS   /    AMAZON   /    PUBLISHER

You can find a small excerpt of the book on the publisher's page.

MY TIDBITS

Tension mounts with every turn of the page in a book with bite and a teen, who carries a world of trouble on his shoulders.

Decker is in a bad spot after the death of his brother and the approaching divorce of his parents. But his life isn't all dark. He's already landed a baseball scholarship and has a pretty bright future ahead of him...if he can steer the family issues. When he sees his mother meeting a strange and suspicious man at a dingy cafe, he decides to follow the guy, since it appears his mother might be having some troubles. Against better judgement, he follows the man into a dark house, and while there, hears an argument right before the same man injures the other and the EMTs show up. Even more sure that something isn't right, he decides to befriend the injured old man at the hospital, but the guy has lost his memory. All of Decker's efforts, however, are being noticed, and now, the lives of his family are being threatened too. 

Decker starts this book out with a ton of baggage. It's not said what exactly is going on during those first pages, but the fact that he's sneaking around to spy on his mother speaks volumes. The reasons for his attitude and actions, as well as other background information, pops up slowly during the story, dribbling in the information bit for bit as it's woven right into the scenes. By doing this, the author sets the action and immediate tension on center stage and lets it drive each moment forward...and there is a lot of drive in these pages. Decker gets himself into very sticky situations, which aren't really his fault, but the possible threats they carry make it impossible for him to ignore everything. His resolve and desire to help those that he loves make him easy to root for the entire way through.

This isn't a light read but carries quite a bit of darkness and bite. Decker is facing dangerous players, and that comes across with the brutality it requires. So, he has a lot to steer, while under the weight of baggage from the past. (His life is anything but simple). Still, there are moments I wanted to slap him, since some of his actions lack common sense and brought him unnecessarily into more danger or bad predicaments. It definitely keeps the tension high.

The intrigue and mystery is well-laid, and the side characters carry personality as well. It's hard to guess what will happen next or even if Decker can make it through. Fans of crime drama, mystery, and dangerous predicaments are going to enjoy this one.