Helpful Score: 2
This is an excellent read for high schoolers as well as adults. Jake Rivers, owner of a mountaineering/adventure travel company in Colorado is hired by a man, Mr. Jelem, ostensibly to find his daughter Claire, last seen in the company of one of Jake's college pals, Alec. However, once Jake begins revisiting his college friends, someone tries very hard to stop Jake from finding out what really happened.
The book's narrative flips back and forth from Jake's early 1990s college years (alt-rock bands are name dropped excessively) to 2005, when Jake begins his investigation. There's also a romantic subplot involving reformed party animal Jake and his college sweetheart, Alyssa.
The concept of reformation is nicely handled. The reader sees Jake's drunken antics in college and his turning away from alcohol later. The college, Providence, is a Christian college, yet the behavior of Jake and his friends well illustrates the apostle Paul's point "Bad associations spoil useful habits."
The book's narrative flips back and forth from Jake's early 1990s college years (alt-rock bands are name dropped excessively) to 2005, when Jake begins his investigation. There's also a romantic subplot involving reformed party animal Jake and his college sweetheart, Alyssa.
The concept of reformation is nicely handled. The reader sees Jake's drunken antics in college and his turning away from alcohol later. The college, Providence, is a Christian college, yet the behavior of Jake and his friends well illustrates the apostle Paul's point "Bad associations spoil useful habits."
