Module 9 - Acceleration

Module 9 - Acceleration

Summary

While working in the lost and found of the Toronto subway company, Duncan finds a diary that looks to bethe work of a burgeoning serial killer who is tracking possible women victims on the subway.  After attempting to turn the book in to the police who do not take him seriously, Duncan and his friends begin to try to solve the mystery of the would-be killer's identity.  The use the library (awesome!) to check out books from an FBI profiler and begin to work on mapping possible suspects.  They find a gentleman that looks promising and follow him home.  When Duncan enters his house, his suspicions are confirmed.  The would-be killer comes home and finds Duncan there.  A battle ensues and the killer follows Duncan to the subway, pushing him on to the tracks.  Duncan pulls the suspect onto the tracks and manages to roll out of the way while the killer is hit by a train.

My Impressions

I liked this book.  I thought the characterization of the protagonists was good and authentic for what I remember from teenage boys.  The story was good too, with suspense and realistic details.  I can see teenagers responding to the boys' empowerment also as they research and work to deduce who the killer could be.

Reviews

Reviewers gave mixed opinions on this book.  A Kirkus staff reviewer felt that "the creepy, morgue-like setting and the friendship among the teenaged boys are well-drawn, with a fair amount of humor to balance the chills" but that "readers may wonder why Duncan fails to consider certain obvious points along the way" (Anonymous, 2003).  Booklist reviewer Stephanie Zvirin gave the book a mixed review also, noting that the author "smoothly integrates snapshots from Duncan's escapades with a new buddy and his wild best friend," but "never overexploits the sensational potential of the subject and builds suspense layer upon layer, while injecting some surprising comedy relief that springs from the boys' friendship. Less convincing is Duncan's guilt for a death not of his making, which is presented as the raison d'etre for his need to find the sick killer" (Zvirin, 2003).

Use in a library

This would be a great opportunity get a law enforcement profiler to come to the library and talk about how profiling works in a real law enforcement setting.  Since investigations are a hot topic featured on prime time tv, this could become a series of law enforcement speakers if there was a demand for it.  These talks could be paired with reading non-fiction books about profiling and crime investigation, and with true crime books.  The readers could even attempt to solve the crimes themselves, possibly with input or supervision from a member of law enforcement.  This would really get readers involved in reading and the library without making the program too didactic.

References

Anonymous. (2003). McNamee, Graham. Acceleration. Kirkus Reviews 71(18), p. 1179. Retrieved from Literature Resource Center.

McNamee, G. (2003). Acceleration. New York, NY: Wendy Lamb Books.

Zvirin, S. (2003). McNamee, Graham. Acceleration. Booklist 100(2), p. 232. Retrieved from Literature Resource Center.