In this fast-paced but predictable thriller, a good kid who has fallen in with a bad crowd comes to the aid of a bullied schizophrenic girl. Weary of the pressures of being a preacher's kid, Sam falls in with a group of thuggish delinquents. When Sam witnesses Jennifer, a loner known for acting and speaking strangely, being bullied by some of his new circle, he intervenes and consequently invites their wrath. Jennifer has terrifying hallucinations involving demons, the devil and death. Sam suspects that these visions may be the key to solving a mystery and prophecies of more terrible things to come, but it eventually becomes clear that Jennifer's visions are of the organic variety. For a novel that is billed as religious teen fiction, religion is surprisingly peripheral to the story. There is a scene with Sam attending Sunday church service and another in which he seeks spiritual advice from his pastor father. Jennifer questions why God allows her to be tormented with her terrible visions. In the end, this is a garden-variety, formulaic mystery thriller with religious window dressing. (Thriller. 12 & up)

Gr 8 Up-Klavan is famously conservative and Christian in outlook. While there is nothing wrong with either of these, in a novel, message can sometimes outweigh plot. That being said, the first 17 pages of Crazy Dangerous are great, especially the Holden Caufield-esque part when the hero gets beaten up but gives as good as he gets against the neighborhood bad boys. Then, the structure of the novel starts to wobble. Sam Hopkins joins the bad-boy club and then abruptly decides to leave it. While he does so for a good reason, his change of heart happens too quickly and his relationship with the head bad boy, Jeff Winger, is insufficiently developed to create the dramatic tension between good and evil so central to the story. Some readers, especially those who don't require plot pacing and character development, will find this an enjoyable read, but those who need to see characters grow and situations change will be disappointed. Nina Sachs, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME