Thirteen-year-old narrator Cyril's mom is a twenty-eight-year-old former street kid who becomes an activist lawyer. When she gets kidnapped, Cyril must follow the clues to save her. Grant's characters are fresh and quirky, and she effectively combines humor with suspense. At times, however, she strains for a teenage voice, and there's an unexamined undercurrent of meanness in the story.

In a narrative laced with lighthearted and self-deprecating humor, 14-year-old Cyril MacIntyre relates a crime story disguised as a lesson in legal terminology. Cyril's young, tough-talking single mother, Andy, incorporates Cyril into everything she does, including taking him to law school when he was 10 and installing him as receptionist for the two-woman law firm she lands at. When Byron Cuvelier, a one-handed man who shares a mysterious past with Andy, shows up and moves in with them, it's clearly blackmail as far as Cyril is concerned. So when Andy disappears, that naturally sets Cyril to sleuthing, and his secondhand legal training is just part of what he needs to unravel the case. (Each chapter is introduced by a legal term that sets up the action.) The story is set in Halifax, Nova Scotia; Cyril, Andy, and Byron are white, while Andy's lawyer mentor is South Asian, and many among their clientele are minorities. The characters are not as simplistic as they initially seem, as first impressions are peeled away. Despite Cyril's tough talk, the narrative is clearly intended for an audience that will expect and enjoy the rosy ending indicated by the confident tone throughout. (Amusingly, Andy's cusswords are bleeped in the dialogue.) While the satisfying denouement doesn't make complete sense in terms of the characters, it is completely in sync with the mood.Fast-paced and funny with brief but crucial hiccups of legal learning. (Mystery. 10-14)

Unable to afford a babysitter, Cyril Floyd MacIntyre-s single mother, Andy, brought Cyril along to law school as she pushed through her degree, beginning when he was 10. Now he is an adolescent and his mom is a lawyer for the disenfranchised, working at a hole-in-the-wall firm. Byron, a mysterious veteran from Andy-s homeless past, blackmails his way into their small apartment and, annoyingly, takes over Cyril-s room; even more troubling, Andy suddenly disappears. To find his mother, Cyril uses his lawyerly prowess to try and piece together clues from one of her cases. Cyril is sarcastic and hard on his young mother, who has worked hard to leave a life on the streets and provide for her son, and his comments about her and her clients are often off-putting (-I-m 14... She-s 29. You do the math. Pretty nasty, eh?-). But investigation and legal components-each chapter starts with a definition of a legal term that relates to the chapter-s events-will engage fans of straightforward mysteries. Ages 9-12. (Aug.)

Gr 7-10-Cyril Floyd MacIntyre, 13, is perplexed over the disappearance of his mother, a 28-year-old law-school graduate. He begins his tale with a frank description of his mother's past behaviors. Drug use and a life on the street took their toll on Andy, who, at 15, pregnant with Cyril, began taking more positive steps. She raised her son, continued her education with the aid of public assistance, and became an attorney. When she vanishes, Cyril becomes involved in a web of intrigue and deceit searching for her. His discovery of resurfacing shady characters who played a role in Andy's disappearance makes for a suspense-filled, well-plotted legal thriller. Sure to be a popular choice with teens.-Andrea Tarr, Corona Public Library, CA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.