Deviant Hardcover – October 1, 2011

Pretty kinky with interesting twist at end but not in league with his Northern Ireland series.

Fifteen-year-old Danny Lopez has never been a model student at his Las Vegas school. Caring more about skateboarding than studying, his mom, Juanita, and his stepdad, Walt, hope that the move to Colorado will be good for him academically. Juanita has been offered the job of managing a new casino on the Ute Indian Reservation, so Danny finds himself in the small town of Cobalt, near Colorado Springs. Shortly after moving into their new house, Danny meets Antonia "Tony" Meadows, a pretty but quirky girl his age who lives across the street and warns him that the school he is going to attend, Cobalt Junior High Charter School, is different than what he's used to. On his first day, Danny learns just how different CJHCS is. The principal, Mr. Lebkuchen, has instituted the Direct Instruction method, which requires that teachers and students follow a script throughout the school day, and forbids any communication between students of any kind on school grounds. Everyone at CJHCS must also wear stifling uniforms complete with white gloves. Tony introduces Danny to her friends, and he soon learns that the students at CJHCS have other methods of communication besides talking. Just as Danny thinks things couldn't get any stranger, however, he learns that several housecats in Cobalt have gone missing, only to turn up days later ritualistically mutilated. Danny also starts receiving unsettling and cryptic letters from someone named "Indrid Cold," and they seem to be tied to the cat killings. Convinced that there is a serial killer in Cobalt, Danny and his friends decide to find out who the killer is, before they begin murdering people instead of cats.Quirky and unique, this tale from veteran crime novelist, Adrian McKinty, is certainly not for everyone, but will definitely prove interesting to many. Set in the fictional town of Cobalt, Colorado, the author's crime novel background shines through in establishing the setting, the cast of characters, and the mystery surrounding the cat killer that is terrorizing Danny Lopez and his new friends. Squeamish readers beware, the story contains quite a bit of graphic detail concerning the cat killings, and cat lovers might immediately put the book down as the first chapter describes a (fortunately) nearly successful cat murder. The author takes the reader straight into the mind of the murderer (though the identity is left unknown until the end), creating an effective sense of foreboding as the killer begins to resent Danny and his friends meddling in the crime spree. The situation at Danny's new school, where students have to be quiet and wear strange white gloves, takes a backseat to the murder mystery aspect of the novel, which is unfortunate since it was one of the most interesting parts of the story. Despite this slight shortcoming, however, Deviant has a lot to offer the reader, especially teen boys who will like Danny's style of narration and the brisk pace of the story. The novel is definitely a departure from typical young adult fare, and bold readers should give it a try.I have to say that, although I enjoyed this novel, I am not surprised to read that it received quite a few negative reviews. It definitely is not for everyone, but I think that many teen readers, especially boys, will "get it" like I did. The subject matter is, admittedly, unusual: serial cat killer stalks small town. I am personally a moderate cat lover, but I could see how someone who treasures all things feline might throw the book down after the first chapter in revulsion. I have to admit that if the animal was changed from cats to dogs I probably would do the same thing. Once the initial "creep-out" factor is overcome, however, there is a lot to be enjoyed in the story. I'm looking forward to seeing what Adrian McKinty comes up with next for the young adult audience.Like my reviews? Check out my profile for a link to my blog for more recommendations!

I'm not sure that the blurb on the back of the book properly set the stage for Deviant, Danny Lopez is new in town and a teenage boy struggling with a difficult family dynamics but otherwise he seems to be a likeable character. His new school is a strange Charter school where the students seem as mysterious and difficult to navigate as the faculty and the strange teaching style, but Danny cautiously wades into his new surroundings and tries to acclimate to his new friends and surroundings.Interspersed through Danny's rather straightforward narrative, McKinty gives us glimpses into a dark and twisted mind. Against the back drop of the more mundane, the dark glimpses seem even more menacing in tone, even when the contents of those glimpses aren't terribly menacing. In other words, it's the contrast between Danny and our killer that really seems to highlight just how far "out there" that our killer is.There is mention of acts of violence committed against animals. Honestly, from what I've read of truly violent people, this book was scarily accurate. It always starts with something small, pulling the legs off of grasshoppers, burning ants with a magnifying glass and escalates to animals and usually keeps escalating until it reaches a horrifying crescendo. Given the difficulty of that particular subject matter, I think that the author handled it tastefully. It's essential to the plot but clearly not something the author wrote into the story just for the shock value.Though there were many points in the story that I enjoyed - likable characters, a plot with interesting twists but there were two things that I found rather grating. The first was that several times it was mentioned that Danny's family had no cable yet. The first time I hardly noticed it but later when it kept coming up, I couldn't help but wonder why this was such an issue. The other was references to current political figures, but that's because I find that it kind of jars me out of the story and puts me back into the present.Overall it was an intriguing book and while there were a few bumps and dips in the twisty road, it was one I was glad I had wandered down for a while.

Please be aware that this is a work of Teen fiction. YA 14+ according to the publishing guidelines. I wish I had been aware of this before ordering it. I am not a YA anymore unfortunately and my reading time will be utilised with other of McKinty's excellent fiction more age appropriate to myself.