I’m an avid reader, and I especially love a good thriller!  Man, have I found a good one!  Code of Silence grabbed me from the first line and didn’t let go.  I couldn’t put it down!  In fact, this book kept me up until 2 AM because I had to see how it finished!

Code of Silence: Living a Lie Comes with a Price, by Tim Shoemaker, is classified as juvenile fiction, but this 40-something-year-old is here to say I found it captivating.  This is largely due to the fact that Tim refuses to “write down” to kids.  They can smell that a mile away, and they don’t like it.  He also manages to tell a compelling story without profanity or sex and without making parents look like idiots.  Imagine!  Other authors could learn a lesson from Mr. Shoemaker.

Code of Silence begins with teenagers Cooper, Hiro (a girl), and Gordy hanging out at their favorite burger joint when a tragedy unfolds.  The kids mange to escape, but the bad guys get a good look at Cooper and threaten to kill him and his family.  The teens are therefore thrust into a situation where they know they need to tell the police and their parents the truth about what happened, but Cooper (rightfully) fears for the lives of his family and friends if he does tell the truth.  Cooper convinces his friends to maintain a code of silence until he can figure out how they can tell the truth without endangering his family.

This code of silence requires lies and deceit, and we all know the mess that THAT quickly creates.  Having evidence that the police themselves may have been involved in the crime further complicates the situation for Cooper, Hiro, and Gordy.  Their friendships are tested, and the teens each make difficult decisions about honesty, loyalty, sacrifice, and relationships with their parents and teachers.

I highly recommend this book for anyone from middle school ages and up.  The book IS very suspenseful, so I would bear that in mind.  Both eager AND reluctant readers will thoroughly enjoy this book.  Each chapter is only only a few pages long, so that will be a big help for readers who might be intimidated by the length of the book, 336 spectacular pages.

I met author Tim Shoemaker and his wife Cheryl recently at the Great Homeschool Convention in Greenville, South Carolina.  Tim’s booth caught my eye for two reasons:  (1) he looked like a kind, friendly guy and (2) his book covers are really good!  I’m a sucker for a good book cover!  I ended up stopping to chat with Tim and Cheryl and to see what the awesome-looking books were all about.  Tim and Cheryl were delightful!  The kind of folks you want to have over for dinner so you can really get to know them.  And the books REALLY piqued my interest.  I bought Code of Silence to see if it was any good.  It was!

Oh!  And did I mention that this is Book One in a series of Three?!?  How exciting is THAT!!!  I received Books Two and Three in the mail today, and I can’t wait to get cracking on them.  Tim tells me that Book Two is even more intense than Book One!  Oh my word!  If I have bags under my eyes at church tomorrow you’ll know that I got sucked into it and read all night!

Sounds like a perfect plan to me!  Happy reading!

 

 

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