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stargirllxo's review
4.0
This book was so interesting and it was really good. I just really love the character - Dallton Rev and I myself want to a forensic scientist which is similar to him. It really interests me, the cliques and the gangs and groups at the schoo.
abaugher's review
2.0
this was a rather strange and fairly incomprehensible book. i could see the merits of reading this for some people, but i didnt understand it.
evencj147's review
1.0
I really did not enjoy this book. I felt like everything was not in order. As if the author decided at random times when to put in this detail and that detail. But I really liked how at the ending everything wrapped up very nicely.
kelleemoye's review
I want to start this with- This is one of the most unique books I have ever gotten my hands on. I appreciate Sean Beaudoin so much and really liked Getting Nowhere Faster; however, I think I am not the right reader for this book which surprised me so much as I love The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz which this book reminded me of. I may try this book again in the future and see if time makes me like it more.
nssutton's review
gave it 50 pages, but can't get into the fact you need to read a glossary to really get into the premise. drove around collingswood rather than read it, in fact.
blackoutcity44's review
1.0
Mid-the ending was cool I guess. Wish this review was private. It got better as it went on. I probably should've used the glossary and the chart in the beginning more. I think I just don't like the style not the author's fault sorry..
shonaningyo's review
4.0
Okay.. I'm a sucker for a book that has little "extras" in the book. And by extras I mean a chart detailing where all the cliques and groups fit in the school, the "sub-groups" and whatnot. Also, I loved how the author used slang or references that kind of seemed out of place, but then at the back put in a dictionary for confused readers to peruse (peruse means to read thoroughly, not skim) until they understand better. And another added bonus was the breakdown of the cliques and who they were "run" by, how they earn their money (stolen MP3s for example), and a little info on them. Big help for me.
Let's get onto the story.
The book was written in a confusing yet interesting way. It was confusing because there were so many intertwining groups and cliques that seemed to branch and stem off from each other that the author gave the reader a blessing by including the aforementioned "extras" so you wouldn't throw the book down in frustration trying to figure out what this certain slang word means (I'm looking at you A Clockwork Orange)... Also, I found myself, who is actually a pretty straightforward reader, to be lost in all the cliques and had to look at the book for reference to get the stories straight.
.
Despite the confusion, it was written pretty well. It accurately depicts the stereotypical high school teenaged life when it comes to very "clique"-y schools. Either this or that. Do your own thing and when something bad happens, just ignore it and move on. Or you're on your own if you can't cope. This apathy is kind of shocking, yet they're teenagers. So... they're idiots, no offense. Mini-psychopaths that only work towards gaining the highest status in the school along with their clique. Their own little tribe. Backstabbing and double-crossing would be sure to happen. Kind of like their own political party.
Anyways, I'm done ranting on this story. Forgive me if it's too vague. I'm not good at reviews, only recommendations ...
Let's get onto the story.
The book was written in a confusing yet interesting way. It was confusing because there were so many intertwining groups and cliques that seemed to branch and stem off from each other that the author gave the reader a blessing by including the aforementioned "extras" so you wouldn't throw the book down in frustration trying to figure out what this certain slang word means (I'm looking at you A Clockwork Orange)... Also, I found myself, who is actually a pretty straightforward reader, to be lost in all the cliques and had to look at the book for reference to get the stories straight.
Spoiler
The ending is kind of a twist. I wasn't really at all expecting it. But I don't read mystery much, so I'm not well intuned with how a mystery works. The character you think is the second banana will always turn out to be that maid that killed Mr. Peabody in the kitchen with the candlestickDespite the confusion, it was written pretty well. It accurately depicts the stereotypical high school teenaged life when it comes to very "clique"-y schools. Either this or that. Do your own thing and when something bad happens, just ignore it and move on. Or you're on your own if you can't cope. This apathy is kind of shocking, yet they're teenagers. So... they're idiots, no offense. Mini-psychopaths that only work towards gaining the highest status in the school along with their clique. Their own little tribe. Backstabbing and double-crossing would be sure to happen. Kind of like their own political party.
Anyways, I'm done ranting on this story. Forgive me if it's too vague. I'm not good at reviews, only recommendations ...
thismissreads's review
4.0
It is honest to say that I have never read a book like You Killed Wesley Payne because it is the first pulp noir mystery I have ever read. A part of me was afraid that I wouldn't like it because it was all unfamiliar territory for me – luckily, I ended up liking the novel a lot.
It all begins with Wesley Payne's murder. Dalton Rev, a seventeen-year-old Dick (private detective – and perhaps, sometimes, but just sometimes when he is too professional around a girl, a bit of a dick, too), transfers to Salt River High to solve the mystery of who murdered The Body, which is how Wesley Payne is referred to in the story. Dalton soon realises that Salt River High is a school where belonging to a clique is a must, the cliques clash constantly and violence and guns are no strangers to this school. The teachers do not really have any authority and one can hardly trust anyone at this school, which is something that Dalton can definitely confirm.
While I found Dalton Rev being a private detective at seventeen a bit far-fetched for my taste, especially considering the fact that his parents never so much as suspected anything (my parents have lie detectors installed in them, I swear, so I am basing my judgement on them), I enjoyed everything else in earnest.
This was a truly witty and intelligently written story, mixing both humour and drama. Dalton has a boy crush on a fictional detective, Lex Cole, and Lex is always on his mind when Dalton is on a case. It is something along the lines of ''What would Lex do?'' Dalton has all the books in the Lex Cole series, knows them by heart and abides by them. I found Dalton's fascination with Lex Cole funny and extremely entertaining, but Dalton does take his job seriously and he does what he does for a very good, selfless reason – although he loves his job, too, it seems. I really liked Dalton's character. Basically, he is an average teenage boy with teenages problems and dilemmas, but he is different because he works as a Dick and is exposed to danger a lot. Luckily, he's quite smart and knows what to do – most of the time, anyway. Other characters appearing in the novel were fun and interesting to read about, as well. Some of them are downright quirky, some arrogant, some backstabbing and some mysterious, but all of them fun to read about.
I see this novel as a detective story and as a parody of detective stories, both at once. The mystery of The Body is cleverly constructed and there is just the right amount of necessary tension and mystery present. The plot twists are delightful and the ending quite surprising and even shocking. I truly enjoyed the plot and cracked one half of the mystery – the other half surprised me, which is always a plus, as good literary mysteries shouldn't be entirely solved by the reader, in my opinion.
All of this is accompanied by humour and some parodying of classic detective stories. The typical plot twists and elements of detective stories are pointed out and Dalton usually does the opposite, yet the story still followes the usual frame of detective stories. High-school life is parodied, too, I think, because school cliques and school violence are really exaggerated in the story, but not so far from the truth. They deliver the point.
The novel contains high-school drama, secrets, mysteries, a touch of romance and surprising revelations. It is a detective story written in the style of a pulp noir mystery, set in the world of teenagers. It is an entertaining page-turner and if you enjoy mysteries and detective stories tinged with humour, then I definitely recommend this novel to you.
It all begins with Wesley Payne's murder. Dalton Rev, a seventeen-year-old Dick (private detective – and perhaps, sometimes, but just sometimes when he is too professional around a girl, a bit of a dick, too), transfers to Salt River High to solve the mystery of who murdered The Body, which is how Wesley Payne is referred to in the story. Dalton soon realises that Salt River High is a school where belonging to a clique is a must, the cliques clash constantly and violence and guns are no strangers to this school. The teachers do not really have any authority and one can hardly trust anyone at this school, which is something that Dalton can definitely confirm.
While I found Dalton Rev being a private detective at seventeen a bit far-fetched for my taste, especially considering the fact that his parents never so much as suspected anything (my parents have lie detectors installed in them, I swear, so I am basing my judgement on them), I enjoyed everything else in earnest.
This was a truly witty and intelligently written story, mixing both humour and drama. Dalton has a boy crush on a fictional detective, Lex Cole, and Lex is always on his mind when Dalton is on a case. It is something along the lines of ''What would Lex do?'' Dalton has all the books in the Lex Cole series, knows them by heart and abides by them. I found Dalton's fascination with Lex Cole funny and extremely entertaining, but Dalton does take his job seriously and he does what he does for a very good, selfless reason – although he loves his job, too, it seems. I really liked Dalton's character. Basically, he is an average teenage boy with teenages problems and dilemmas, but he is different because he works as a Dick and is exposed to danger a lot. Luckily, he's quite smart and knows what to do – most of the time, anyway. Other characters appearing in the novel were fun and interesting to read about, as well. Some of them are downright quirky, some arrogant, some backstabbing and some mysterious, but all of them fun to read about.
I see this novel as a detective story and as a parody of detective stories, both at once. The mystery of The Body is cleverly constructed and there is just the right amount of necessary tension and mystery present. The plot twists are delightful and the ending quite surprising and even shocking. I truly enjoyed the plot and cracked one half of the mystery – the other half surprised me, which is always a plus, as good literary mysteries shouldn't be entirely solved by the reader, in my opinion.
All of this is accompanied by humour and some parodying of classic detective stories. The typical plot twists and elements of detective stories are pointed out and Dalton usually does the opposite, yet the story still followes the usual frame of detective stories. High-school life is parodied, too, I think, because school cliques and school violence are really exaggerated in the story, but not so far from the truth. They deliver the point.
The novel contains high-school drama, secrets, mysteries, a touch of romance and surprising revelations. It is a detective story written in the style of a pulp noir mystery, set in the world of teenagers. It is an entertaining page-turner and if you enjoy mysteries and detective stories tinged with humour, then I definitely recommend this novel to you.