Port Mortuary, by Patricia Cornwell (2010)

This took me out of the world for a day and a half. (And I really wanted to get some academic work done instead of reading a novel.) It is a completely engaging book, one you won't put down. This is another in a series of the Scarpetta novels that Cornwell is known for. As usually there is a gripping plot and the main characters are fully developed and nuanced. To get the full effect of the book you would need to have read others in the series. Those of us who have followed the Scarpetta series delight in the additional new shades added to her cast. Scarpetta herself is the narrative voice and that device makes the ambiguity of the events entirely believable.

As always Cornwell gives us rich pictures of modern forensic medicine and other technological information. This particular book will be alarming to anyone who has hesitations about technological advances in offensive weapons. It also connects briefly to Apartheid in South Africa.

When you pick this up make sure your calendar is clear for a day or so--you won't be accomplishing much other than finishing the book.

Although this is an adult book, I can strongly recommend it for high school students. The violence is minimal and there is essentially no sex.

The Death Collector by Justin Richards (2006)

This period techno-thriller from the Victorian Era is not one that really grabbed me. Perhaps because I listened to in on cd rather than read it in paper. Richards is quite a prolific YA author and writes collaboratively with Jack Higgins. He has also authored a series, The Invisible Detective. Others have a much more favorable opinion of the book than I. I got good reviews from Kirkus and The School Library Journal. I may need to sit down with a paper copy and see if audio/print really does make a difference.

For younger adolescents there is some interesting horror in the plot--Zombies and reanimation. I will revise this review if I find the paper copy produces a different response.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

The final book in a series of 3. I'd hear many comments from friends and librarians about the conclusion of the Hunger Games series. Most said something along the lines that "it was good, but really more of an adult book." It really is quite violent. I think it's one of those books that I would hesitate to recommend to students, but that many would read. It is no more violent than many of the movies they watch regularly or some of the "reality" shows like Jackass. To recommend it more completely as an appropriate YA read, the message Collins is sending about wars and conflicts is very appropriate for the age group.

I still think this series is a good companion/alternate read to books like Lord of the Flies or Animal Farm. It is more contemporary and deals more directly with the complexities of modern political systems in the era of technology.

I did not find it as an enjoyable a read as the other two books in the series (thus the 3 instead of 4 stars) but it is important, as a reader, to have the sense of completion.