Every Breath

by Ellie Marney

Overview

When James Mycroft drags Rachel Watts off on a night mission to the Melbourne Zoo, the last thing she expects to find is the mutilated body of Homeless Dave, one of Mycroft's numerous eccentric friends. But Mycroft's passion for forensics leads him to realize that something about the scene isn't right—and he wants Watts to help him investigate the murder.

     While Watts battles her attraction to bad-boy Mycroft, he's busy getting himself expelled and clashing with the police, becoming murder suspect number one. When Watts and Mycroft unknowingly reveal too much to the cold-blooded killer, they find themselves in the lion's den—literally. A trip to the zoo will never have quite the same meaning to Rachel Watts again...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781770497726
Publisher:	Tundra
Publication date:	10/14/2014
Series:	Every , #1
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Ellie Marney was born in Brisbane, and has lived in Indonesia, Singapore and India. Now she writes, teaches, talks about kid's literature at libraries and schools, and gardens when she can, while living in a country idyll (actually a very messy wooden house on ten acres with a dog and lots of chickens) near Castlemaine, in north-central Victoria. Her partner and four sons still love her even though she often forgets things and lets the housework go. Ellie's short stories for adults have won awards and been published in various anthologies. Every Breath is her first novel for young adults.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Every Breath:

"Readers will be elated to find out that a sequel is on its way from Down Under. A smart, contemporary take on a timely classic that is sure to please Sherlock aficionados of all ages." - Kirkus Reviews

"This story is, in part, a homage to Sherlock Holmes and follows all the traditions of a whodunit. However it's also a tale of a friendship and developing romance of two grieving teenagers ... the author develops the characters into authentic, sympathetic individuals while keeping the mystery sustained and the plot moving forward. This is a well-written novel that should satisfy confident, thoughtful readers...." - School Library Journal

"Fans ... will appreciate the many twists and turns that come before the final show-stopping reveal ... the Melbourne setting is vividly conveyed, including a realistically diverse cast of teen and adults. Strength of family and friends is a strong underlying theme, and the romantic tension between Rachel and Mycroft sizzles on the page. Inventive and unusual, this will appeal to readers with a taste for darker stories." - Booklist

From the Publisher

10/01/2014
Gr 9 Up—Seventeen-year-old neighbors Rachel Watts and James Mycroft find the murdered body of a homeless man they know. Mycroft is convinced that there is more to the murder than the police believe and persuades Watts to help him investigate. This story is, in part, a homage to Sherlock Holmes and follows all the traditions of a whodunit. However, it's also a tale of a friendship and developing romance of two grieving teenagers. Rachel hates the city of Melbourne and longs for her family's outback farm, lost to foreclosure. Mycroft lives with an uncaring aunt and is still suffering from the loss of his parents in a car crash. The book begins with the aftermath of a fight—Watts and friend Mai mopping up Mycroft's blood. It is a little confusing, as the fight is detailed, schoolteachers and main characters are introduced, and Mycroft comes off as a smart mouth. However, the author develops the characters into authentic, sympathetic individuals while keeping the mystery sustained and the plot moving forward. Somewhat graphic descriptions of the murdered body, swearing, and a subplot of child's sexual abuse make this a novel aimed at older teens. This is a well-written novel that should satisfy confident, thoughtful readers who don't mind Australian slang and brand names.—Michelle Anderson, Tauranga City Libraries, New Zealand

School Library Journal

2014-08-12
James Mycroft (whose surname matches that of Sherlock Holmes' "much-smarter brother") is a chain-smoking modern teenager obsessed with forensics in this fresh Aussie reboot of the popular detective franchise. The first thing debut author Marney does right is withstand the temptation to overexplain the Holmes connection. Narrator Rachel Watts states early on in the story that she and her neighbor Mycroft "are on a strictly last-name basis….He said if Sherlock had Watson, it was only fair that Mycroft should have Watts." From there, the plot thickens and darkens when Mycroft and Watts discover their homeless friend Dave's dead body outside the zoo, where Mycroft's aunt works. As they work to unravel the mystery of Dave's murder, they struggle to come to terms with their troubled backgrounds while slowly falling for each other. Mycroft was the only survivor of a horrific car accident that killed his parents, while Watts is trying to process the loss of her family's beloved farm and subsequent move to a busy suburb of Melbourne. All their satisfying, realistic sleuthing builds to a smashing climax that literally places them both in the zoo's lion den, which finally forces them to admit how much they truly care for each other. Readers will be elated to find out that a sequel is on its way from Down Under. A smart, contemporary take on a timely classic that is sure to please Sherlock aficionados of all ages. (Mystery. 13 & up)

Kirkus Reviews