Review by tjportugal -- Code Name: Dodger by Eric Auxier

[tjportugal]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Code Name: Dodger" by Eric Auxier.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The life of fourteen-year-old Justin Malcomb Reed is turned upside down when psychiatrist Robert Cheney claims that Justin’s troubled orphan life makes him a good candidate for a psychological experiment. The teen accepts being submitted to what was described simply as being given a home, personal care and attention. The following day, Robert picks him up and takes him to the CIA headquarters. Eventually, to an amusement far beyond his expectations, Justin is trained as a spy. His mission: help bring down a smuggling organisation run by a CIA mule. His passion: find and bring to justice his father’s assassin. What is the priority: service to the country or personal revenge?

Code Name: Dodger, Operation Rubber Soul, by Eric Auxier, is a fascinating teen-spy thriller. Full of mystery and action, the plot develops extremely well, bringing some of the more enthusiastic readers into a nerve-racking excitement. This is the kind of book that makes boys dream about being secret agents with double lives and having secret drawers full of espionage gadgets and weapons that they wouldn't want their mothers to find.

The teen-driven narrative appeals immensely to younger audiences because of the familiar coming-of-age themes covered within the plot, such as popularity, socialization, sexuality, drugs and alcohol. Some of the narration from Justin and dialogues between the orphans refer erotic elements without, however, any explicit account of any act. Hats off to Eric Auxier for approaching the adult subject-matters, like drugs and prostitution, in a very mature way, presenting the reader with the drama that they actually are in real life and promoting being a gentleman as true manhood (this was perhaps my favourite element).

The few weaknesses that the storyline seems to suffer from are the repetition of the sense of closure and the key, a central element of the plot, not having a wrapping up (like actually seeing the wealth that it encloses) proportional to the suspense that it is always involved in throughout the narrative.

As for the structure, the text, divided into 12 very reasonably-sized chapters, flows fast and smoothly, promoting the thrill of the plot. The linguistic quality is exceptional, blending teen’s vocabulary with a couple of spy technical terms that give the narrative a sense of seriousness. The slang used by Justin and his buddies and other dialogues are the contexts of some borderline insults and the only typos, spelling and grammar mistakes that exist (clearly on purpose). There is no strong profanity or swearing. The editing has a very high standard, failing only in some unnecessary use of red Font Colour and different line spacing midway-through.

Reading Code Name: Dodger, Operation Rubber Soul, by Eric Auxier, was very exciting, even being a grown-up. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. This rating, reflects my appreciation for the content and the way it was structured to deliver this awesome book. I would say that it is more appealing to teenagers who like spy thrillers, but adults can also find it enjoyable.

I am really glad that Operation Rubber Soul is only the first of a series of missions. I can't wait to read the others.

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Code Name: Dodger
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[fadjei]

This sounds like a very engaging and entertaining book. It does seem like the author needs to improve upon certain grammatical issues. I love books that are filled with action and suspense like this one.
Thanks for the review!

[tjportugal]

This sounds like a very engaging and entertaining book. It does seem like the author needs to improve upon certain grammatical issues. I love books that are filled with action and suspense like this one.
Thanks for the review!

Thanks for the comment.
I didn't find any problems with the grammar. You can see that it is not at a gentleman's level but rather at a teens' level. Since the book is narrated by a teen, I guess it makes sense for the grammar to be the way it is. In any case, can you give some examples?
Thanks

[InStoree]

This seems a great book for teenagers with some educative elements. But like you, I'm also drawn in spy thrillers and psychological experiments, even if I'm an adult. I will keep this work in mind. It seems a worthwhile read. Thank you for the recommendation! Great review, tjportugal!

[tjportugal]

This seems a great book for teenagers with some educative elements. But like you, I'm also drawn in spy thrillers and psychological experiments, even if I'm an adult. I will keep this work in mind. It seems a worthwhile read. Thank you for the recommendation! Great review, tjportugal!

Thank you for your comment!
I was really glad I came across this book. I really enjoyed reading it.
Imagine teens reading this: "Half the day, I attended school. But instead of boring history or algebra, I studied wild subjects like weapons, electronic bugs and wiretaps." (page 74).