OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Incendiary Creek" by F. A. Schiavone.]

Incendiary Creek by F. A Schiavone is a relatively short story about a missing teenager called Dudley. Dudley is a troubled kid with a high intellect but poor social skills. He bullies other kids and often indulges in fights. One day Dudley and two other kids were fighting and something unexpected happened. When Dudley's parents didn't find their son at the dinner table, they became worried and began searching for him but were unable to find him.

After this futile search, they contacted the police expecting to find their son. The police interrogated his close friends and some persons who might have seen Dudley on that particular day. The police found some lead and was able to narrow down the list of suspects to only two people, Tod and Vince. Is Dudley dead or something horrible has happened to him? These are the typical questions that arises in the reader's mind. But the author shocks the reader with an unexpected twist at the end of the story.

I like that this story tries to convey the archetypal problems of teenage-life. Dudley exemplifies a troubled kid with an overprotective mother. In the process of getting good grades Dudley has been ostracized from the society. To conceal his insecurities, he indulges in fights and bullies others. It shows us how a kid can end up as a social disaster when he/she is not given the freedom to socialize. Also, it's a good lesson for parents who are trying to rear up a kid while averting these problems. I mostly like the twist in the plot at the end of the story. It caught me off guard.

This book mostly disappointed me. Many parts of the story were completely unbelievable and ridiculous. The characters in the story were not believable. Tod is a kid who eavesdrops on his parents' conversations and has access to his father's weapons. Tod and his friends formed a gang called Big Guys and often takes part in fights with the gang called the Taurans. I hardly believe any of these can happen in real life. Also, when the police officer was interrogating the people living in the vicinity where Dudley was last seen, all of those people said that they saw Dudley. Even though Dudley was walking alone without making any noise, everyone was able to see him. Clearly, the characters of the story were not properly developed. Probably the most believable character in the story was Vince.

I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. The lack of character development and unbelievable plot is the reason I didn't give it a higher rating. The reason I didn't give it a 1 is because it shocked me at the very last moment. I don't recommend this book to someone who is a voracious reader of crime novels. Someone who doesn't like bulky and boring books might find this interesting.

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Incendiary Creek
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Like Sunnyroyish's review? Post a comment saying so!

I enjoy your very engaging review and I am very curious to know what has eventually happened to poor Dudley. While parents should be protective of their children's affairs, they must exercise balance when doing so. They should caution them about this business called life but also allow them their freedom.

This was a very good review. I don’t think the story appeals to me based on what you wrote, so thank you for informing me of your thoughts.

When I read your description of the book, I was hooked until I got to the end and saw it didn't deliver. Thanks for the honest review!

crediblereading2 wrote: ↑08 Aug 2018, 13:45 I enjoy your very engaging review and I am very curious to know what has eventually happened to poor Dudley. While parents should be protective of their children's affairs, they must exercise balance when doing so. They should caution them about this business called life but also allow them their freedom.

Yes I totally agree with you. There should be balance.

Momiji1987 wrote: ↑08 Aug 2018, 17:27 This was a very good review. I don’t think the story appeals to me based on what you wrote, so thank you for informing me of your thoughts.

Yup I think the story was not that good.

Cecilia_L wrote: ↑08 Aug 2018, 18:25 When I read your description of the book, I was hooked until I got to the end and saw it didn't deliver. Thanks for the honest review!

Thanks for your kind reply. I really appreciate it.

A great, well-written summary. Unfortunately, I think I will pass given the unrealistic story and poorly developed characters. Thank you for an honest review!

abigailray1013 wrote: ↑08 Aug 2018, 20:22 A great, well-written summary. Unfortunately, I think I will pass given the unrealistic story and poorly developed characters. Thank you for an honest review!

Thanks for your reply.

It's unfortunate that this book is unrealistic in some aspects. The premise has really great potential. Perhaps the author should edit some parts out so that it is more believable. I would love to read an edited version of this. Really great job on your review!

Thanks for your reply. I don't think the author would republish it.

You stated:

"After this futile search, they contacted the police expecting to find their son. The police interrogated his close friends and some persons who might have seen Dudley on that particular day. The police found some lead and was able to narrow down the list of suspects to only two people, Tod and Vince. Is Dudley dead or something horrible has happened to him? These are the typical questions that arises in the reader's mind. But the author shocks the reader with an unexpected twist at the end of the story."

It sounds like the book could have been a good one, but it fell short according to your review. The missing Dudley would be enough to keep one reading to find out what happened, but you mentioned there were too many unbelievable things in the story to make it very good. The unexpected twist at the end is always a good thing.

At the beginning of this review, I thought the book might be interesting, but as I come down to your rating and found that the characters in the story are not well developed, I lost interest. Your review is very helpful, thanks.

Rosemary Khathibe wrote: ↑09 Aug 2018, 07:23 At the beginning of this review, I thought the book might be interesting, but as I come down to your rating and found that the characters in the story are not well developed, I lost interest. Your review is very helpful, thanks.

Yeah... unrealistic plot. The story could have been better.

Your review always help me understand whether the story is time worthy or not.