Norah McClintock's fast-paced, action-packed novel Close to the Heel is one of the intriguing linked stories in a series of seven books, all written by different authors. Unfortunately, I haven't yet had the chance to read the other titles, but Close to the Heel is a deliciously good entry, an exciting adventure for young readers. ( )

The concept of the Seven Series is what attracted me to request this book. It is basically 7 different and standalone stories all about one grandfather tasking each of his seven grandchildren with some world broadening adventure ( I haven't read any of the others in series so I can't say how similar/different they are to this one.)

Better synopsis have been written, so I won't go into detail, but I will say that I really enjoyed the fast paced adventure in Close to the Heel. I feel McClintock is an excellent writer of young adult mysteries and I will certainly be passing this along to my younger siblings to read. I think it can be not quite as appealing to people who enjoy more in-depth, world building storytelling, but that isn't a common theme in young adult fiction anyway so don't be surprised that you won't find it here. Some of the plot lines are a bit "out there" but I am all about suspension of disbelief when I read so that isn't an issue for me personally. ( )

I found myself reaching for the other books when I was done with Close to the Heel, but I don't have them yet! Very nice crime story, overall. Will definitely go and purchase the other books in this series.

Close to the Heel follows the protagonist, Rennie, who is given a mission by his late grandfather, whom he hardly knew. His grandfather wants him to go to Iceland to bury an important but mysterious item from his past. However, this seemingly simple mission turns out to be much more complex – and dangerous – than Rennie ever thought. As he learns more about his grandfather’s past and the purpose of his mission, he realizes that pursuit of the truth can literally kill you. Part adventure story, part murder mystery, this book has many twists and turns to keep the reader turning the pages.

Despite the fast-moving plot, though, this book did not impress me. I felt like the characters were very one-dimensional, and I could not relate to any of them. I also think there were too many characters to follow – especially with unfamiliar, foreign names. In addition, the ending seemed abrupt to me, and I had to re-read certain passages to understand what really happened in the book once the truth was revealed at the end. Overall, this was just an average book to me, and I probably won’t be reading any more books in this series. ( )

~~~ Originally posted at www.robbflynn.com ~~~

Close to the Heel is done. I was impressed, especially since it wasn't really what I was expecting. Crime novels are a bit out of my wheelhouse, but I liked this quite a bit. McClintock developed a nice narrative voice for her young protagonist, and it moved along at a steady yet quickening pace. I saw a few of the plot turns coming, but I get the feeling that it was intentional.

I think the only thing that bugs me is something familiar with quite a few stories told in first person, especially who-done-it type stories. If I am allowed inside the head of a first person narrator, then knowledge that narrator has should not be hidden from me. If he reads a note and stuffs it in his pocket, then I should know what the note says. There are critical points where that type of information is hidden from the reader, and they are jarring. "It's the hand of the author showing between the lines" as an old grad school professor used to tell us in class. It is, I think, a somewhat necessary technique in first person mysteries, but to me it seems like a trick to cover up a problem with either plot or pacing.

That said, Close to the Heel is still an enjoyable read. It's part of a series that released on 10 October called "Seven the Series: 7 Grandsons, 7 Journeys, 7 Authors." I'm intrigued enough by reading this one to pick up one or more of the others. ( )