Max Gordon’s trip to France to participate in an Xtreme sports challenge becomes a race to solve a deadly mystery in Ice Claw by David Gilman.
Title: Ice Claw
Authors: David Gilman
Ages: 11+
Rating:
Courtesy of Delacorte Press
The Sniper
After skiing in an unsafe area, Max’s friend Sayid ends up with a busted leg. On top of that, he loses his late father’s beads on the mountainside, and Max promises to try and find them. But when Max returns to the mountain, he sees an unusual sight: a monk skiing down the slope, and a sniper aiming a gun at him. On instinct, Max shouts to the monk and unwittingly becomes involved in a complicated mystery.
The Monk’s Secret
An avalanche hits, and the monk rescues Max from the blanket of snow. But when the edge of a cliff falls away, the monk falls to his death, leaving Max with a clue to his attacker’s motives. As Max and his friends follow the monk’s clues, Max must learn who he can trust, and who is a traitor. When Max’s allies get picked off, he realizes how much danger he’s really in. Especially now that the world thinks he is responsible for the monk’s death.
The Bottom Line
Ice Claw is a complicated adventure. It’s a quest to uncover the truth about an upcoming environmental disaster. The book drags at times, and is hard to follow at others. But those moments are interspersed with deadly action. This is definitely a book for boys, or for girls who love action, mystery and violent killers.
