Ditch Rider: A Neil Hamel Mystery

Rating:
Summary: A well-written, well-told tale
Review: Judith Van Gieson is one of the best writers working the genre, and in Ditch Rider she just keeps getting better. She keeps her subjects immersed in the social issues of the day -- from smuggling rare birds to wolf reintroduction, to this book's gang girls. It's a treat to read her prose -- "We stepped out of the Nissan, shutting the doors behind us very carefully and quietly. We walked in the middle of the road so as not to crunch the gravel on the shoulder and set off all the dogs in the hood. The dogs heard us anyway and began barking one after another, knocking down quiet like dominoes. 'Callesan, perritos,' whispered the Kid." As a former New Mexican, I especially love the way she brings the landscape to life. You can almost smell the damp earth by the irrigation ditch, feel the dry air on your skin. Her evocation of her neighborhood, complete with delinquent girls next door, rings just right. Can't wait to see what happens next in Neil's personal life, now that Neil's bought a house and given the Kid some closet space! Keep 'em coming!

Rating:
Summary: Fasinating look at the young and gangs
Review: This author exposes us to an inside view of living life in todays gang infested citys. Once again Judith Van Gieson paints word pictures that draw you into the midst of her investigation. An enjoyable read. Beverly J Scott author of Righteous Revenge

Rating:
Summary: Dull, but readable
Review: This author ought to find a new protagonist. I think she's burned out on Neil. Nothing new going on in her life. The Kid is phoning in his performance. Neil's sexlife is deader than a dodo. The plot was okay, but predictable. Teen gangbangers aren't all that interesting. Oh, well. As I like to save my money, I checked this one out of the library and am glad I did. It was a one day read and now I can go on to something bigger and better.

Rating:
Summary: A well-written, well-told tale
Review: With her eighth Neil Hamel mystery, Ditch Rider, Judith Van Gieson wins readers' hearts again. Meet Cheyanne, 13, a sweet teenage girl with a baby doll, a half brother and a cat in tow. But teenage gangs thrive in her hood as weeds along ditches. "Smile now, cry later" is their motto : life is at stake and death is next. Cheyanne is involved in the murder of a young gang member. And gang justice is on its way. For Cheyanne's sake, Neil will have to face the grisly rules of gang justice and power play until the fateful game is over. Judith Van Gieson's extraordinary power of observation and subtle treatment of a contemporary issue make the story jump off the page. Characters and setting come out perfectly right. With Ditch Rider, Van Gieson proves the same grit and passion that have come to characterize her previous mysteries. An astonishing book that should establish Van Gieson among the most innovative mystery writers today

Rating:
Summary: A universal problem
Review: Young teens trapped by gang culture are the focus of this eighth Neil Hamel adventure. The story centers around Cheyanne Moran, a young girl in Neil's neighborhood who admits to the murder of a youth at a shopping mall. When Neil agrees to represent the child, she is drawn into a world where home is the gang and those who do not conform are punished. In her role as Albuquerque based attorney/sleuth, Neil reveals her sensitivity to the hopes and fears of teens, as well as her affection for the acequias and fields nearby. This book with its treatment of a universal problem should be in every middle school and high school library.