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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
If I could give this 100 stars, I would. This book honestly made me cry like a baby & my heart broke for both boys. I really enjoyed it
I enjoyed this book. Following the lives of both families who are so different. I tried to work out what happened on that fateful night. Was it an accident or something more sinister? I didn't guess it. Will You?
RATING: 3.5 STARS
2017; William Morrow Paperbacks/HarperCollins
(Review Not on Blog)
I loved [b:What She Knew|25817531|What She Knew (Jim Clemo #1)|Gilly Macmillan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441801604l/25817531._SY75_.jpg|41344566] and couldn't wait to read more about Jim Clemo. I felt like we did not get enough of his background. This book felt a bit different than the first novel. While we did get more of and on Jim, the story felt a bit lacking in suspense. I was expecting the first book's suspense but the pacing was slow. It did still have the drama and big issues that kept me reading. I am reading for book three to see where Macmillan takes the series next (if this series does continue).
***I received an eARC from EDELWEISS***
2017; William Morrow Paperbacks/HarperCollins
(Review Not on Blog)
I loved [b:What She Knew|25817531|What She Knew (Jim Clemo #1)|Gilly Macmillan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441801604l/25817531._SY75_.jpg|41344566] and couldn't wait to read more about Jim Clemo. I felt like we did not get enough of his background. This book felt a bit different than the first novel. While we did get more of and on Jim, the story felt a bit lacking in suspense. I was expecting the first book's suspense but the pacing was slow. It did still have the drama and big issues that kept me reading. I am reading for book three to see where Macmillan takes the series next (if this series does continue).
***I received an eARC from EDELWEISS***
This is an interesting story, but I do think that the terminally ill boy, Noah, was a bit boring - sorry! I think the novel would have been better without his point of view, even though that's only present in the first half. The detective, Clemo, is well-drawn and I would read more about him for sure - but perhaps a more gripping story is needed.
The key factor that raises this from an average 3 start to a 'nearly there' 4 stars is the fact that the ending is totally brilliant and very well written.
The key factor that raises this from an average 3 start to a 'nearly there' 4 stars is the fact that the ending is totally brilliant and very well written.
Probably my favorite Gilly Macmillan book that I’ve read thus far.
4.5 stars.
Odd Child Out by Gilly Macmillan is a suspenseful, character driven novel that also deals with complex issues such as immigrant bias and childhood cancer. Although this latest release is the second installment in the Jim Clemo series, it can be read as a standalone.
Abdi Mahad and Noah Sadler are best friends despite the disparity in their socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds. Abdi is the son of Somali immigrants who fled to Britain when he was just a baby. His father Nur supports the family by driving a cab and his mom Maryam volunteers at a local refugee center. Their parents’ plan for a better future for their children is coming to fruition as his older sister Sophia attends university as she pursues her dream of becoming a midwife. Noah is the son of a successful war photographer but his life has been a blur of hospital stays and treatment for his childhood cancer. Both boys attend the prestigious Medes College and by all accounts, their friendship is trouble free. However, after the teenagers sneak out one evening, Noah is clinging to life after a near drowning in the Feeder Canal and Abdi is so traumatized by what happened that he is practically catatonic. Detective Chief Inspector Corrinne Fraser assigns the case to newly returned to duty Detective Inspector Jim Clemo who carefully begins his investigation along with Detective Constable Justin Woodley.
Needing to prove himself to both his boss and his co-workers, Jim treads lightly as he tries to uncover the truth about what happened to Noah. Since Abdi either can’t or won’t answer questions, Jim and Justin attempt to recreate the events from the evening Noah ended up in the canal. While nothing in Noah’s behavior is out of the ordinary, they quickly learn that something was troubling Abdi by night’s end. Finally pinpointing what triggered Abdi’s unease, Jim struggles to understand the underlying reason for the teenager’s unrest. How this figures into the events that precipitated Noah’s fall into the canal is unclear and Jim remains unable to tell if he fell or if Abdi pushed him.
Jim’s former love interest Emma Zhang is now a reporter and she is stirring up controversy with her inflammatory and oftentimes, speculative, accusations. She deliberately creates doubt with Noah’s mother Fiona who was not exactly a fan of her son’s friendship with Abdi. Emma deliberately exploits Fiona’s grief over her son’s accident and anti-immigration rhetoric threatens to derail Jim’s investigation.
Odd Child Out is a compelling mystery that touches on relevant social issues. The main focus of the story is uncovering the truth about what happened to Noah but Gilly Macmillan skillfully weaves the Mahad family’s heartbreaking past into the storyline. The plot is complex and the characters are multi-faceted with realistic strengths and weaknesses. With a few startling revelations, shocking family secrets and unexpected plot twists, the novel comes to an action-packed, tension-filled conclusion.
Odd Child Out by Gilly Macmillan is a suspenseful, character driven novel that also deals with complex issues such as immigrant bias and childhood cancer. Although this latest release is the second installment in the Jim Clemo series, it can be read as a standalone.
Abdi Mahad and Noah Sadler are best friends despite the disparity in their socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds. Abdi is the son of Somali immigrants who fled to Britain when he was just a baby. His father Nur supports the family by driving a cab and his mom Maryam volunteers at a local refugee center. Their parents’ plan for a better future for their children is coming to fruition as his older sister Sophia attends university as she pursues her dream of becoming a midwife. Noah is the son of a successful war photographer but his life has been a blur of hospital stays and treatment for his childhood cancer. Both boys attend the prestigious Medes College and by all accounts, their friendship is trouble free. However, after the teenagers sneak out one evening, Noah is clinging to life after a near drowning in the Feeder Canal and Abdi is so traumatized by what happened that he is practically catatonic. Detective Chief Inspector Corrinne Fraser assigns the case to newly returned to duty Detective Inspector Jim Clemo who carefully begins his investigation along with Detective Constable Justin Woodley.
Needing to prove himself to both his boss and his co-workers, Jim treads lightly as he tries to uncover the truth about what happened to Noah. Since Abdi either can’t or won’t answer questions, Jim and Justin attempt to recreate the events from the evening Noah ended up in the canal. While nothing in Noah’s behavior is out of the ordinary, they quickly learn that something was troubling Abdi by night’s end. Finally pinpointing what triggered Abdi’s unease, Jim struggles to understand the underlying reason for the teenager’s unrest. How this figures into the events that precipitated Noah’s fall into the canal is unclear and Jim remains unable to tell if he fell or if Abdi pushed him.
Jim’s former love interest Emma Zhang is now a reporter and she is stirring up controversy with her inflammatory and oftentimes, speculative, accusations. She deliberately creates doubt with Noah’s mother Fiona who was not exactly a fan of her son’s friendship with Abdi. Emma deliberately exploits Fiona’s grief over her son’s accident and anti-immigration rhetoric threatens to derail Jim’s investigation.
Odd Child Out is a compelling mystery that touches on relevant social issues. The main focus of the story is uncovering the truth about what happened to Noah but Gilly Macmillan skillfully weaves the Mahad family’s heartbreaking past into the storyline. The plot is complex and the characters are multi-faceted with realistic strengths and weaknesses. With a few startling revelations, shocking family secrets and unexpected plot twists, the novel comes to an action-packed, tension-filled conclusion.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Sometimes it’s hard but to let other people’s misery deep into your own bones.”
When 15 year old Noah falls into a canal in Bristol the case seems simple to the media, it's a hate crime perpetrated by a young Somali boy. For DI Jim Clemo it's not that simple. Noah and Abdi were best friends, Noah was dying of cancer and their eyewitness is not as reliable as first thought. However when Noah dies after never regaining consciousness, the case takes an unusual and unexpected twist.
There is much to like about this police procedural including the different narrators with different perspectives. However I found it really difficult to get engaged with the book in the first half. There is a really strong story about prejudice, people trafficking etc in here but these themes were not really developed enough.
There is much to like about this police procedural including the different narrators with different perspectives. However I found it really difficult to get engaged with the book in the first half. There is a really strong story about prejudice, people trafficking etc in here but these themes were not really developed enough.