A review by leahthebooklover
Nothing More Dangerous by Allen Eskens

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

A Boady Sanden origin story. Readers of Allen Eskens will be familiar with Boady Sanden as a criminal defense attorney who often interacts with another of Eskens' recurring characters, detective Max Rupert. In "Nothing More Dangerous" we meet Boady as a teenager growing up in Jessup, Missouri with his widowed mother. He's dealing with a lot of pressure from a group of bullies at his school. He finds sanctuary in the woods behind his home, until a new family from Minneapolis moves into the empty house across the road, and Boady realizes the land he roams actually belongs to them. His first encounter with Thomas, the new teenage neighbor, does not go well, but eventually the two boys strike up a friendship, despite the fact that Thomas is black. Thomas's father has been sent to Missouri to straighten out some inconsistencies at the local plastics plant. His presence is highly resented by the plant management, who have reason to worry about what might be turned up by an investigation, including embezzlement and the suspicious disappearance of a female employee, Lida Poe. This audiobook was a great one to listen to with my husband on our road trip. We both really enjoyed the story, and its exploration of race, class, and belonging.