J. B. Petty, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
Jason Dorrant is a shy twelve-year-old who relates poorly with his peers, especially his neighbor, Brad Bartlett. Jason, however, feels comfortable with seven-year-old Alicia Bartlett and often watches as she plays with her dolls. On the day that Alicia is found murdered, Jason is the last known person to see her alive and soon becomes a major suspect in the murder. Wanting to find the killer quickly, the local authorities bring in Trent, a noted investigator. Trent relentlessly interrogates Jason and, although he knows that Jason is innocent, he nevertheless is able to evoke a confession from him. Alicia's older brother, Brad, finally confesses to the murder, leaving Jason free but radically changed, mentally and emotionally. Jason begins to consider whether or not he might be capable of such a crime. The reader is captivated by the intensity of this last book from Cormier and is left with many questions. Why did Brad kill his sister? How could anyone convince Jason that he was capable of such an act? How can an investigator become so cruel and heartless when dealing with a teen? These unanswered questions will haunt the reader and become the basis for much discussion. 2001, Delacorte, $15.95. Ages 12 to 18.

CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2002)
Since 12-year-old Jason was the last person to see his seven-year-old neighbor alive, he quickly becomes the suspect in the murder that has rocked the small Vermont town where he lives. But Jason seems to be completely innocent, not only of the girl's murder but also of the underhanded tactics used by Trent, an expert interrogator who's been brought into the case to get a confession out of the boy. Readers will be kept on the edge of their seats by the riveting story, told in the opposing points of view of both Trent and Jason, and will likely change their minds about Jason's innocence at least two or three times in the course of their reading. CCBC categories: Fiction for Young Adults. 2001, Delacorte Press, 154 pages, $15.95. Ages 12-16.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2001 (Vol. 69, No. 19))
The late Cormier's final work is a tense thriller exploring how confession affects those who give it and those who get it. Sometimes it's not good for the soul, as in this recounting of an innocent boy's earnest intent to assist in an investigation that has decided he is the culprit and must be coerced to confess. Pared-down characters are matched by straightforward prose in this spare account. Drawing on the Catholic doctrine stating that absolution follows admission of guilt, Cormier inverts the paradigm and shows the effects of confessing when there is no real wrong done. Part one is detective Trent's extraction of a chilling admission to multiple murders by Carl who seems to have aimlessly slid into doing horrible deeds. In part two readers meet Jason, who slid by in the seventh grade, almost unnoticed, and arrives at the first day of summer vacation looking forward to an easy time. Lacking confidence in himself, he spends time with neighbors more focused on seven-year-old Alicia than the boys his own age whooping it up in the pool. Along the way are glimpses of the detectives and local politicians whose intent is to catch the killer, as quickly as possible for the sake of their own reputations as much as the security of the community. Tension builds as Jason's earnest desire to see the culprit caught and his internal monologue about the completeness and veracity of his memories counterpoint the clever techniques used. Trent is the priest who not only hears the confession, but extracts it. By the end, the evil has spread like a miasma to cause further death. Highly discussible, the ethical questions contained are intricate and absorbing, but detract not at all from the increasing tension as the story unfolds. Chilling. 2001, Delacorte, $15.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 13 up. Starred Review. © 2001 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Paula Rohrlick (KLIATT Review, November 2001 (Vol. 35, No. 6))
Cormier, author of the YA classics The Chocolate War, I Am the Cheese, and many other novels, completed this final story before his death last November. It concerns a 12-year-old named Jason, who is accused of the murder of seven-year-old Alice. Jason is a shy boy, more comfortable with younger children than with his peers. He was friendly with Alice--and he was the last person to have seen her before she disappeared. That makes Jason the prime suspect in the case, and an experienced (if severely depressed) policeman named Trent, an expert in eliciting confessions, is called in to interview him. Most of the book consists of this interview, and Trent succeeds in getting Jason to confess to the crime--even though, right at the end, it is revealed that he is innocent. Trent is left even more of a hollow man than before, abandoned in Yeats' "foul rag-and-bone shop of the heart." And Jason, traumatized by the experience of being pushed into a false confession, ponders, "But if you said you did it, maybe you could do it, maybe you could do something like that." Cormier hints strongly at the tragic consequences. The dual perspectives of Trent and Jason help readers understand how Jason is manipulated. Like other Cormier books, this deals with violence, with trust betrayed, with psychological intimidation. This grim but absorbing read would make for interesting discussions. KLIATT Codes: J--Recommended for junior high school students. 2001, Random House/Delacorte, 156p., $15.95. Ages 13 to 15.

M. Jerry Weiss (Parents Guide, Fall 2001 (Vol. 4, No. 1))
Cormier's most recent book continues to show his talent as a master storyteller. Middle schooler Jason is accused of murdering his friend, seven-year old Alicia. He saw her the afternoon of her death. Pressure is on the police to find the killer, and Jason seems to be that criminal. To make sure, the police invite master interrogator Trent to come and apply his skills in questioning Jason and getting from him a confession. This interrogation process is the mainstay of the book, and it is filled with interesting strategies, which Trent applies in his efforts to get Jason to confess. There are clever twists and turns that work to the reader's pleasure in the fast-moving, somewhat dark story. 2001, Delacorte, $15.95. Ages 12 to 16.

Kate McDowell (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, December 2001 (Vol. 55, No. 4))
Twelve-year-old Jason is accused of murdering his seven-year-old neighbor, Alicia. Anxious to put the case to rest, the police call in an investigator, Trent, who is developing an almost miraculous reputation for extracting confessions from the suspects he questions. Although Jason is evidently innocent, Trent presses on, confusing Jason with veiled accusations and careful manipulation of Jason’s vision of himself. Finally Jason does confess, but at the same time Alicia’s brother is implicated by two of his friends and placed under arrest. Trent emerges from the interrogation room to discover that he has extracted a useless confession and ruined his reputation as an investigator. Cormier uses deft dialogue and alternating perspectives to create tense and twisted scenes between the two characters, as Jason fights a losing battle to maintain his identity and innocence. The pacing is riveting, and the chapters that cover the interrogation raise intense ethical questions about power, fairness, and truth. Unfortunately, the ending, in which Jason decides he must really be a killer after all and sets out to attack a bully with a butcher knife, is disconcertingly abrupt, and it fails to connect with the tautly wound psychological drama of the rest of the book. Nevertheless, readers who have long enjoyed Cormier’s trademark twists will want to check out this last volume of the late author’s work. (Reviewed from galleys) Review Code: Ad -- Additional book of acceptable quality for collections needing more material in the area. (c) Copyright 2001, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2001, Delacorte, 160p, $15.95. Grades 7-12.

Stephen Fraser (The Five Owls, (Vol. 16, No's. 2-4))
Robert Cormier was truly one of the strongest voices in young adult writing, ever since the publication of his landmark 1974 novel, The Chocolate War. Here is the last book he wrote, with a short introduction written by his widow. The Rag and Bone Shop, its title taken from an old poem, is more accurately an adult novella, although the story centers on an adolescent who has inadvertently become the focus of a murder investigation in a small New England town. The sensibility of this novel is adult and, in fact, the story begins with a glimpse at a very tired adult just completing work on his previous case, analyzing his own lack of satisfaction. All he feels is a headache. He is a widower, missing the presence of his wife when he returns home. This protagonist is the crime investigator, simply called Trent, who lives in Vermont and has gained somewhat of a reputation as an expert in questioning witnesses and suspects. When seven-year-old Alicia Bartlett is found murdered in the Massachusetts town called Monument, Trent is called upon to conduct the questioning. The central, compelling scene of the novel reads like an extended movie scene, where the camera focuses on two characters reacting to one another. Twelve-year-old Jason Dorrant, the last person to see his neighbor Alicia alive, is questioned in a sophisticated yet outwardly innocent manner by the detective. At first, Trent asks simple questions of the boy and watches his reactions in body language and vocal inflection. As the scene continues, we notice that the questioning becomes more vehement and directional; even though we know, from the earlier scenes, that Jason is innocent, we see that the detective is becoming more determined to prove Jason guilty, almost as a kind of sport. Jason becomes increasingly uncomfortable and confused. At the end, Trent elicits a confession from Jason that he is guilty, even though he is not. Clearly, the stress of the situation has driven the boy to make a statement to satisfy the interrogator. Word comes that the actual murderer has confessed and been booked. In a final tableau, we send a sadly psyched-out Jason, the poor victim of Trent's manipulative sessions, with a knife in his hands, ready to commit the very crime he has been falsely accused of. This is a compelling, tragic story. I do not think this is a children's book, although fans of Cormier will undoubtedly want to read it. However, The Rag and Bone Shop contains the same taut, fluid writing we have come to expect of Robert Cormier; it is a very strong piece of writing with cinematic potential as a brilliant character study. 2001, Delacorte Press, 144 pages, $15.95. Ages 12 up.

Monica Irwin (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 14, No. 4))
What would it be like to be a twelve-year-old boy accused of a horrific crime? A seven-year-old girl has been brutally murdered. Everyone in the town wants justice. They must find the person who did this. An expert interrogator has been asked to come in on the case. He will begin by talking to the last person to have seen the little girl alive. That witness is Jason Dorrant. Jason is a friend of the little murdered girl's brother. Or at least, he claims to be. However, it turns out that Alicia's brother has never really been nice to Jason. Jason doesn't really get along with youngsters his own age. He prefers younger ones and Alicia in particular. When the interrogation begins, all is calm. Jason is trying to help. But he gets confused, and the interrogator, a man named Trent, begins to push Jason toward something. Did Jason do this horrible thing? Did he kill her? Readers will not know how this book will end until it ends. Cormier has once again written a story filled with complexity and emotion. The human heart and psyche will be examined under a microscope--all within 154 pages. This is an excellent book that will be quite popular with the deep thinkers, the readers who like a mystery, and with those who want to be surprised. This will most likely be Cormier's last work to be published since he recently died, and high school libraries everywhere should find room on their shelves for this one. Fiction, Highly Recommended. Grades 8 and up. 2001, Delacorte, 154p, $15.95. Ages 13 up.

Florence H. Munat (VOYA, October 2001 (Vol. 24, No. 4))
In his last novel, again set in fictional Monument, Massachusetts, Cormier relates the simple but shocking story of a boy wrongly accused of murder. Twelve-year-old Jason Dorrant was the last person to see seven-year-old Alicia Bartlett alive, so naturally he is called to police headquarters for questioning about the girl's murder. He arrives eager to help but nervous and self-doubting--the same characteristics he displays at school and with his peers. The police and district attorney are under great pressure from the media and an influential senator, whose grandson was Alicia's classmate, to make an arrest. So they bring in a ringer, Trent--a crack interrogator who always gets his confession. Most of the narrative describes his interrogation, held in a hot, windowless, cramped office in which Jason is broken down methodically by Trent. A twist at the end provides the story's true horror in familiar Cormier fashion. Constance Cormier's personal remembrance of her husband is printed at the book's beginning. In it, she states that he died before he was able to tinker with this manuscript, as was his habit. It shows, but not much. The dialogue is razor-sharp; Jason's thought process credibly demonstrates how and why he succumbs to the relentless interrogation; and the depth of Trent's character is revealed in flashbacks to other interrogations, his wife's death, and his self-loathing. This final offering by a beloved author is entertaining and provocative--the hallmark of a Cormier novel. Bravo again, and farewell to the master. VOYA CODES: 4Q 5P J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2001, Delacorte, 154p, $15.95. Ages 12 to 18.