"Rose, a chemistry professor, makes the forensic science a gripping part of this entry in the new Traces series, set in a near-future world where Authorities raise kids in boarding school and everything is controlled by computer technology."1 The science aspect is definitely the driving force behind this series, more so than in the television based "CSI" series written by Max Allen Collins. That is not to say that the characters are not vibrant or compelling. Luke Harding is a recently graduated forensic investigator with a free-floating robot assistant named Malc, whom Luke considers to be his best friend, though the robot has no sense of humor and records and transmits information about their cases to the Authorities. Sometimes assisting him also is his cladestine musician girlfriend, Jade, whose "senior project" on spotlight sound helped Luke nab a budding serial killer.
Though the series is written for young adults, Rose doesn't mince on the science. The clues are there, but until you, like Luke, put it together, the mystery is winding. Sometimes it seems as though Rose is making a subtle commentary about govenrment control and how people have been willing to give up personal freedoms for what seems like safety. In this society, the Authorities take children from their parents, who then usually disappear from their children's lives, raise them in schools, where their academic learning and talent determines not only their future professions butalso ultimately determines who they will be "paired" with at the age of eighteen. Luke and Jade are themselves a pair that would not put together because Luke is a scientist and Jade a musician. Age is also a dtermining factor for the "Pairing Committee" who determine who gets paired.
This is a good series and fun to read. It is quick paced and anyone is fair game, even Luke and Malc don't always escape the wrath of the villain unscathed. The puzzles are as interesting as they are challenging and that makes book worth the reading. (Also at the bottom of the page is a flip motion image that travels across the page. Every time it's a little something related to the story.) Titles in this series include: Framed!, Lost Bullet, Roll Call, Double Check, and Final Lap (in that order). The next book in the series will be titled Blood Brother and be released in January 2008.
1 Hazel Rochman. http://www.amazon.com/Framed-Traces-Malcolm-Rose/dp/075345971X/ref=pd_sim_b_1_img/105-7838602-1362028. Accessed 21 July 2007.
Though the series is written for young adults, Rose doesn't mince on the science. The clues are there, but until you, like Luke, put it together, the mystery is winding. Sometimes it seems as though Rose is making a subtle commentary about govenrment control and how people have been willing to give up personal freedoms for what seems like safety. In this society, the Authorities take children from their parents, who then usually disappear from their children's lives, raise them in schools, where their academic learning and talent determines not only their future professions butalso ultimately determines who they will be "paired" with at the age of eighteen. Luke and Jade are themselves a pair that would not put together because Luke is a scientist and Jade a musician. Age is also a dtermining factor for the "Pairing Committee" who determine who gets paired.
This is a good series and fun to read. It is quick paced and anyone is fair game, even Luke and Malc don't always escape the wrath of the villain unscathed. The puzzles are as interesting as they are challenging and that makes book worth the reading. (Also at the bottom of the page is a flip motion image that travels across the page. Every time it's a little something related to the story.) Titles in this series include: Framed!, Lost Bullet, Roll Call, Double Check, and Final Lap (in that order). The next book in the series will be titled Blood Brother and be released in January 2008.
1 Hazel Rochman. http://www.amazon.com/Framed-Traces-Malcolm-Rose/dp/075345971X/ref=pd_sim_b_1_img/105-7838602-1362028. Accessed 21 July 2007.
