BOOK REVIEW: Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00 by C. R. Hiatt.
Title: Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00
Author: C.R.Hiatt
Genre: YA - Action/Mystery
Date Published: April 31, 2012
Synopsis: Sydney Marie McSwain and her pal, Cody Beck, team up to take on a secret club called The Devil's Door where members are branded with the tattoo of a devil and call themselves The Privileged Ones.
Sydney Marie McSwain - a tomboy who yearned for a father.
Cody Beck - a wannabe filmmaker, wisenheimer and flirt.
Jaden White - the star who led the high school hockey team to two championships, and was now on the A-list for NHL scouts.
Sydney Marie McSwain loves her mom, Anna - a private investigator in the coastal city where they live - but they had a major issue between them. Anna refused to give Sydney the identity of her father. On the day of her high school graduation, they were battling it out, once again. An hour later, Sydney, Cody and Jaden were at the local café, and watched as Anna was gunned down, and it was broadcasted on live TV.
Faced with immediate responsibility, Sydney and Cody agreed to take over the agency, only they changed the name to McSwain & Beck. At the same time, Sydney convinced Sutter Beach Detective, Ace Carter, to help her track down her father.
Out of the blue, a model walked in and hired them to follow her step-brother. While Cody was busy editing a trailer to solicit new clients, Sydney settled into her lemon-yellow pickup to do surveillance, and wound up staking out a secret club called The Devil’s Door whose suspicious members wore the tattoo of a devil.
That same night, Sydney received a call from one of her mom’s former clients, only the client was gunned down at the location where they agreed to meet. The mysterious discovery of a DVD revealed the possibility that teenagers were being abducted, only nobody reported them missing.
On the hunt for the victims, McSwain & Beck were chased by men in ski masks, nearly gunned down by members of a cartel called the outlaws, Sydney’s precious pickup was broken into; then the step-brother they were hired to follow, was found dead and Sydney was the number one suspect.
If things weren’t bad enough already, they had to figure out how to crash a red-carpet Mardi Gras bash being held on a private cruise ship, before it sailed off into the sunset, where they just might meet the devil, himself.
Now, the clock was ticking…
And time was running out…
How was she ever going to find her father, now?
“Their lives were in the hands of two 18 year-olds…”
{ Review }
I was intrigued by the synopsis of Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00, but I still wasn't really sure what I was in for. To me it sounded like the main focus of the book was going to be 90210 meets Alex Rider with the main focus being on finding Syd's father, but my assumptions were all wrong.
I really liked the first half of this book. It was action packed and mysterious and I kept reading wanting more. So many things strange things were happening and I couldn't wait to find out what secrets these rich kids were hiding and how the different plot strands all linked up. This is a fast paced novel that is filled with suspense. There's action left, right and centre, and usually when you least expect it which makes this story all the more exciting.
I disliked the ending of Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00 because it was just too abrupt. I didn't really feel like the story had actually ended and whilst it ended on a cliffhanger, for some reason I just wasn't that desperate to find out more. There were some parts of the book that I found myself rolling my eyes at the naiivity of the protagonist, Syd, but I'll forgive her this because she had just lost her mother. Other than that, she was a fiery and relentless character whose clock never stopped ticking for the entire story.
My favourite character was Cody. He's your typical American high school hottie - homecoming and prom king, and yet he's best friends with Syd, a tomboy whose favourite outfit is a pair of ripped Levis. He's the type of guy who would stands up for what he believes in, even if that means going against the wishes of one's loved ones and I really admire characters like that. I only wish that he could've had a slightly bigger role in plot.
All in all, this is a brilliant book that will keep you curious the entire way through. There are lots of plot twists and turns and some of the most unexpected things become linked as the plot develops. The characters are likeable and you find yourself willing them on, desperate for them to prove that these 18 year olds aren't something to be messed with. Although this is a YA book, I don't see why adults who are fans of action and mystery shouldn't enjoy it to. There is nothing juvenile about the writing or the plot and it makes for an excellent novel.
{ Author Bio }
CR HIATT is a writer of screenplays and an
author of YA action-mystery novels. The daughter of a military veteran, CR grew
up in a small town where she became an All-American athlete. CR knew early on
that she wasn't cut out for the nine to five type of job - her tendency to day
dream about adventures often got in the way. But, being the daughter of a Navy
Veteran she also knew one had to do what was necessary to be secure, so she
disciplined herself to push those dreams aside and settled on working in the
entertainment legal field. When those dreams invaded her world once again, CR
finally gave in and set out to write her own adventures. What the heck, right.
If you can't live 'em, you might as well write about them. The McSwain &
Beck series are works of fiction, only based on real life events. Gone at Zero
Hundred 00:00 is the first in the series, and available now. Fireworks on the
4th will be released in late June, just before the 4th of July holiday season.
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading
Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author.
Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no
payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation
to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may
not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or
readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade
Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and
Testimonials in Advertising*
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