The Edge

Sliding between the razor-edged rocks, a double row of jagged teeth drooling diamond ice, then on down a gully-gullet so narrow and sheer there could be no mistake.

In this snowboarding drama, moodily insecure teen Declan, who longs for acceptance, gets caught up in gang crime. Sent by a liberal social worker on a rehabilitation programme to the mountains, the reluctant hero must confront Big Foot, his wise old guide, the mountain and ... himself. Written in short, episodic bursts awash with snarling dialogue intercut with bathos, this pacily energetic first novel is highly readable despite (or perhaps because of) its cliches. It will certainly entice the reluctant boy readers at whom it is targeted.