Don't Tell

Teenager Simon Wells lives in a care home. He found his mother stabbed to death when he was seven. His father was convicted of murder and sent to prison, but has always claimed his innocence. Simon is traumatised. He has nightmares, violent outbursts and acts out bizarre ‘playing dead’ routines. At school he befriends classmate Kirsty, and opens up to her about his problems. Together they go in search of the truth, but strange accidents start happening and Simon’s life is put in danger.

This murder mystery certainly packs a few punches. The book introduces some tough social issues including life in a care home, teenage angst and peer-group bullying. If that’s not enough to deal with, Simon discovers that his murdered mother was a drug-taking prostitute, his uncle is a psychopathic murderer and his father has been wrongly imprisoned. Glover has set herself a difficult task trying to tackle so much in a short teenage novel. Although the book fails to explore the issues in depth, it does provide a fast-paced and exciting read for a teenage audience, but I would not recommend it for younger children in the 10-14 age range.