Review Detail

Mojo by Tim Tharp is an amazing story. I loved it. I have to admit though that before I began it I wasn’t all that intrigued, I thought it would be one of those mysteries where you could guess the ending, but with Mojo you couldn’t.

Tim jumps right into the plot. He writes very detailed descriptions but not with ones you don’t care about. They are the ones that ultimately lead to the outcome or ones that make it so we can feel sympathy or animosity towards the separate characters.

He also, right from the beginning explains where the title came from. Dylan is tired of being called “Body Bag” and tells Audrey that he needs mojo or power and then he will get the respect he deserves. Then he comes up with a plan to get mojo with Audrey’s help.

The whole novel is weaved together with care. Shocking discoveries are made at the right moments. Even Dylan gets shocked by the outcomes of his search. We, along with Dylan are mislead as to who the culprit is. His search leads him to many rash conclusions and decisions. Along the way he learns that he is not only solving one mystery but two and that they are interconnected. We are lead to believe that innocent people are guilty of heinous crimes and the wrong people are perceived to be the good ones. This is what leads to the shocking conclusion.

His characters are complex and believable. They are people that I know. Randy and Dylan set the whole story into motion. Randy is a smart mouthed person. He’s not afraid of anyone or anything and that gets them into trouble with two big guys and when they run away from them. Dylan jumps into a dumpster and finds a dead body. Dylan is the opposite of Randy, he cares what people think and doesn’t like to get into trouble. He is a calculating character who chooses his words carefully. This burger loving, crime show watching character doesn’t like to be put in danger.

Audrey, Dylan’s best friend is sweet and loving.. She doesn’t care what people think and she sticks up for the people she cares about and for what she believes in.

Then there are the Hollisterites, the rich kids that Dylan befriends. Ashton went to school with them and Dylan thinks that they my be able to help him solve the mystery. Nash and Brett are nice to Dylan at first but we quickly learn that they aren’t as nice as they’d want you ti believe. They think that anybody that they believe to be beneath them, they can control. Rowan who is one of the main suspects seems flamboyant and idiosyncratic but he’s really just trying to keep up appearences.

Then there’s Trix, Audrey’s newfound lve and although she attends Hollister, shes nothing like the reat of the kids that og there. She’s the one that remains loyal and honest to Dylan and she even helps in his investigation. Shes an intelligent girl, only there for those that she cares for.

Tres and Ashton are siblings. We know right away that Tres is up to something. Ashton is missing and he doesn’t seem to care enough. We are lead to believe that Ashton is a person who went from being stuck up to sweet when she really didn’t. these two characters perform some evil actions that I wont go into because it would give away the whole story.

The dialouge is realistic and each character has their own unique voice. They speak and act like real teenagers that live in the conditions that they placed in.

I think that one of the major themes is friendship and trust. Also theres bulling involved and a persons true personality.

If I were to put Mojo on a scale of 1 t 10 it would be a nine, 10 is reserved for my very favorite books and Mojo would have to be my favorite mystery book and pretty close to the rest. I recommend this book for all those ya mystery fans and even for those that like ya in general and are willing to go out of their comfort zones because I don’t generally like mysteries too much but I did this one.