Review Detail

Reader reviewed by linda

The Body of Christopher Creed is about a murder that tore a town, a family, and a high school apart. Christopher was that geeky guy we all know, the one who doesnt seem to fit in and says the weirdest things at the wrong time. Who knew that Christopher had secrets, deep emotions, and friends who would go to great lengths to solve his disappearance? These friends are Torey Adams, Bo Richardson, and Bos girlfriend Ali. Torey Adams narrates the story from his point of view of living in Steepleton; he is a football star, has a popular girlfriend, friends, a nice car, and a good family. Chris was basically the opposite of that: unpopular, uncoordinated, and he had a mother who never let him have any social life. She kept him locked in his room, safe from the "bad" things, such as cliques, drugs, and alcohol.
In a small, close-knit town, Bo, the outsider boon is immediately suspected. At first Ali and Torey are just trying to clear Bos name but in the end Torey is on a life-long quest to understand Chris and his disappearance. They try to steal his diary but end up incriminating themselves and Torey begins to find himself distanced from his other friends by his growing understanding of the importance of compassion toward those who are different. No one is quite sure whether Chris is a runaway, a suicide, or a murder victim, but fingers start pointing at everyone except who they should really be pointing to: themselves. Everyone in the town had something to do with it, each placing a straw on the camels back, but one day the back broke and no one stepped up to acknowledge the slightest bit of guilt.

I loved this book and the many techniques Carol Plum-Ucci used in creating such a wonderful story. I liked how she built up her characters so that they were believable and she had me cheering for them in the end. I also think the way she put a story within a story was creative. She was able to masterfully heighten the suspense, though the book dragged a little in the beginning. It totally made up for it in the end when Torey was in the Indian Burial grounds searching for Christopher Creeds body. I really like the fact that she ended the book openly, so that you believe whatever you want to believe, not something she tells you. The ending was brilliant, especially the replies to the website Torey put up about Chris disappearance. They showed different perspectives and made me think about the book even more; if you have read the book youll know which reply I liked best.