Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick
by Joe Schreiber
Mystery
Realistic Fiction
Suspense
Thriller
* * * * Stars (Great!)
Perry Stormaire’s family has been hosting Gobija Zaksauskas – a Lithuanian foreign exchange student – for the past few months. Gobi is definitely not what Perry had hoped for (hot, experienced), although she does have an outrageous accent. But she’s not what she seems, either. Just before she’s supposed to go back to Lithuania, she expresses a desire to go to the prom, and Perry’s parents make him take her. That’s when she reveals that she’s really some kind of international spy/assassin and she’s on a mission to kill 5 targets. This, as you might imagine, comes as a total surprise to Perry, who becomes her unwitting (and unwilling) accomplice on her one-night killing spree. During their wild and crazy night, Perry learns who Gobi really is and what her mission of vengeance is all about.
Written as a series of college entrance essays, Perry’s story is both exciting and funny. Gobi is a cold-blooded killer, and a master of disguise, and she would probably have been better off without Perry’s “help,” which is more hindrance than anything else. However, her interference and influence allows Perry to break out of the straightjacket hold his father has on his dreams and aspirations and to finally choose what he wants for himself. Gritty and violent, like a James Bond flick, and with the same sly humor. Perry is no 007, but he brings his own sort of bumbling charm.
Reviewed by YA Librarian
