Crusher (review)

Life has been on the grim side for Finn Maguire, a seventeen-year-old dropout clinging to his fast-food job and living in London with his washed-up-actor dad. Then he comes home to find his dad's head bashed in, and the detective in charge clearly considers Finn the police's best suspect. Determined to clear his name, Finn investigates, armed with a background as a boxer, a generous helping of wily smarts, and an even more generous helping of foolhardiness. He plunges into the amoral and savage world of the Guvnor, a London crime boss with connections in all social strata, while trying to figure out which of his father's secrets would have caused someone in the Guvnor's organization to kill him. This has classic noir elements ranging from a long sequence of twists and double crosses, through a full suit of wild cards, to a plethora of punch-ups and a steadily rising body count. Leonard excels at a grim intensity leavened by occasional humanity (Finn's dad's drinking buddies really adored their old friend, and Finn finds release—for a while—in bedding Zoe, who isn't as tough as she initially seems), and the unlikelier plot turns fit the sensibility well enough that their logical strain doesn't really matter. It's unusual for a YA take on this genre to retain so many of its hard-edged elements, but this one does so with success and even flair, making Finn a melancholy and blood-spattered hero worth watching.