Fake ID by L. R. Giles (review)

Nick Pearson is just the latest alias for our narrator, a teen whose family languishes in WitSec (Witness Security) until his mob-connected father can testify against boss Kreso Maric, who has gone missing. Nick is understandably wary of cultivating friendships in his new high school, especially since his father regularly pulls some fresh scam that gets the family tossed out of each relocation, but this time around Nick finds some genuine companionship with Eli Cruz, the dedicated (and sole) staff member of the student newspaper. Nick is intrigued by Eli’s investigation into something referred to as Whispertown, a term that has come up in connection with Nick’s father, and he’s even more intrigued by Eli’s luscious sister Reya, who’s ready to pitch over her suffocatingly jealous boyfriend, Zach. The responsibility for uncovering the secret of Whispertown suddenly falls into Nick’s hands when Eli is found dead in the newspaper office, the apparent victim of a suicide that no rational friend or family member believes for a moment. Giles ups the ante of YA witness-protection tales with a chilling foray into a much broader conspiracy, teasing readers with plausible suspects and clever misdirections that play off the tropes of running-from-the-mob stories. Dialogue is razor sharp, and family dynamics within Nick’s stressed-out household are poignant and unsettling. Nick gets to the sorry bottom of the mystery, but the resolution hints at a troubling near future for both the emotionally exhausted young man and his latest hometown. Of course, some grace-saving sequel might come along to smooth away ambiguities, but teens who are willing to trade off a happy ending for a truthful one will be just as content to leave Nick right where Giles has steered him.