Latitude Zero by Diana Renn (review)

Tessa agrees to ride “bandit” (unregistered) at the cancer benefit cycling event to save what’s left of her relationship with Jake, but if she’s honest with herself, it’s really to get a glimpse of Juan Carlos, an Ecuadorean rider she’s crushing on. Just before the race, Juan Carlos meets her off the course, puts a heavy gold crucifix around her neck, and urgently says he needs to meet with her later. That never happens, though; Tessa causes a pile-up accident, Juan Carlos dies from his injuries, and the theft and recovery of one of his bicycles suggests that his death may not have been Tessa’s unintentional fault after all. The plot is riddled with coincidences and improbabilities, the most egregious of which are teen Tessa’s well-established career as host of a children’s cable TV show, and Jake’s bad boy reputation, which does little more than make his red herring role a bit stinkier. Moreover, Tessa’s somewhat tedious narration, through which she goes over each clue and hypothesis minutely and repetitively, is likely to feel condescending to mystery readers who enjoy puzzling things out on their own. Professional bicycle racing is a topic that gets relatively little literary love, so this still might draw in readers more intrigued by the cycling than the whodunit; however, those looking for a more effective balance of mystery and sports will do better with Walter Dean Myers’ Kick (BCCB 3/11).