Palo Duro: a review

Palo Duro: A Thriller

written by Andrew J. Brandt

Young adult mystery

3.5-4/5

I picked this up at Barnes And Noble over Thanksgiving in Amarillo and I was PUMPED to get started! This story is situated in the very University I attended for four years, and the town I spent my early twenties “growing up” in. How exciting to be able to get cozy with a book and to literally picture the campus, the classrooms, and the beauty of the canyon and its surrounding areas! I was not disappointed by the landscape Andrew Brandt painted inside this book. I never really hiked in college and now I have a regret I didn’t even realize I had! I truly enjoyed the memories that would flood back while reading this. From the slight mentions of the maroon sweatshirts and mugs to the late-night snack Ricky stopped to get at a gas station (I could literally smell the inside of the Allsup's! lol), to the trailer park between Canyon and Palo Duro Canyon (I frequented this little “neighborhood” a few times while partying *wink*). Other places I recognized were San Angelo State, possum kingdom lake, Potter and Randall counties, the campus baseball field at WT, and Caprock Canyon. I did find myself wishing that the dormitories were mentioned by name and hoping that Cross Hall would be mentioned at least ONCE. #sigh. And I can't forget Doppler Dave (Dan in the book)! This made me giggle. Because if you don’t know who Doppler Dave is, then you did not grow up in the Texas Panhandle (90s kids anyways)!

This young adult mystery novel is a true mix of suspense, humor, wit, adventure, history, and a splash of romance. It is not quite a thriller as the title reads. I give it 3.5/5 stars, possibly 4. I could not understand some of the things that the characters did, such as when Dr. Errington TURNED AROUND to try to “stall” the rangers; when they were already driving the other direction. The other question: I still don’t know why the professor was even called in on a missing persons case. These small quirky parts did not take away from the story. I was hooked when Rachel quickly went missing and I had to figure out what happened! I'm big on small clues or foreshadowing, and I was leery of certain characters almost from the time they were introduced just from some small hints. Who doesn’t like a good #whodunit? The thing that makes this book great, is something that I won't reveal, as this puts the “magic” into the story. You will just have to read it for yourself to find out!