Review: Highly Recommended for Young Adults!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 9, 2013
John Shiloh brought an amazing book to the table; No Ordinary Secret shows the importance of helping others locked into violence at a young age.  My thoughts were confirmed at the end of the book with helpful resources for those looking to help others or themselves.  I had read Shiloh's other book Longevity Secrets Revealed and I was truly impressed by the writer and the words used to make you feel as if you are in the story.  No Ordinary Secret did not let me down in that department either; it was also well written and well described.  The story takes place in Arizona with three girls: Emma, Sophie, Vicki and their good looking gay friend Eddie who all get tangled in a very large crime one night. And it's all about revenge.  Vicki finds her sister had been raped by a teenage boy and literally wants to kill him. With reason to be angry and hurt, Vicki wants to protect her sister by doling out justice for her.  Where many times this happens with young adults, someone doing something horrid and the other person getting back at them...it only leads to more heartache and mistakes.  This happens with Vicki as she chases down the rapist in the dark, with Eddie following behind.  When everything is said and done, the boy murdered is not who raped Vicki's sister.  As crazy as this scenario sounds, things like this this has happened with young adults before, and it's happening today.  I love how this book is not only an intriguing and riveting story, but it has the underlining message that we all need.  After the incident, the group comes together to find out what to do with the evidence, and end up burning the get-away car themselves in the desert.  It really does keep you interested with how the young adults handle this situation on account of it seeming so rash.  But violence is like that, rash. And in a way, we see Vicki's motives in the story, we see that the rapist should be punished, but by the law and not by the girl.I suggest this to anyone really as a good short read, but I also suggest this to anyone that has experienced violence at school, home, or anywhere else in their lives.  I actually just discovered that this was the 2nd book in the series, so I will be going back to read the first, and waiting excitedly for the next to be published!  Comparably, if you liked movies like the Goonies, The Usual Suspects or the new TV series American Horror Story...I think you will enjoy this book as well as it seems to have similar themes.  I am very happy I came across this book and author.  Thanks for a great read!