Review: Super YA Suspense
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 25, 2013
A savvy literary agent once said to make the central character a few years older than the desired reading audience. In The Phoenix Reich, college student Max Meyers is the central character, with a "voice" that should resonate across the YA spectrum, including middle grade readers who are up for a longer read. Parents looking to entice boys into reading more books should check it out as bad language is kept to a minimum and Max--while remarkably fearless and ready to rise to any occasion--has some moments of worthwhile reflection. The Phoenix Reich is a Hardy-Boys-Meets-Indiana-Jones novel that will likely have a long run as a YA favorite.An unlikely trio of Max, a Lutheran minister, and an Australian soldier of fortune set off to disprove that Max's politician father did not murder his wife and daughter then commit suicide, only to have the house with three bodies accidentally burn down immediately thereafter, as claimed by the FBI. The family's fire-proof stronghold yields a clue and the hunt is on, taking them to the UK and Germany. Lisec sets a fast pace, with big plot drama and/or an action sequence every five pages or so. A little suspension of disbelief is needed--which YA readers might not care about--when the Aussie pilots a single engine prop plane across the Atlantic and lands at London's Heatherow with a briefcase full of weaponry, or when Max suddenly is adept at piloting a plane based on video game skills or coolly checks a weapon for how many rounds are left in the magazine although he's never had any weapons training. But this is an action novel and you miss half the fun of The Phoenix Reich if you get fussy about all the details having to be exactly realistic.Lisec does a great job of defining characters; each of the trio is consistent and interesting. The Australian soldier of fortune sports a steel boomerang and frock coat; I voted him most likely to transfer well to any future comic version of the book. Good characterizations include the secondary characters. The Nazi bad guys, and their unexpected cohorts, are delightfully deluded. Strong atmospherics help, as well. Without giving away any spoilers, let's just say that there is a scene in an old church where Max makes an unpleasant discovery, but in the process puts his foot through a wooden panel depicting Hitler as a religious figure. Great imagery for a great plot line. Lisec did his history homework for the book, working in WWII details, plus offering the reader a sprinkling of German words and phrases that help define speakers and give a good sense of location when the action moves to Germany.Christian themes run through the book but don't come across like preaching or an obvious agenda. The result is like a Pat Green song; you can dig deeper for the meaning or just enjoy the tune.My one moment of pause with this book is that the point of view changes with whichever character is speaking, rather than maintaining one consistent point of view per section or chapter. This diluted Max's voice, which I saw as central, and made the book longer than it needed to be.