Jimmy Coates: Killer

Our next review is the 1st in the ‘Jimmy Coates’ series written by Joe Craig.  Rather excitingly in advance of our review we interviewed Joe and you can read what he had to say here.  Joe gives us a great insight into where he got his ideas for the book, introduces us to one of his other passions music and gives us an in depth analysis of what makes the perfect sandwich!

Jimmy Coates:Killer;  Harper Collins Children’s Books; 2007

Book summary (taken from Amazon uk): An eleven-year-old boy discovers he has strange powers, and a future that holds mystery, adventure — and death! Bending his knees, Jimmy let go of the windowsill and slowly tipped backwards. Surely this is impossible, he thought, even as he could feel himself doing it. He pushed out with his legs and the thrust sent him flying backwards into the air! Then his fingers locked on to the cold wire of the fence, poised in a perfect handstand on the top. Who are the mysterious men chasing Jimmy across the city? Why are they after him? What are Jimmy’s parents keeping from him and who can he trust? And how come he can suddenly do all this really cool stuff!? Find out in this electrifying debut novel from Joe Craig.

Literature for Lads review:
Lets get straight to the point here – this is a cracking read! Full of action, adventure, intrigue and the odd dash of humour, Joe Craig has written a novel that will have you hooked from the very 1st chapter.

The central character in the book is of course, Jimmy Coates, who we discover almost immediately is not who he thinks he is. As he sets out to find the reasons why mysterious men are chasing him across the city of London we are treated to numerous high octane, full on action scenes, including a mesmerising helicopter chase down the Thames.

With the relentless pace and inventive plot twists you will be totally gripped by this novel. One of the tag lines on the front of the book is that it is ‘100% compulsive’- it’s a pretty apt description!

However it’s not just the adrenalin rushing action that makes this book such a good read.  From the very 1st chapter there is an element of mystery to the whole story and Joe Craig continues to keep us guessing as the story progresses.  Just when we think we are fully beginning to understand the strange world that Jimmy inhabits we are once again left feeling perplexed as the next part of the mystery is revealed.

The setting of the book in a UK not so different from the one we live in today also adds depth to the story.  Playing out beneath the story of Jimmy and his own adventures is the tale of an Orwellian style Government and how they are shaping society for their own means. It’s a great introduction for younger readers to the whole concept of the ‘Big Brother’ society.

The Jimmy Coates series is a brilliant concept and this 1st book sees Jimmy and the other chracters explode onto the pages with a bang.  By the time you turn the last page of this book I’m pretty sure you will be working out how to get hold of the next in the series.

Marks out of 10: 9

In this video Joe Craig walks through the route that Jimmy Coates takes from Finchley Central station when he’s shadowing Christopher Viggo in the book Jimmy Coates: Killer. (contains spoilers)

There is also loads more Jimmy Coates information at the official Jimmy Coates website