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Valentino Pier

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

It all begins when PI Gulliver Dowd is approached by Ellis Torres, a street kid, on Valentino Pier in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn.

Ellis has lost his dog, and after Gulliver helps to find the dog for him, they go their separate ways. So when Ellis is discovered beaten, unconscious and left for dead not far from the pier early the following morning, Gulliver is horrified—and suspicious. He sets out to find the attacker and learn why the boy was targeted. What Gulliver uncovers by way of bizarre clues—amidst threats of danger to himself and his loved ones—leads him on his most curious case yet. Undeniably, there is something amiss at Valentino Pier.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for older teen readers and adults who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read!

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  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 29, 2013
      At the start of Edgar-finalist Coleman’s cliché-ridden sequel to Dirty Work, New York City gumshoe Gulliver Dowd, acutely aware of his physical deformities, offers to help Ellis Torres, a 10-year-old street kid, find a missing dog, appropriately named Ugly. Gulliver easily masters that challenge, but things get more complicated when Ellis is beaten into a coma. Dowd resolves to find justice for the boy, and also hopes to recharge his nonexistent love life by hooking up with an attractive assistant at the veterinarian’s office where he had Ugly treated. The short sentences and dependent clauses rapidly become tiresome (“There was a knock at the door. Ugly didn’t like that. He stirred. Walked to the door. Growled a low, steady growl”). Characters respond to danger with inappropriate wisecracks that further diminish any sense of plausibility. And certain passages will have readers just scratching their heads in confusion. Agent: David Hale Smith, Inkwell Management.

    • Library Journal

      September 1, 2013

      Brooklyn PI Gulliver Dowd is a dwarf, but don't underestimate his detecting or martial arts abilities. Dowd helps Ellis, a local street kid, find his lost dog but is then startled to learn that the boy has been viciously attacked and is now hospitalized. After asking around the industrial area of Red Hook, Brooklyn, where Ellis makes his home, Dowd realizes the boy saw something illegal and the crooks want to silence him. It doesn't take long before Dowd is in danger, too. VERDICT Coleman, the award-winning author of the Moe Prager series, is a welcome addition to the talented stable of writers who have joined Orca's Rapid Reads line. Mixing accessible prose meant to draw in new and reluctant readers with an exciting plot, Coleman introduces a gutsy, street-savvy hero. More, please.

      Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:390
  • Text Difficulty:1

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