Book Review: Keegan's Point by HD Smith

Keegan's Point, by HD Smith
2015, 140p, Middle-grade Mystery/Adventure
My Rating=4 Stars
Source: Received a copy from NetGalley for an honest review



Yesterday 12-year-old Charlie Parker would have given almost anything to see Keegan’s Point, the island estate built by the reclusive billionaire Marcus Keegan. Keegan died the same year Charlie was born. His body and twenty passports were the only things removed from the island—leaving a mystery and the unanswered question, who was Marcus Keegan?

But that was yesterday. Charlie’s biggest problem this morning was his presentation in fourth period. Since then he’s been beaten up by a bully, he’s lied to his mother, and he’s been kidnapped by three total strangers. And, as if the day couldn’t get any worse, no one even knows he’s missing.

Nick, one of the strangers, is one job away from finding the lost treasure he’s searched for his entire life. The plan is simple: go into Keegan’s mansion and follow the cryptic clues to the prize. There’s plenty of time, and his team is resourceful. He never expected that Charlie would overhear his plans or that he’d have to kidnap him to keep him quiet. Now there’s only one way forward, and that means risking everything. Soon, Nick realizes that Charlie’s involvement in his mission is the key to whether he’ll succeed or fail—because there’s much more at stake than a lost treasure.

From the author of the Devil’s Assistant books, Keegan’s Point is the start of a new adventure series where not all the bad guys are bad, where you just might find yourself rooting for both the bad guys and the good guys as they work together to survive.

Twelve-year-old Charlie is fascinated with Keegan's Point, a private island owned by a reclusive billionaire who has now died, and has done lots of research on it. While he's at the diner where his mother works, he overhears the conversation of a stranger which ends up getting him kidnapped. His mom thinks he's on a camping trip with friends and his friends will think his mom didn't let him go when he doesn't show up so nobody will miss him for a few days.  

Nick, the man who kidnapped him, has reason to believe there is a treasure in the house that will make him a rich man and he's not taking any chances. There are three other people he's in cahoots with and not all of them are glad to see that they're now saddled with Charlie for the weekend. Charlie is scared but also excited to go to the island and witness firsthand the secrets it contains.

This is a book I read with my children and we all enjoyed it! It moved quickly and held our interest the entire time. While on the island, Charlie learned the truth about Marcus Keegan--things that nobody else knew. Mr. Keegan's past was interesting to learn about. There was tension among the adults as one character in particular had a hidden agenda. We worried for Charlie's safety since he was threatened a few times. I didn't like that there were a few instances of swearing since it's a middle-grade book, but overall it was an interesting, fun read.

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HD Smith has been writing for over ten years. She is a software developer by day, working for an awesome cruise line in Celebration, FL.

HD grew up in South Carolina, but has called the Sunshine State home since 1997. She has Computer Science degrees from Clemson University (BS) and Florida Institute of Technology (MS). Her other hobbies include painting and screen printing. She enjoys creating t- shirts inspired by the places in her books. 

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