Reality Check by Peter Abrahams: A Review

Cody Laredo (perhaps the worst name in recent fiction) is a great protagonist.  A kid from the wrong side of the tracks, Cody has made good through his talent as an athlete, particularly a football player.  He is dating Clea, the richest girl in town and is truly in love.  Although his grades aren't stellar, they're good enough to keep him playing, and major universities are starting to look at him as a realistic prospect.

Things are pretty great for Cody until everything falls apart.  Clea's father ships her off to live with a relative for the summer, then off to an Eastern boarding school in the fall.  Cody blows his knee in a football game and eventually drops out of school.  He manages to find a job, but he basically considers his life to be over.

The he finds out that Clea is missing from her exclusive boarding school. He immediately loads up his car and goes to find her.  He encounters a mystery that keeps him and the reader guessing until the very end.  Nothing is as it seems, and it is difficult to determine who to trust.

Cody is a likable and believable protagonist.  The plot is riveting until the end, when the reader figures out things a bit before Cody does.  The events taking place, however, or so exciting, you will keep on reading until the end.  The resolution is a bit weak, but otherwise, this is a standout young adult novel.