The Big Splash

The Big Splash
by Jack Ferraiolo

The treacherous, hormone-soaked hallways of Franklin Middle School are the setting for this sharp, funny noir novel about tough guys and even tougher girls. "The Frank" is in the clutches of a crime syndicate run by seventh-grader Vinny "Mr. Biggs" Biggio, who deals in forged hall passes and blackmarket candy. Double-cross him and your number is punched by one of his deadly water gun-toting assassins. One hit in the pants and you are in "the Outs" forever. Matt Stevens is a proud loner with his own code of justice. He's avoided being pulled into Vinny's organization until now: Mr. Biggs has offered him a job he can't resist, even if it means bringing down one of his oldest friends. (description taken from Amazon.com)

What a fun, sharp mystery! It is..."The Sopranos" meets middle school. I loved it.

This book reads like a noir movie...a private eye, the mob guy, the assassins, the femme fatales...ahhh...so good. There's a gritty realism here amongst the laugh out loud setting.
Matt is very much the hard-boiled detective, taking on "routine" cases...until the school's top assassin gets taken out. Now, hired by several sources, each for their own distinct reasons, this private eye must crack the case...and without getting "whacked!"

With competing leading ladies, an ex-best friend now turned mobster, and half the school out to get him, figuring out who done it might be a little harder than Matt expected. An excellent read.