Series: Boy Nobody #1
Author: Allen Zadoff
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Release Date: June 11, 2013
Pages: 337
Source: Audiobook, Library
Summary from Goodreads:
They needed the perfect assassin.
Boy Nobody is the perennial new kid in school, the one few notice and nobody thinks much about. He shows up in a new high school in a new town under a new name, makes a few friends, and doesn't stay long. Just long enough for someone in his new friend's family to die-of "natural causes." Mission accomplished, Boy Nobody disappears, moving on to the next target.
But when he's assigned to the mayor of New York City, things change. The daughter is unlike anyone he has encountered before; the mayor reminds him of his father. And when memories and questions surface, his handlers at The Program are watching. Because somewhere deep inside, Boy Nobody is somebody: the kid he once was; the teen who wants normal things, like a real home and parents; a young man who wants out. And who just might want those things badly enough to sabotage The Program's mission.
In this action-packed series debut, author Allen Zadoff pens a page-turning thriller that is as thought-provoking as it is gripping, introducing an utterly original and unforgettable antihero.
They needed the perfect assassin.
Boy Nobody is the perennial new kid in school, the one few notice and nobody thinks much about. He shows up in a new high school in a new town under a new name, makes a few friends, and doesn't stay long. Just long enough for someone in his new friend's family to die-of "natural causes." Mission accomplished, Boy Nobody disappears, moving on to the next target.
But when he's assigned to the mayor of New York City, things change. The daughter is unlike anyone he has encountered before; the mayor reminds him of his father. And when memories and questions surface, his handlers at The Program are watching. Because somewhere deep inside, Boy Nobody is somebody: the kid he once was; the teen who wants normal things, like a real home and parents; a young man who wants out. And who just might want those things badly enough to sabotage The Program's mission.
In this action-packed series debut, author Allen Zadoff pens a page-turning thriller that is as thought-provoking as it is gripping, introducing an utterly original and unforgettable antihero.
Review
Boy Nobody has a somewhat predictable plotline – boy assassin gets too close to his new assignment and starts to question the motives of his higher-ups/deviate from the plan. But Boy Nobody still has its merits. I love assassin stories and so I found this one to be fun. And it excelled to me in the way Ben was so calculating. Ben is very intelligent and controlled, and in almost every situation, before he acted, he analyzed his options and each potential outcome for the best possible course of action. This was very assassin-like and is the kind of stuff I love so I was totally into it.
And the predictability did not extend to the ending. The ending was very surprising and very strong. I didn’t anticipate the plot twists (any of them) and I was blindsided by some of Ben’s actions (in a good way). Boy Nobody definitely ends on a good note which motivates me to read the next book.
The predictability isn't really even what bothered me, it was the dialogue throughout. I am not sure if I noticed it more easily because of the audiobook, but it was very juvenile and fed into popular high school stereotypes – geek, aggressive jock, dumb hot girl. And I couldn't help but feel a little insulted - like like the girls were done a disservice since they were made to seem dumb, easily influenced, clingy, etc. The author did not write a very convincible female character.
Moving on, I did like this book, but some small things kept me from really loving it. Yet, since I was so impressed by the ending and was entertained while listening, I have every intent to read/listen to the next book. I do recommend this one for readers looking for an assassin story with a strong male lead.
