Acceleration

Acceleration starts with a great premise: a teenager takes a summer job at the transit authority lost and found department in Toronto. While working in the "stacks," he finds a lost diary. As he reads it, he realizes that it is the rantings of what is probably a serial killer. If this story had remained focused on the mystery of finding the serial killer, it could have been a really good story, but it gets mired in the personal life of the main character. Most of the story deals with Duncan and his relationship with his friends and family, which changed dramatically after an unsuccessful attempt to save a drowning girl in a pool during a previous summer. Now he sees his attempt to find the serial killer as an attempt at redemption. The show more book moves very slowly after the initial problem is introduced and doesn't really pick up again until near the end of the book. The ending is as unsatisfying as most of the rest of the story. To say the least, a very disappointing book. show less

Acceleration is the short tale of Duncan, who lives in a low rent apartment block in Toronto called "The Jungle" and has secured, for the long hot summer, a job rooting through the lost and found objects of the Toronto transit authority. Among the assorted and unexpected detritus left behind on subways and city buses, Duncan uncovers the diary of a man who Duncan supposes is a serial killer, or at least about to become one.

Faced with police that don't seem to care and a desire to atone for the last time he failed to be a hero, Duncan feels a responsibility to seek out the author of the morbid book. As the summer wears on, Duncan and his friend Vinny embark on an ill-advised quest to find the near-felon that has haunted Duncan's thoughts show more ever since he laid eyes on the book. In the end, of course, Duncan gets much more than he bargained for when he decided to take the law into his own hands.

The first thought I had upon finishing Acceleration is that, in a world where a lot of YA seems to cater to a female audience, Acceleration is definitely a book that would hold a strong appeal for boys. It's a short, quick-reading mystery populated with well-written and believable male characters out to prove their worth in a world that doesn't promise much to them. For me, it required a bit more suspension of disbelief than I had to offer, but for its target audience, there is more than enough realism to satisfy.

Acceleration is also a great book for all the Criminal Minds fans out there. McNamee, it seems, wrote an interesting mystery about profiling serial killers before profiling serial killers became big entertainment. Along with offering a fast-moving story, McNamee introduces the basics of criminal profiling in a way that is instructive without being boring. While Acceleration probably won't be in the running for my favorite book of the year, Duncan's world, for one summer at least, is vivid and dangerous and makes for quick, enjoyable reading that is still highly recommendable. show less

More character development than I'd expect from a YA thriller! The main characters all felt realistic, and I liked that their reasons for not just going to the cops felt like they made sense. Given the genre, I wasn't sure if the diary and the "killer" would end up being real or not (YA tends to hover between sending teens after a real killer, and sending the message that "teens shouldn't do anything dangerous".) I wasn't sure which side of the line this would fall on. An enjoyable read with some really nice tense moments.

Reviewed by Aaron (Class of 2012)
In the hot summer of Toronto, Duncan sits at his dead end job in the subway transit lost and found division. The author of this book, Graham McNamee has also written, Hate You, Nothing Wrong With A Three Legged Dog, and Sparks. In Acceleration, he finds a journal full of plans from a serial killer, who calls ‘Roach’ who plans on raping and killing three women. Duncan decides to try and track ‘Roach’ down by using his own journal against him. What would you do if you had found this freak’s journal? I liked how intense and captivating this book was. It was hard to put down at times. I rate it 5/5. Acceleration one of the first books that I have had to read for school and actually enjoyed. This is show more a great read, and has you asking questions that you never know the answers to until the very end. show less

Excellent book about a boy called Duncan who works at the lost and found department of an underground railway system. One day he stumbles across a notebook with hand written entries and curious, he starts reading...and finds himself plunged into the mind of a psychopath. He can't stop reading and he wonders if he should tell the "authorities" about what this man has done and plans to do. And then one day, a man comes looking at Lost and Found for a brown notebook he left on the train.. Seriously creepy novel with Duncan's minor problems in life contrasting brilliantly against the rantings of the notebook owner. Full of suspense and intrigue. Highly recommended.

I am quite disappointed with this book. It was anticlimactic and failed to give justice to a premise that would’ve made for a really terrific, suspenseful read.The only positive thing about this book is that it’s a fast-paced and quick read—which is also the main reason for my not enjoying it. The execution is severely lacking and left much to be desired.

There are a lot of plot points and progression that could’ve been elaborated on for the readers to establish a bond with the characters, empathize and relate to them, just to get to know them a bit more, especially the complicated relationships they have—from Duncan’s somewhat awkward way of getting along with his mother; to his longing for his ex-girlfriend that he show more obviously still has feelings for; and even his bond with his eccentric best friend who he sometimes does petty theft with.

Everything about the plot has just been rushed. The characters’ personalities—even the Duncan’s, the main character—are glossed over, and there is hardly any proper build-up for the subplots. It was a decent read, but it could’ve been more. show less

Acceleration is a surprisingly entertaining and fast-paced teen thriller, set in Toronto. The majority of the story plays out on the property of the Toronto Transit Commission, which makes the story that much closer to home for someone like me, who has been a TTC rider for over two decades. Although a quick read, the content was notably substantive and lacked any plot holes. The character development for such a short novel was highly detailed, and I was impressed by McNamee’s insight into the mind of a deranged psychopath. Due to violent content, although not outlandish, I wouldn’t suggest this novel be read by anyone under 13. It wouldn’t hurt to read the story with your teen so that you can give the “Don’t try this at home show more message,” and besides that, you’ll probably enjoy it.

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