Dooley Takes the Fall (review)
Deborah Stevenson · Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books./Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books · 2008
Reviewed by: Dooley Takes the Fall Deborah Stevenson Mcclintock, Norah; Dooley Takes the Fall. Red Deer, 2008; 314p Paper ed. ISBN 978-0-88995-403-8 $12.95 R Gr. 9–12 Actually, it’s a boy named Mark Everson who takes the initial fall, plummeting over a bridge to his death in a ravine; Dooley (as Ryan Dooley prefers to be known) is merely the first person on the lonely scene, knowing instantly that with his troubled history of criminal behavior and juvenile incarceration this experience is going to bring him grief. He’s right: the police are suspicious of his convenient appearance and his evasive responses, and they begin to believe that he’s involved in foul play. At the same time, Dooley is falling for Mark’s beautiful sister, Beth, who’s unaware that her brother was a vicious bully, and her desperation encourages Dooley to start sleuthing around to please her as well as to protect himself from false police charges, leading him into a complicated web of deception, corruption, and betrayal. We’ve seen enough self-conscious takeoffs of the hard-boiled school that it’s genuinely refreshing to find a story with honest and unselfreferential allegiance to the tradition. Dooley is a classic rough-hewn former bad guy trying to stay straight in a world that doesn’t want to let him or believe him, and McClintock walks the delicate line of making the suspicions reasonable while keeping Dooley’s risky actions understandable as well. Though the third-person narration reflects the laconic language of guyhood (most of Dooley’s classmates are referred to by last names alone), the human dynamics are depicted with enough impact to make them the core of the story; the evolving relationship between Dooley and his guardian, his gruff, no-nonsense, ex-cop uncle, is a particularly nice subplot. Mystery fans who appreciate a personal touch as much as a plot will enjoy championing this underdog detective. [End Page 35] Copyright © 2008 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois