The Rag and Bone Shop by Robert Cormier


The Rag and Bone Shop is a very enthralling, tension-filled book that pulls you in and keeps you reading. This book is by far one of the best I've read in a very long time. It's fast-paced and interesting and I think it's the ideal book for those who enjoy a murder mystery type story.

The story revolves around a 12-year-old boy named Jason. He is the last person to see his 7-year-old friend, Alicia, alive. Her corpse is found in a nearby forest and the police, desperate to give the public a suspect, blame Jason. They bring in an expert interrogator, Trent, to get Jason to confess to the murder of Alicia. The book mainly focuses on the interaction between Trent and Jason in the interrogation room at the local police station.

The novel is very grim yet compelling and quite typical for Robert Cormier. It leaves the reader curious about the truth and questioning how far some would go to solve a crime.