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Big Splash #2
The Quick Fix
In this much-anticipated sequel to The Big Splash, junior high detective Matt Stevens is back on the case, bringing us another hilarious middle school noir.
When the star of the basketball team is blackmailed, it’s up to Matt, the lone voice for justice in a morass of middle school corruption, to figure out who’s behind the scheme. Is it eighth-grade crime lord Vinny “Mr. Biggs” Biggio, who has made his name peddling forged hall passes and leading a crew of social assassins who send enemies to the Outs with a humiliating squirt-gun blast below the belt? Or is it his lieutenant and Matt’s former best friend, Kevin? Or a pair of scheming twins who sell Pixy Stix to sugar-addicted classmates? One thing’s for sure: There won’t be a quick fix for the trouble at this middle school.
When the star of the basketball team is blackmailed, it’s up to Matt, the lone voice for justice in a morass of middle school corruption, to figure out who’s behind the scheme. Is it eighth-grade crime lord Vinny “Mr. Biggs” Biggio, who has made his name peddling forged hall passes and leading a crew of social assassins who send enemies to the Outs with a humiliating squirt-gun blast below the belt? Or is it his lieutenant and Matt’s former best friend, Kevin? Or a pair of scheming twins who sell Pixy Stix to sugar-addicted classmates? One thing’s for sure: There won’t be a quick fix for the trouble at this middle school.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2012
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126 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 6, 2024
I've been waiting 16 years to read this sequel. And the wait was worth it! I love the insane and terrible and wonderful world that Ferraiolo builds and Matt is the perfect character to guide us through it. My only sadness is that I don't think they published a third volume.
This is a great mystery full of amazing world building. So many twists and turns and every mystery paid off beautifully.
This is a great mystery full of amazing world building. So many twists and turns and every mystery paid off beautifully.
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February 21, 2017Profound Problems
PAPE D.
The inconspicuous life of a detective is an average school day for the life of young Matt Stevens. Going to your normal middle school may be fun, but the one he goes to is anything but normal. “I didn't know how it worked in other middle schools, but life here in the Frank was pretty cheap.”
The book Quick Fix dwells into the life of Matt Stevens who is a 7th grade detective that works to help people with their personal problems (but only if they pay $5 upfront). Taking place in The Frank, Franklin Middle School, the school is run by the infamous upstart known Vincent Biggs who rose to power as a former outcast by starting his underground gambling business. Now ruling the school, Vincent has the power to make innocent students succumb to his rule by being able to put them in The Outs, the place where all the student outcasts are sent to.
The Frank seems to impose a force that always lures students back to the dreaded footsteps of the building. “We never wanted to be there, but we didn’t want to not be there and miss something.” Matt seems to get drawn back in again and finds himself in a mess of problems. Vincent enlists his help to the detective with force ( and a wad of cash) to retrieve a special carved box that seems to contain something very important to him. After getting into trouble with the local school gang and other main figures, it ends up bringing the question: what is in the box?
Jack Ferraiolo compares many aspects of detective books, but also puts it into the perspective of a middle schooler which is very unique. As you read the book, you find a sense of middle school life ( if you include gang battles and gambling) that every middle schooler faces such as the worry of rejection from a particular social group. However, the book also gives a sense of chivalry among friends and how they stick with one another during hard times. An example of that is the relationship between Matt Stevens and the newspaper club leader, Spencer. During this case, Matt lost a lot of things like how his best friend, Kevin, joined up with Vincent’s gang and how he even lost his girlfriend Liz, but Spencer always stood by Matt. When nobody was there to help him in his case, Spencer was always there to back him up when necessary.
The book sends a theme of right and wrong and how it gets shown by Matt and his personal life. Matt faces hard times with his mother and accepts offers from Vincent for money, even though he knows how Vinny is putting down other students in the way. However, as the book progresses, Matt learns that it’s important to suppress his own personal benefit and instead work to help everybody who is getting treated unfairly.
Jack Ferraiolo ends up making the story very realistic to the audience as he portrays an authentic scenario about the drama of middle school life.It allows you to ponder and reminisnse childhood experiences . The book still gives the common scenario of a detective story, but makes it more enjoyable when the story gets blended with a young age group, making it humorous.
While Matt Stevens may be a profound detective, it won’t be a “quick fix” to solve all the problems going on at his abnormal school.
PAPE D.
The inconspicuous life of a detective is an average school day for the life of young Matt Stevens. Going to your normal middle school may be fun, but the one he goes to is anything but normal. “I didn't know how it worked in other middle schools, but life here in the Frank was pretty cheap.”
The book Quick Fix dwells into the life of Matt Stevens who is a 7th grade detective that works to help people with their personal problems (but only if they pay $5 upfront). Taking place in The Frank, Franklin Middle School, the school is run by the infamous upstart known Vincent Biggs who rose to power as a former outcast by starting his underground gambling business. Now ruling the school, Vincent has the power to make innocent students succumb to his rule by being able to put them in The Outs, the place where all the student outcasts are sent to.
The Frank seems to impose a force that always lures students back to the dreaded footsteps of the building. “We never wanted to be there, but we didn’t want to not be there and miss something.” Matt seems to get drawn back in again and finds himself in a mess of problems. Vincent enlists his help to the detective with force ( and a wad of cash) to retrieve a special carved box that seems to contain something very important to him. After getting into trouble with the local school gang and other main figures, it ends up bringing the question: what is in the box?
Jack Ferraiolo compares many aspects of detective books, but also puts it into the perspective of a middle schooler which is very unique. As you read the book, you find a sense of middle school life ( if you include gang battles and gambling) that every middle schooler faces such as the worry of rejection from a particular social group. However, the book also gives a sense of chivalry among friends and how they stick with one another during hard times. An example of that is the relationship between Matt Stevens and the newspaper club leader, Spencer. During this case, Matt lost a lot of things like how his best friend, Kevin, joined up with Vincent’s gang and how he even lost his girlfriend Liz, but Spencer always stood by Matt. When nobody was there to help him in his case, Spencer was always there to back him up when necessary.
The book sends a theme of right and wrong and how it gets shown by Matt and his personal life. Matt faces hard times with his mother and accepts offers from Vincent for money, even though he knows how Vinny is putting down other students in the way. However, as the book progresses, Matt learns that it’s important to suppress his own personal benefit and instead work to help everybody who is getting treated unfairly.
Jack Ferraiolo ends up making the story very realistic to the audience as he portrays an authentic scenario about the drama of middle school life.It allows you to ponder and reminisnse childhood experiences . The book still gives the common scenario of a detective story, but makes it more enjoyable when the story gets blended with a young age group, making it humorous.
While Matt Stevens may be a profound detective, it won’t be a “quick fix” to solve all the problems going on at his abnormal school.
August 3, 2016
Middle School Is the New Noir
I'm a big fan of high school and middle grade noir. Apart from the fact that good ones are entertaining, I especially like the idea of younger readers developing a taste for tightly plotted and snappily written books. Such books can also be a bracing balance to a diet otherwise heavy on fantasy or action/adventure. (Wow, that sounds pretty full-of-itself, doesn't it?) The fact is that I particularly liked this book because it did so many things so well.
First off, the book has a twisty honestly noir plot. NO SPOILERS, but we have a MacGuffin that everyone wants, blackmail, rubouts, corruption, good gals in trouble, femmes fatale, some good cop/bad cop, double-crosses, squealers, former partners, a dependable bartender, and the list goes on and on. You can't read this and not think of "Maltese Falcon", "Big Sleep", "Out of the Past", and other classics. (If you're too young to know those noir films, that's fine; someday you will.)
But when authors set these books in high school or middle school they have to perform a second level of technical magic. They have to translate all of the noir conventions into a middle school world. Cops become hall monitors. Torch singers become head cheerleaders. Bootleggers sell candy and drug pushers push flavored all-sugar Pixie Sticks. This is wildly difficult to do and it is done here with great humor, imagination and finesse. The author makes it all plausible. Well, not plausible. The author makes all of the noir conventions fit into the middle grade world and work just like they do in the adult world.
That is an amazing achievement. And, it gets you thinking that all of the aspects of 30's and 40's noir - worry about an uncertain future, lost freedom, the sense that one is not in control of one's own destiny, despair, and so on - actually fit very comfortably into high school life. High School noir is not an oxymoron.
Finally, none of this works unless the snappy patter and the noir sensibility work. Here, our hero is a Raymond Chandler style hero. As Chandler said, “...down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. He is the hero....". Substitute "hallways" for "streets" and you have this book's hero. He's funny, he's smart, he is hopeful and yet resigned; he is noble and yet human. And, bonus, some of his dark observations about school life are both memorable and full of gallows humor.
So, if you like to see how far noir conventions can be stretched, if you are looking for a little middle grade variety, or if you just want an entertaining witty read, this is an excellent choice.
Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
I'm a big fan of high school and middle grade noir. Apart from the fact that good ones are entertaining, I especially like the idea of younger readers developing a taste for tightly plotted and snappily written books. Such books can also be a bracing balance to a diet otherwise heavy on fantasy or action/adventure. (Wow, that sounds pretty full-of-itself, doesn't it?) The fact is that I particularly liked this book because it did so many things so well.
First off, the book has a twisty honestly noir plot. NO SPOILERS, but we have a MacGuffin that everyone wants, blackmail, rubouts, corruption, good gals in trouble, femmes fatale, some good cop/bad cop, double-crosses, squealers, former partners, a dependable bartender, and the list goes on and on. You can't read this and not think of "Maltese Falcon", "Big Sleep", "Out of the Past", and other classics. (If you're too young to know those noir films, that's fine; someday you will.)
But when authors set these books in high school or middle school they have to perform a second level of technical magic. They have to translate all of the noir conventions into a middle school world. Cops become hall monitors. Torch singers become head cheerleaders. Bootleggers sell candy and drug pushers push flavored all-sugar Pixie Sticks. This is wildly difficult to do and it is done here with great humor, imagination and finesse. The author makes it all plausible. Well, not plausible. The author makes all of the noir conventions fit into the middle grade world and work just like they do in the adult world.
That is an amazing achievement. And, it gets you thinking that all of the aspects of 30's and 40's noir - worry about an uncertain future, lost freedom, the sense that one is not in control of one's own destiny, despair, and so on - actually fit very comfortably into high school life. High School noir is not an oxymoron.
Finally, none of this works unless the snappy patter and the noir sensibility work. Here, our hero is a Raymond Chandler style hero. As Chandler said, “...down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. He is the hero....". Substitute "hallways" for "streets" and you have this book's hero. He's funny, he's smart, he is hopeful and yet resigned; he is noble and yet human. And, bonus, some of his dark observations about school life are both memorable and full of gallows humor.
So, if you like to see how far noir conventions can be stretched, if you are looking for a little middle grade variety, or if you just want an entertaining witty read, this is an excellent choice.
Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
September 29, 2015
What would you do if somebody stole a candy right in front of your face would you tell the store let him go? The Quick Fix is a mystery book because they are trying to catch the thief that stole candy from the store.I think would rate this book 7/10 i rate this book 7/10 because i like mystery as i said already.
setting of this book is in school,outside of school and at home.This book is not the greatest but its a really good book for me. This book is good for you if you like mystery.This book is Person vs Person because there trying to find the person that stole the candy from the store.A big major part of the book was when they 9 caught the thiefs but they got away.
''It Does Work But It takes Time Its Not a Quick Fix'' This relates to the main charter because they take time to catch the thief and they need lots of patience to catch the thief espically when trying to catch him.
My opinion on this book is ok because its not the greastest book ive read but its not the worst rate it 8/10 m8. This is the first book i read in 7th grade i would of rate it better but i still havent finished the whole book so yes.
I rate this book 7/8 i rate this because i didnt really like it but it was fine. I recmmened this book to my brother and my sister because they both like mystery like me.
What would you don if somebody stole something from the store infront of you would you tell the store or leave him/her alone?
setting of this book is in school,outside of school and at home.This book is not the greatest but its a really good book for me. This book is good for you if you like mystery.This book is Person vs Person because there trying to find the person that stole the candy from the store.A big major part of the book was when they 9 caught the thiefs but they got away.
''It Does Work But It takes Time Its Not a Quick Fix'' This relates to the main charter because they take time to catch the thief and they need lots of patience to catch the thief espically when trying to catch him.
My opinion on this book is ok because its not the greastest book ive read but its not the worst rate it 8/10 m8. This is the first book i read in 7th grade i would of rate it better but i still havent finished the whole book so yes.
I rate this book 7/8 i rate this because i didnt really like it but it was fine. I recmmened this book to my brother and my sister because they both like mystery like me.
What would you don if somebody stole something from the store infront of you would you tell the store or leave him/her alone?
January 18, 2013
Set only two weeks after the events of the first novel, a new mystery has already hit our favorite middle school. Matt Stevens, private detective, is hired by many different people, including many interesting new characters, who are all after same intriguing item. Just as with the first novel, the mystery is fun and everything ties back together quite nicely. I rated this one higher than The Big Splash because this mystery had me guessing more and there were more twists and turns. The final fifty pages were like a roller coaster in terms of the new twists that kept popping up. Also, we finally get some questions answered regarding the disappearance of Matt's dad and other mysteries surrounding his home life. As usual, Matt remains a witty and likable guy while the other characters fulfill requisite noir mystery tropes. The final few pages of the novel introduce the opportunity for another sequel and an overarching plot that seems to be much larger than anyone expected.
February 3, 2013
Although I was not quite as taken with this book as I was with THE BIG SPLASH, it really is a good read. It can certainly be read on its own, but is better as a follow-up to THE BIG SPLASH, because you can see the continuing deterioration of the social order at Matt's middle school, the Frank.
This time, Matt is hired to deliver the payoff to a blackmailer. Of course, things go wrong. There are twists enough to start a dance craze, and so much squirt gun action that you'll need a mop. The pace at school hardly slows down for a minute.
But to complicate that, Matt discovers information about his own family's past that throws a new light on several of his relationships. I love the interactions between Matt and his Mom. She is quite a woman, and it's easy to see where Matt gets his grit and integrity.
Can't wait for the next one.
This time, Matt is hired to deliver the payoff to a blackmailer. Of course, things go wrong. There are twists enough to start a dance craze, and so much squirt gun action that you'll need a mop. The pace at school hardly slows down for a minute.
But to complicate that, Matt discovers information about his own family's past that throws a new light on several of his relationships. I love the interactions between Matt and his Mom. She is quite a woman, and it's easy to see where Matt gets his grit and integrity.
Can't wait for the next one.
January 31, 2016
The Quick Fix The Quick Fix is a realistic fiction book and a sequel to The Big Splash. Set mostly in “The Frank” (Franklin Middle School), Matt Stevens (private-eye) is hired by four interested parties (the school bully, the candy dealers, and two cheerleaders) to solve the mystery of a wooden decorative trinket. But who is the rightful owner, and why would they want to pay top dollar for its safe return? What he is about to uncover will change his life! The book’s plot twists and turns will leave you wanting to decipher the mystery behind the contents of the wooden box.
I found this book quite humorous and interesting quick read. You will enjoy reading this book because of its complex plot and variety of characters, including a male lead.
I found this book quite humorous and interesting quick read. You will enjoy reading this book because of its complex plot and variety of characters, including a male lead.
July 27, 2013
This started off as a fairly decent sequel to The Big Splash, the first book in this series about middle school detective Matt Stevens. However, the plot spun pretty wildly out of control toward the second and all out caved in on itself by the end. This spoof on hard-boiled detective novels works on one level - it's episodic and very much resembles the dialogue of a TV show. There are stock characters and fairly easy to digest situational setups. Just the same, this book took a pretty bizarre turn toward the end that really didn't work at all and will probably leave most kids a little creeped out. I wouldn't recommend this book unless a kid was desperate for a mystery.
February 20, 2017
The Quick Fix is a great follow-up to The Big Splash. Ferraiolo expands on the world he had established from the first book, while further developing the characters. The plot is fairly straightforward and can be predictable, but it is still written well and entertaining.
Now, while the ending was nice and teases a third book(which looks like it won't happen as it's been several years since the book's release) the events leading up to the ending got a bit confusing. Ferraiolo added a nice twist, but it seemed like he was just setting up for upcoming books and it got a bit out of hand.
Still, The Big Splash is a great sequel and is sure to entertain.
Now, while the ending was nice and teases a third book(which looks like it won't happen as it's been several years since the book's release) the events leading up to the ending got a bit confusing. Ferraiolo added a nice twist, but it seemed like he was just setting up for upcoming books and it got a bit out of hand.
Still, The Big Splash is a great sequel and is sure to entertain.
May 2, 2014
While I enjoyed this book (which is an accomplishment because I'm not really a mystery fan), it didn't have the charm of the first book. It's probably because the first book set the bar so high. It's difficult for a sequel to deliver as well as the first book.
I enjoyed the book with its twists and turns. I'm looking forward to another sequel which may include the war between the Ins and the Outs.
I'm also hoping to learn more about Matt's dad.
I swear that I'm going to by all of this author's book for my classroom library!
I enjoyed the book with its twists and turns. I'm looking forward to another sequel which may include the war between the Ins and the Outs.
I'm also hoping to learn more about Matt's dad.
I swear that I'm going to by all of this author's book for my classroom library!
July 28, 2014
5 wonderful chocolate chips cookies dunked in milk.
Cover Love:
Yes. It fits the books well!
Why I Wanted to Read This:
I ADORED Jack's first book The Big Splash. It was an awesome slice of noir set in a middle school. Couldn't wait for this one!
Read the rest of my review here.
Cover Love:
Yes. It fits the books well!
Why I Wanted to Read This:
I ADORED Jack's first book The Big Splash. It was an awesome slice of noir set in a middle school. Couldn't wait for this one!
Read the rest of my review here.
April 30, 2013
Just as good as the first. The mystery had a lot more twists and turns and, at times, it was a little hard to keep up, but it ends up setting up another book beautifully. There was a really weird "reveal" that almost had me knock this book down to four stars, but it ends up working out. Why the author put it in, I don't know. Can't wait to see if another book is coming!
July 1, 2014
My 6th grade daughter begged me to read this novel after she devoured it in three days. I see why she loved it: everything I love about adult detective novels can be found here! As a 7th grade teacher, I had to suspend judgment a bit as the events and 7th grade relationships were total fantasy, but middle schoolers won't view it that way!
December 13, 2012
Although the mystery is different and new characters are introduced, the structure of this novel is similar to its predecessor, The Big Splash. Ferraiolo brings his characteristic wit to this whodunit that ties up some loose ends from the first book.
August 4, 2015
Excellent follow up. I really like where this series is headed. I can't seem to find if the author has a third book out, or coming out, b/c I have my fingers crossed. Lot of questions got answered, but that just makes me want to read more.
Come on author guy...we want more!
Come on author guy...we want more!
October 23, 2014
He does it again! Loved part two and looking forward to part 3 (which I'm sure is in the pipeline, the ending pretty solidly hinted at that)
January 3, 2017
Again, lots of twists that make you confused, lots of swear words, still pretty funny.
January 4, 2013
This book was pure fun.
August 27, 2016
Very cute read about drama in middle school!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews