Guilty

by Norah McClintock

Finn watches in horror as his stepmother is gunned down in front of his house. His father reacts and kills the gunman. When Finn learns that the killer is the same man who admitted to killing his birth mother years before, he is shocked and wants to know if this is more than a terrible coincidence. At the police station, he meets Lila, daughter of the killer, and they strike up a wary friendship. Both of them are desperate to find the truth. What they discover hints at a much larger conspiracy.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction, Teen, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Suspense

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Norah McClintock’s fascinating mysteries are hard to put down. Her Chloe & Levesque series, Mike & Riel series, and Robyn Hunter series, all published by Scholastic Canada, have been popular with readers in many countries. Norah has also written several crime novels for reluctant readers in the Orca Soundings series from Orca Book Publishers,

Norah is a five-time winner of the Crime Writers of Canada's Arthur Ellis Award for Best Juvenile Crime Novel. Read Mistaken Identity, The Body in the Basement, Sins of the Father, Scared to Death, and Break and Enter to find out why! Norah's books have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and she has won numerous awards.

Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award - Juvenile
o 1996 – Mistaken Identity – Winner
o 1998 – The Body in the Basement – Winner
o 1999 – Sins of the Father – Winner
o 2002 – Scared to Death – Winner
o 2003 – Break and Enter – Winner

Red Maple Award
o 2004 – Hit and Run – Winner

Reviews

[Paul Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Why did he come back here? Why couldn’t he just leave us alone?”

As a young boy, Finn suffered a loss that no boy should have to endure – the loss of his mother to murder. Years later, as his stepmother is gunned down by the same murderer and his father reacts and kills the gunman, Finn witnesses the event in shocked silence. During subsequent visits to the police station, Finn meets Lila, the daughter of his mother’s convicted murderer, and unknowingly strikes up a friendship.

GUILTY is a brilliant young adult mystery told in alternating chapters of first person narrative from Finn’s and Lila’s dramatically diverging points of view. Friendship, growth, loyalty, coming of age, regret, sorrow, and forgiveness all make their appearance in a gripping novel which doesn’t slip into sappiness or melodrama for even an instant.

Definitely recommended. And kudos to a Canadian author whose work I’ll be looking for in the months to come.

Paul Weiss

[A · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really enjoy this literally nothing happened 😭

[Caden]

I will admit that this book was not quite as engaging in the beginning as it was in the end but it was a great story and once things begin to become clear it become a page turning adventure full of mystery. Lila's father, Louis Ouimette, has just been released from prison, he had committed a murder 10 years prior, and she decides to leave her aunt in Boston and move in with him to make up for the time she had missed. Finn is the son of a wealthy night club owner whose first wife had been murdered by a man named Louis Ouimette. Nowadays Finn's father is seen around town with his new wife, Tracie, a woman who is disliked by Finn due to her willing to flirt and her lingerie. When Finn witnesses the murder of Louis Ouimette and his step mother Tracie he is shook, his father is left in pieces after it is concluded that Louis Ouimette has killed Tracie and Finn's father had killed Louis Ouimette in self-defense. When Lila first meets Finn she is purely interested in learning more about the man who was her father but once Finn begins to share stories of Finn's mother's murder and secrets begin to be revealed Lila begins to question her father's past and whether or not he killed Finn's mother.

[Ben Nourai · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! It started with a lot of action which made it interesting and exciting at the beginning. Then I became eager to read on to find the answer to the mystery. The plot of the story was perfectly set up to create tension between the characters throughout the book. Furthermore, the dramatic irony in the story made it exciting to see how characters in the book would react to certain things. Overall, this book was great and the ending was a perfect conclusion to the story.

[Danielle Stoll · Rating 1 out of 5]

Finn discovered his mother's corpse when he was seven years old. Ten years later he looks out of his bedroom window to see his stepmother shot, and he is later told it was by the same man who admitted to killing his biological mother. While coping a second time with something most people are lucky enough not to experience a first time, he also deals with befriending Lila whom he later learns to be the daughter of the killer.

This fictional first-person told story alternates between Finn and Lila's perspectives which is different from many stories. The story unfolds through the individual thought processes of Finn and Lila, but the dialogue is slightly limited for that reason.

The author Norah McClintock tries to mount suspense, but perhaps I have been exposed to too many detective stories because it was extremely predictable. The pace was slow because each chapter was short, and alternating between perspectives played the same scene over from two points of view before moving on.

"Guilty" is a good introductory book to suspense novels, but it might be too boring to someone familiar with suspense stories. The content is dramatic, but the reading pace is easy and therefore ideal for younger reads being introduced to leisurely reading.

[Abduljabbar · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reason why this book got so much attention is because of the title Guilty. The reason why is because it's a weird title. The author of this book is Norah Mcclintock she is from Canada. She was born in 1952 and she died in 2/6/17. She lived in Montreal Canada. “She was a member of the Canadian Society of Children's Authors”. This author has a lot of different books.
This book is a fiction book. It does not belong to a series. This book is not that long but you need to focus when you read it. The book is written in a remarkable language. The group that should read this book are middle schoolers or high schoolers.If you get scared easily you should not read that book.
What happened first Finn’s mother died 10 years ago. Now Finn’s step mother died. The same person killed both so Who is that ? Lila’s father died to around the same time. Finn and Lila want to look for the mysterious killer. So what is going to happen to Finn and Lila find out in the book.
The main characters are Finn and Lila. They are normal people. Finn and Lila are close friends. Lila is the type of person how get really scared and Get nervous really quick. Finn is a thankful person and nice as it is showing in the story. I think we all relate to them because we lose same close people to us.The theme of this book is that some of your close people might be the worst enemy.
I really recommend this book for people who are looking to read books full with action. I really like this book because it is mid ranged. This book actually have a lot of information that the reader needs to remember and make connection. Another reason why I like this book is the way the book started out but I actually do not like the ending.

[Stephanie Carrion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Notable book as an introduction to mystery, but not so much for adults. Although I did enjoy this book, I feel that it was a bit slow for my taste. I would still recommend this book to a friend, as I did enjoy and complete it quickly.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book was very confusing it took me till half way through the book to understand completely what was going on. Once i understood it I got more into the book. I definitely wouldn't read it again.

[Kathy Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stayed up all night and read this story straight through to the end. I enjoyed the plot and characters and would like to read more by this author.

[Eloisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought knew how it was going to end guess not. Was kinda boring.

[Liviania · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn to GUILTY by the blurb. Finn witnesses his stepmother's murder by the same man who killed his mother and his father subsequently shooting the man. That, of course, causes him to question things. What could possibly have motivated the killer? What follows is the definition of a quick read. Since I'm timing myself for the 48 Hour Book Challenge, I know that I finished in 53 minutes.

The story alternates between Finn's point-of-view and Lila's. Lila, the daughter of the killer, grew up believing her father had been framed and unjustly sent to prison. This new murder seems to confirm that everything she didn't want to believe about her father was true. Then Lila and Finn meet in the police station and begin a tentative friendship. As both of them research their pasts, they discover they didn't know as much about their parents as they thought.

Both Finn and Lila are somewhat static characters. The plot drives GUILTY rather than character growth. But they're good characters to tell the story. Finn is slightly numb to everything due to reliving his childhood trauma. Lila is stuck with her final argument with her father. She prioritized working over school and didn't get a scholarship to college. She stands by her decision, but feels guilty over how it might have contributed to her father's death.

GUILTY is a delightful mystery and a nice change from all the science fiction I started my day with. The ending is pretty obvious, but I enjoyed the journey there. I'm interested in reading more by Norah McClintock.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guilty had enough unexpected twists and interesting main characters to keep me very interested.

Finn watches from his upstairs window as a man shoots his stepmother and Finn's father then shoots the murderer. That's the opening scene, and we are off and running.

Lila's father is the one who shot the stepmother. It just so happens that he also murdered Finn's real mother, and has just been released from prison for that crime.

The story alternates perspective between Lila and Finn. Guilty may be a bit predictable -- you know they are both going to try to figure out what happened and why. I had a pretty good idea of the real story from early on in the book, but I still didn't know it all. And even if you do think you know, it just helps you root for the characters to figure it all out.

There are some good adult role models, which always is uplifting to me. The police detective, the man who knew Lila's dad from prison, the manager of Finn's father's club, and Lila's aunt all help to bring some hope to this devastating story.

The pace is unrelenting, so there's no chance to get bored. The book is short, making this an excellent choice for reluctant readers. The main characters are a boy and a girl, which means this will appeal to both. Guilty is a twisted plot with some unexpected developments. There's a heart-pounding climactic ending, but it is also satisfying. I really enjoyed this quick read and can't wait to tell some of my teens about Guilty.

[5Witterstaetter M · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Guilty, the character Lila is interested about what happened, but is also mortified that she lost her dad who talked about making up to her the years he was in jail for the killing of Finn Newsome's mom. On one side she believes her dad is a good person, but on the other side isn't sure of what to believe anymore. She talks about on page 35 how "it's harder than I could have ever imagined to read the newspaper and listen to the news to hear his name." She is referring to all the publicity her father is getting for the killing of Finn's step-mother. She wants to believe that her father is a good person like how she states on page 19 how "he said he wasn't proud of himself, but he was already proud of me and he knew I was going places." This shows how Lila's dad wasn't proud of his actions but wanted the best for his little girl. Lila also says on page 19 "The days went by slowly, but it felt like we were both making progress." She believes that her dad was making progress when she went to visit him everyday. This is why she has a hard time seeing the news and reading any newspaper because they all portray her father as some sort of heartless killer. She is interested because she wants to find out the reason why he went back and killed the second Mrs. Newsome. She wonders why he went back if he was wanting to start a relationship with her and be there for her. It doesn't make any sense to her this is why she turns to Mr. Newsome's son Finn.

[Dayna Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished re-reading Guilty by Norah McClintock. I am really fond of McClintock's way of writing, and the structure of her books. This book is not part of a series- as far as i know. This book is a two-main character book. The way this is written is first person point of view, and every other chapter the POV alternates between Finn and Lila, which are the two main characters. Ten years ago Finn's mother was murdered, supposedly by Lila's father who went to jail for ten years. No later then 72 hours after Lila's father is released, he returns back to Finn's house. The scene ends with Finn's step-mother is dead and so is Lila's father. As the book progresses on, Finn and Lila figure out what happened and why, trying to clear up there confusion- yet still Finn is unaware of the man who killed his mother is Lila's father. Finn figures out that even though he hated his step-mother Tracy, his dad loved her, maybe even more than his birth mother. Lila is living on her own now, and her aunt begs her to come back home, but Lila needs to know what happened first- she has to stay put if she wants to find out because her aunt has always spoken negatively about him. Throughout the book the tension builds until finally the tension ends in this thrilling book and everything is resolved. But resolved doesn't always mean for the better.

[Aiyana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finn is used to death, he found his mother murdered on the floor, and he witnessed his stepmother shot and killed. Lila has just heard about her father murdering someone, and being murdered. When these two come together, it's not easy at first, emotions run wild. These two help each other out, and in turn solve the mystery of who actually killed Finn's mother and stepmother, and try to prove Lila's fathers innocence.

I picked this book up because it's by Norah McClintock, and I've been reading a lot of her books lately.

I finished this book because I wanted to see if Finn would stop throwing temper tantrums. Unfortunately, this book did not end how I would have liked it too. The ending was boring, and unsatisfying. I wanted Finn and Lila to get together, and I didn't want Lila to move to Boston. I wanted to know if Lila ended up going to University, or if Finn inherits all of the money. So many questions left unanswered.

I recommend this book to Sharlyssa. I know she likes mystery novels, and I think she would enjoy trying to uncover the truth (even though it was a little predictable).

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Guilty. By: Seglin, Shannon, School Library Journal, 03628930, Jun2012, Vol. 58, Issue 6.

Gr 8 Up--Lila Ouimette's father is shot, apparently while committing murder. Finn Newsome witnesses a man (who happens to be Lila's father) kill his stepmother. Then he sees his father kill the man. It happens that the man is the same one who killed Finn's birth mother 10 years earlier. Finn has the feeling that this just can't be a coincidence and struggles to find answers to the two crimes. Lila struggles with her father's death and wonders what kind of person he was to be involved in two deaths. Finn and Lila meet at the police station, and neither one realizes who the other is. Little do they know how their paths will cross as they try to comprehend what happened and who is responsible. Guilty is told in fairly short, alternating chapters between Finn and Lila. The resolution of the mystery is somewhat predictable, but the story is fast paced and it may appeal to reluctant readers.

By Shannon Seglin, Patrick Henry Library, Vienna, VA

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though there was no romance with the two, Finn and Lila were two cool characters. I had my suspicions when Louis was accused of both crimes. At first I thought he didn't kill Mrs. Newsome, but did kill Tracie. Then my mind was whizzed around with all the new clues coming in.

I was shocked when Finn actually slapped her and didn't feel any remorse...then again he was through some major trama. Still-not cool.

I was like-WHOA-when Finn shot his dad. I was actually glad that he did, and I liked his reaction to that. He was all sullen and quiet, pretty much how I would expect someone to be after shooting his dad.

When I learned that his father killed his mother, leaving her for a seven year old to find, I was disgusted and hating towards him. That father is one sick, twisted man to mentally scar a young boy like that. :(

Overall it was a good story. :)

[Dexter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting to like this, because Nora McClintock usually writes pretty good mysteries, but then the first couple chapters me doubtful.

But then, halfway through, I found myself really enjoying it and I didn't like having to put it down.

But then the ending was very abrupt, and I saw it coming.

I don't usually like mysteries and I don't usually like books in which not much happens, and Guilty is a mystery where nothing much happens. Despite this, I did kind of like it. I liked Lila and Finn and found myself actually caring about them and their lives, and I really felt connected to them.

But the ending was just... too easy, I guess? I saw it coming a mile away. Still, the actual last chapter isn't that bad. It's just the solution to the mystery that's a little disappointing.

[Kim McGee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this as an advance read.

We know someone is guilty of the murder of Finn's mom and stepmother but the question is who. Finn is unlucky enough to be the first to find his mother dead and then watch as he sees his stepmother gunned down years later. Lila is also unlucky since it is her dad that is accused of the murder of Finn's mom then dies after being shot by Finn's dad and taking the rap for his stepmom's murder as well. Both kids meet rather innocently and it is then it is Lila's relentless search to uncover the truth and clear her dad's name that makes them allies. Teens will eat this up because of the very believable plot and real characters- fast paced enough to finish in one sitting.

[sm786 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stars: 2.5/5

I couldn't put it down.

Sure, there is some heavy foreshadowing and I had a pretty good guess of what the ending was going to be less than half way through the book. However, I continued reading.

I feel like the novel could have used a bit more editing. There were a couple of scenes that seemed out of place. For example, there was a point where one of the protagonists had founds letters in a locker and I thought these letters would play a significant part towards the plot, but they didn't.

Overall, it was a quick, thrilling read.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good 'who-dunnit' by Canadian author of lots of this type of story--she knows what she's doing! It's well written, easy-to-read and fast-paced, with likable protagonists. Good message, too, about how being even functionally literate is so needed to succeed in our society. I found myself able to guess the mystery pretty early on in the book though, but I still wanted to keep reading to find out if I was right. And there were a lot of details that came up that weren't expected. Maybe a CHSBC title for next year?

[Emily♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me less than 24 hours to read this book! It’s a page turner, for sure. This is the first book by Norah McClintock that I have read, and if I would have known how awesome and suspenseful her books are, it certainly would not have been the first!
Finn and Lila are such real characters, that I wanted everything to work out for them. The mystery surrounding these two is straight out of Criminal Minds or CSI, but Guilty is even better! Once you get started there’s no stopping.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed McClintock's alternating points of view for Guilty. Having a girl's and a boy's perspective about the happenings in the book was great! I liked the climax of the story, but I felt like after the climax the book just ended. I wanted a little more explanation in order to clean the plot up some. This was a quick read, and I look forward to offering it in my classroom. :O)

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two teens, their lives devastated by the adults in their lives. Her father killed his mother… twice. His father sent her father to prison, and when he got out took him away again by killing him. In the shattering aftermath, there are few parents left, and precious little comfort, but enough guilt for everyone.

[Adanis]

At first I thought that Lila, the girl who was the killer of Finns step mom and possibly mom was Finn, but then I realized that on the bottom of the chapter number the character name is under there. I like this because instead of the reader focusing on one character, they can have a feel of what its like to be the other character.

[Lavabearian (Jessica) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I watch so much Dateline I had it figured out pretty early on. The one last detail that validated my suspicion was when I found out the dead mother was wealthy. The greedy spouse is always to blame.

I was hooked from the beginning so I give this a yes vote for the list.

[Chassidy Overstreet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. This is probably the first book I've picked up to read and enjoyed reading in over 2 years. The first paragraph automatically pulls me in. I read the whole book in four hours and couldn't sit it down. Will definitely re-read this one!

[Jolie]

BL: 3.8
Pts: 7
Finn Newsome's mother and then stepmother killed by same guy: Louis Ouimette. Stepmother killed 3 days after Louis spent 10 yrs. in prison for Finn's mother's death.
Lila Ouimette (Louis's daughter)

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be be a nice mystery and I wasn’t completely wrong but it wasn’t as good as I expected. The concept was good but it wasn’t too grasping. It was pretty easy to figure out the mystery and the ending was not written well.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fast paced read, I read it in one sitting. It was a good, solid story that held my interest - not amazing, but definitely compelling and worth the time!