Night Runner

by Tim Bowler

Zinny's life is falling apart. Shadowy figures are following him. His parents are keeping secrets but he can't figure out why. Then his mum ends up in hospital, his dad disappears, and Zinny has to do whatever he can to save his family. Even if it means helping the very men he's been running from ...

As the clock ticks, Zinny knows it's only a matter of time before someone ends up dead - and it could be him.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published August 7, 2014

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Tim Bowler is one of the UK’s most compelling and original writers for teenagers. He was born in Leigh-on-Sea and after studying Swedish at University he worked in forestry, the timber trade, teaching and translating before becoming a full-time writer. He lives with his wife in a small village in Devon and his workroom is an old stone outhouse known to friends as ‘Tim’s Bolthole’.

Tim has written twenty books and won fifteen awards, including the prestigious Carnegie Medal for River Boy. His most recent novel is the gripping Bloodchild and his provocative Blade series is being hailed as a groundbreaking work of fiction. He has been described by the Sunday Telegraph as ‘the master of the psychological thriller’ and by the Independent as ‘one of the truly individual voices in British teenage fiction’.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Got sucked in by the truly gorgeous wrap around over art and typography, pretty let down by the book. A bit overdramatic and one dimensional, too slow burning for most of it and then all wrapped up too quickly. Also what felt like some unnecessary references to the races of characters- do not remember the last time a person was described as 'Oriental', thanks Night Runner. Probably popular with teenage boys, but didn't appeal enough outside that demographic for me.

[Osmar · Rating 4 out of 5]

very enjoyable

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good thriller about a 15 year old boy called Zinny whose life is falling apart because of the actions of his parents. His Mother & Father do not have a great relationship and he is constantly playing truant from school. Zinny's Father is a big drinker and is often violent towards him and he is bullied at school. One afternoon while he is truanting in his bedroom he sees a man watching the house. What unfolds from that moment puts Zinny in a lot of trouble with some very bad people, often running for his life. His Mum gets hurt and ends up in hospital and his Dad seems to disappear.
This is fairly fast paced from the first page and although it is a short book, it keeps that pace up until the last page. I liked Zinny as a character and Mr.Latham his school Principal, is always looking out for him and trying to help him cope. Zinny's Dad is a total loser but towards the end you feel a bit of sympathy towards him as he tries to make up for what he has done to his family. This is definitely a novel for older readers because of the content but it is an engaging short suspense story which I enjoyed reading.

[Raz · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a MG-read, this was acceptable. Sure, it was no literary work - the writing was good at best and the characters not among the strongest I've seen (from either Bowler or other MG-authors) - but the plot kept momentum going and it sure wasn't a drag to get through. A little fast-paced, if I'm honest, with a few convenient points that allowed storylines to develop, but not a bad little book.

[Tatiana Faaiu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty awesome story line.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tim Bowler managed to fit an action-packed story into a tiny book which is something some authors can't do.

[Claudette · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s ok..fast paced and slick.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got gripped into this book so quickly.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good read

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another of my library finds that I was fairly proud to find. I have heard quite a bit about the authors previous books and was ready to try this one. The cover looked pretty cool, the synopsis sounded awesome, the contents of this book wasn't what i had hoped it would be. I mean it was an ok book, but I wasn't completely taken by it.

There were moments when I was enjoying it, but then a page or so later I would be bored with it, and begin to feel tired all if a sudden. I am not sure I will even remember it properly next week. From what I had read on the back of the book, to what I read in the inside, it just didn't add up for me. I was left feeling slightly disappointed by it. I wanted so desperately to like it the way I had originally hoped but no, forcing it would make it worse. This is the main reason why it took me quite a few days to get through it, even though it isn't long at all.

The story follows a boy called Zinny, yes you read that right, Zinny. What an extraordinarily unique name. Zinny, tends to ditch schools wherever he can, and one day, whilst at home encounters a break in. Following the break in, Zinnys mom ends up in hospital, whilst his father is nowhere to be seen. He is forced to help the people who could possibly kill him but, all he can do is run.

Overall it was an ok read, and it hasn't left an impression on me like other books have. I might have to do a re read of it in the future and see if my opinion of it will change or not.

more reviews like this at: http://thepagestartshere.blogspot.co.uk/

[Chloe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose this based on its blurb and its size, as it's actually about 180ish pages because I really wanted something to read while travelling and my main book at the moment is nearly 600 pages long. And hardback. So this won't be a long review.

I think that as I read this book in small daily chunks made the experience better for me as other than the main character there isn't much more to really talk about. It's not that there is anything wrong with this book its just there isn't much totally amazing either.

I enjoyed Zinny, I was very invested in him as a character and I rooted for him the whole way, he made a lot of choices that were understandable for a 15 year old in his situation. As for the plot, it was interesting enough to get through just over 150 pages but it wasn't anything special. There were times when I almost forgot this book was aimed for teens because of some of the things that were going on and the ending did seem slightly abrupt and convenient but honestly, I was just wanted Zinny to be happy by the end of the book.

So overall it was enjoyable, it wasn't anything mindblowing but it passed the time on the bus. I've rated it 2.5 stars. I won't be doing a full review of this.

[Selan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. A light read, very very thin, you could probably finish it in less than a few hours. It's a gripping thriller and I was really hooked onto it within the first chapter already. It doesn't waste anything, doesn't shy away from certain topics, and even manages to portray Zinny's relationship with his family very well as well.

Also, about time we had a teenager with no friends who *doesn't* keep going on about how he has no friends. More like he as lot more problems than that: such as being threatened, blackmailed, bullied, no income coming in, no food, can't pay the rent, mother in hospital, and so on. Like school is the least of his problems.

I also found the villain of the story genuinely threatening too (more so than the generic thugs of another similar book I read last week). I wouldn't give it a high score though because it is quite simple at its core, but it is still done very well.

[Dana Salman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well that was... a book. In that it is printed and it describes events happening, but when all's said and done it wasn't really about anything. The characters weren't likable or complex, the writing was juvenile (though I was surprised by the amount of swearing and some of the content, i.e. gun violence, domestic abuse, smoking, drugs, etc.), and the pacing was weird, very slow in some parts and then too fast in others. This is like one of those movies that's just about getting your adrenaline up by putting the main character in a dangerous situation (like that Johnny Depp movie "Nick of Time"), except it's not good at even that because it's hard to be invested in the danger when, again, the characters aren't likable. Even the intrigue of what's really going on ends up being pretty lame and disappointing. The one positive I can give this book is that it's short and easy to read, so it provided a nice way to spend the long break at work.

[Sue Murdoch · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the start I cared about Zinny and the grim, loveless life he was leading. The poverty and desperation of his family trying to keep their heads above water felt so real; the description of the grey, decaying street in which he lived and his low self esteem were so vividly clear in my mind that straight away I was pulled along into Zinny's plight and fate.
At times mid way through the book my mind did wander a little because I would have liked, as the reader, to get more detail about the organised crime gang - bit more of 'Flash Coat's' background perhaps? But having said that, what kept me turning the pages was the anxiety I felt for Zinny and his family caught up in desperate poverty and their vulnerability to being manipulated by everyone around them. I cared about them and this is what Tim always does so well; his main characters capture your heart.

[Barbara Band · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book does not let up from start to finish. It's a gripping thriller that has you constantly on the edge of your seat and then throws you a twist at the end.

Zinny's life is (as the blurb says) falling apart. He's being bullied at school, his father is out all hours, supposedly at work but is being very secretive about it, and when he is home, he gets drunk and hits Zinny. His mum is having an affair with somebody she works with.

Then things actually get worse when his mum is shot, and Zinny is pulled into some local shady dealings that he has misgivings about but has no option other than to do as he is told for fear of both him and his family being killed.

A good book to recommend to those slightly older boys who can't seem to find anything to engage with.

[Sally Flint · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well I said I'd try another Tim Bowler and I have, and it was good. With the two I've read there is most definitely a pattern, people being spied on in houses, burglaries, low life activities, and real danger for the teens. Hopefully not a setting that many of the kids at my school will be familiar with. I don't think this would put them of though, there is a strong sense of adventure, and despite the streetwise toughness, real morality without cheesy happy endings comes through. I'm not sure I'll dash to read other books, too many other authors out there, but definitely a writer I'd recommend to teens who don't want to get engaged in the whole vampire, fantasy, romance type stuff.

[Sophie Constable · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am going to be brutally honest here. I hated this book. I had quite high hopes for it as the synopsis sounded awesome. However I was incredibly disappointed. I almost fell asleep several times while reading this and I have never fallen asleep while reading before. It took me forever to read because I was so bored. Normally I would read a book this size in a few hours but this book took me at least a week to read. I actually started hating reading while reading it. I don't recommend it to anyone and I am now of to read a good book and remind myself why reading is awesome.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I had to read this book for school and because the book is really short I didn't really have a good first impression at the beginning.
But I finally read this book in one go and found it quite interesting and captivating. I wondered how is was possibly going to work out as everything seemed irreversible.
At the end I even had tears in my eyes :) kuddos to you Tim Bowler!
I' m not quite sure about the rating, it wasn't *that* fantastic but I expected far less from it.
However I love the cover :)

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novella that will be popular with the teenagers who like the 'Cherub' series and like. A fast paced and action packed thriller that doesn't leave room for boredom. I was slightly bothered by the writing style as Bowler regularly fails to begin his sentences eg. 'No idea how I'm going to do this'. This could be an attempt to highlight the working class, poverty stricken character or a way to keep the pace going, nonetheless, it grated on me.

[Molly Tysle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poor Zinny; all that trouble. I didn't like this book. It is aimed at older teens, ones leaving school, I'd say. A lot of swearing. Despite all what I didn't like, I still became emotional at the end; happy that Zinny and family were okay. I don't recommend this book to be read by younger children.

[Abadi Shariful · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this book was quite interesting and adventurous. Even from the beginning of the book there was action which made me very intrigued. When you read the book you'll definitely feel bad for Zinny, the 15 year old boy running away from these men. There's a lot of swearing in this book so I guess that it's recommended towards older students, but overall it was an interesting book.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5stars picked this up based on blurb only - doubt i fit the target audience but the beginning and end and narration by the MC were quite good (took a bit to get used to his language) -the middle felt like it was reciting the same questions over and over, and then just reading a substantial amount of street directions which might appeal to some but not me so much

[Paola Santana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming soon.

[Sue Hyams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank goodness for long train journeys! Once I started this, I just couldn't stop. Read it in one day. I absolutely loved it. Real edge of your seat stuff.

[Karen Golden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantastic thriller by Tim Bowler. Fast pace and captivating.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and totally involving

[Ingrid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dnf

[Dali · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really enjoyed reading this book because this book is adventures. after reading this book it made Tim bowler one of my favorite authors.

[Libby Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know if it was me being dim, but I didn't get what was happening until chapter 33. Not my favourite. Lil weird.