Flash

by Michael Cadnum

When two teenage brothers bungle a bank robbery, their attempt to hide the evidence is witnessed―aurally―by Terrence, a legally blind neighbor. Terrence tells his girlfriend, Nina, and her brother, who then disappears with a handgun. Nina is afraid of what he might do to the brothers. But she also has every reason to fear what the brothers will do to Terrence. Flash ingeniously interweaves the stories of two who are hellbent on a destructive path, two who stand in their way, and one whose actions may be the spark to set the whole thing off.

Genres: Young Adult, Thriller, Adventure

240 pages, Hardcover

First published June 15, 2010

About the author

Michael Cadnum has had a number of jobs over the course of his life, including pick-and-shoveler for the York Archaeological Trust, in York, England, and substitute teacher in Oakland, California, but his true calling is writing. He is the author of thirty-five books, including the National Book Award finalist The Book of the Lion. His Calling Home and Breaking the Fall were both nominated for the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Award. He is a former Creative Writing Fellow of the National Endowment for the Arts. Also a poet, he has received several awards, including Poetry Northwest's Helen Bullis Prize and the Owl Creek Book Award. Michael lives in Albany, California, with his wife Sherina.

Reviews

[Silvestre Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever read a book so interesting, you couldn't put it down? If not this is Definitely the book for you. The genre of this book is realistic fiction. This book was so good it was really intense, it had you wanting to go onto the next page and so on.

So Milton and Bruce are two brothers, Milton is the older one and Bruce is the younger one. Their mom, is in really bad shape health wise and she needs money. Milton and Bruce get an idea that they would rob a bank for their mother. So they steal a old Ford Taurus and they went on the heist. They took the first bag of money just like they agreed not to, and once they opened the bag a green dye exploded. A helicopter was looking for them so they abandoned the car and went through the sewage. They ended up in the woods, where they would dig up all the evidence and go on with there lives. But one of their neighbors, Terrence who was blind and could see very little was in the woods filming the birds noises. Terrence then told his girlfriend Nina, And the two brothers found out. They planned on killing Terrence, but Milton did not want to see his little brother get involved with a murder so he switch the guns with a cigarette lighter that looked like a gun. The went to the woods when they saw Terrence go to the woods to bird film and had him at gun point. Nina knew and went for Terrence in the woods. Bruce tried to shoot but it was just fire.The setting for this book is the San Francisco Bay Area in California. This is relevant to the book because in this area a lot of violence happens. The conflict for this book is person vs. person because Milton and Bruce want to kill Terrence for seeing them.

I was moved by the characters said that their mother needed money so they are going to rob a bank because, those are true sons risking their lives for their mothers sake, its really touching i would do the same for my mother. In the text it says on page 5,"Milton thought luck had long ago abandoned his mother, and he felt sorry for her. She was in bad health, and needed cash. Milton was determined to see that she would get it. "just don't take the first bag of money they give you," Milton repeated. Also, I was angry when the bag of money exploded on the two brothers because that meant that their mother did not get the money the two were so determined to get for her. In the text it says on page 82 "The green dye smeared all over, and Bruce's face had become as green as the rest of him."

The main characters problem was making sure that Terrence did not tell anyone else that he had seen the two brothers in the woods. I know this because, in the text it says on page 100 " practicing? Terrance asked, not liking the new,unsettled sound in Milton's voice. "In case we have to do it for real. Milton laughed, as if he was telling a funny story. So you know how, said Terrance, playing along with the troubling comedy in Milton's voice. That's right, Milton said so if someone said they seen us digging on our property.
Also a major event that changed the character Milton was almost at the end because he did not want to see his younger brother get involved with a murder. In the text it says on page 209 " Milton did not want his younger brother to bloody his hands with murder. And before Milton wanted Bruce to actually kill Terrance so we can see that he changed.

In conclusion, i give this book a 5 out of 5 stars because it really is a good book that you get all perspectives of, from the the hunters to the hunted. I recommend this book to people who like action because there is a lot of it in this book. So if you want a book that you wont be able to put down, check out Flash by Michael Cadnum.

[Bethany Miller · Rating 1 out of 5]

Brothers Bruce and Milton attempt to rob a bank, but they aren’t more than three blocks from the bank when the bag of cash explodes filling the car with green smoke and covering them both with green dye. Later as they attempt to bury the evidence in the woods behind their house, Terrence, a young man whose eyesight is so bad that he is considered legally blind, wanders by and senses that something isn’t right. Even though the brothers know that he will not be a reliable witness, they decide that they will have to do something to silence him. Terrence’s passion is recording bird songs, and the brothers know that he will be out late at night attempting to record an owl. They think that might be their chance to eliminate him as a possible witness. Meanwhile, Terrence’s girlfriend Nina is dealing with another set of problems. Her father’s business may be going under and her brother has just returned from Iraq and doesn’t seem like himself. He was wounded in the line of duty but seems reluctant to tell her how exactly it happened. When a “friend” from the army shows up looking for him, Nina suspects something is very wrong. More twists and turns occur as the various character take steps to solve their problems, and they all come together in an explosive conclusion.

To say that this book has some major flaws is an understatement. The novel shifts between the points of view of five characters, all of whom are two-dimensional and difficult to relate to. Though the book includes events that should be exciting - a bank robbery, a police chase, a shooting, a wild fire - the author never succeeds in building suspense. The author spends a lot of time describing meaningless details, such as an entire chapter devoted to Terrence listening to birds, but rushes through the more important scenes such as the bank robbery in the beginning and the climax at the end. Many of the minor conflicts are never resolved such as Terrence’s chance to have eye surgery and Nina’s quest to get her photography shown in a gallery. The resolutions to the two major conflicts felt rushed and unsatisfying. Though this book seems to be intended for reluctant readers with its short chapters and simplistic style of writing, most will be turned off by the long passages spent describing minor characters and other details that do not advance the plot. The cover and the book jacket give the impression that novel will be filled with action and suspense, but the book does not fulfill the promise of its cover.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

To sum up in a word: awkward. The plot was choppy, characters were wooden and language wasn't used wisely. I liked the concept of the story, but everything about this made it difficult to get invested. MilTon and Bruce were overly thuggish, Nina and Terrence seemed middle-aged instead of youthful, and Carraway was hard to understand.

The attempted robbery was clumsy, as were the witness' responses to it.

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by the author: I was not impressed! His language is "clunky" - descriptions/thoughts/dialogue. The story was interesting but the characters were 2 dimensional - I couldn't feel anything for any of them. Because it was short and "not so bad" I felt I could finish it, though.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flash is a unique tale shifting between four central characters. Told in third person, the reader still gets to know each person strongly as well as a few accessory characters that still play strong roles. Both a story of action and advancement as well as character development and progression, Flash paints a realistic portrait of desperation and skewed judgments.

Bruce and Milton, brothers both as alike as they are different, are the central players in this story, focused on trying to make a quick buck by robbing a bank. From the formation of the idea and planning to the actual heist and subsequent fall out, the way these two both like and resent each other is bold and brash. Their reasons and motivations are understandable despite the outcome and actions, and both are pitched in a sympathetic light. Their criminal mindset and justifications are tremendously well played. Cadnum does a remarkable job portraying and expanding both boys, tugging at the reader in favor of them.

Terrence witnesses not the bank heist but the subsequent attempt to cover it up. Despite his very poor vision, he hears enough and puts together enough- strengthened by his distrust of the brothers- to pose a risk. The fear he feels, determination towards good, and motivations are realistic. He is a great contrast to not only the brothers’ personalities but also their views and way of life.

Nina is Terrence’s girlfriend and plays her own strong role in the overall plot. Torn between her affection and desire to protect Terrence and the unexpected return of her solider brother, Nina’s story is both separate and intertwined with Bruce and Milton’s. She allows for a shift from some of the main plot, having her own story arcs that add extra intrigue throughout.

The writing is gritty and bold, pitched in a succinct, straight forward manner and holds interesting insights throughout. Opposing views clash and blend and force the reader to put in their own take on things rather than falling into one character’s bias. Overall, the plot keeps a strong pace and the four character’s plights blend together before reaching a powerful climax. The implications and lingering ramifications are ones that come out in waves, subtle things not immediately known.

Though I’m not one to require a completely tied up, happy ending, I did feel as though something was lacking at the end of this book. While normally I am able to understand and appreciate why an author ended a book certain way- even if not the ending I would have liked- I had a harder time with this one. I stayed engaged and engrossed throughout, only to feel as though I was suddenly in front of a cliff at the end. Apart from feeling as though there could have been slightly more tie ups, this book is overall a success and a hit.

Cadnum has strong characters, fantastic and unique writing, and a challenging plot all tied together in Flash. There are few books matching in style and the plot execution is, overall, well played. Despite the third person narrative, there is a strong connect to the various characters and their personalities, quirks and desires are well portrayed.

[Dakota Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book "the Flash" by Michael Cadnum was such a good book. It is not everyday that a book gets me so into reading that I couldn’t stop. The book drew me in and made me believe that I was there watching every single move that the characters made. I really do recommend reading this book do to how many multiple personalities you are reading about. I really enjoyed this book and I am wondering if there will every be a movie based on the book because I would love to go and watch the movie as well. I know most people don’t like it when a book immediately heads right into the plot of the story and moves on from there but, I believe that for those of you who don’t like when a book starts from the plot, would really love this book and I encourage you to read it. I will tell you this though, there are a few disappointment in the book and the book does relate to real life situations, but should still be read. The book "The Flash" is ingeniously interweaving the story of two brothers who are hellbent on a destructive path, and a brother and sister who stand in their way, and one whose actions may be the spark to set the whole thing off.

[Anand Chokshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book had lots of action. The one thing I don't understand is why Milton ran? Did he got caught? I would say some of the characters are really complex and confusing. Overall, it was satisfying and I'd finished the book.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the story and plot, but I didn't really get into the book.

[Devin]

i really liked this book. it was very exciting

[Ali]

so far its a good book

[Ahmo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book

[Jadyn Jondle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whoop whoop! All you could hear for miles were the sound of firetrucks on their way to save some lives. Flash by Michael Cadnum was very interesting book with many exciting events. Even though this book had a good story line, there were many things I did not like. Out of five stars, I would rate this a three. This book is from the perspective of five different characters which makes it confusing. Throughout this book I don’t feel like I can connect with anything happening in the story due to the lack of detail. The author also does not do a good job of building suspense, even though that is the main point of the story. Flash could be a really great read if a few minor flaws were changed.
If I were to add one thing to this book, I would add description. I feel like the author tried to scrunch a complex story line into as minimal pages as possible, and to accomplish this Cadnum took out description. The characters in this book weren’t built up well either. You didn't know enough about the characters to connect on a personal level. This made it harder to get into the book. While reading this book Cadnum didn’t try to catch the reader's attention. Cadnum was very straight up with parts and didn’t use suspense to grab our attention. If he would’ve tried to lead us on a little more it would’ve made everything a lot more interesting.
Although Cadnum had some components missing in his book that made it a little boring, there were also many things that made this book decent. The plot grabs your attention. There are many events that contributed to this plot and made it interesting. Cadnum used a very exciting storyline that led to suspense. Sometimes the suspense wasn’t executed very well, but it made up for the lack of details in other areas.
After reading this book, I would rate it three stars out of five. The storyline had a well thought concept, but the suspense wasn’t very well executed. I also found it hard to connect on a personal level due to the lack of very discreet detail. This genre doesn’t interest me much, so I didn’t think that Cadnum grabbed my attention very well; the book had a very slow start. I think that some people would really like this read, but many may not. Read, yourself, to find out!

[Jose Navedo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Flash is very interesting to read. I would recommend the book to anyone, it is very interesting, has a good plot and presents events that happen in life today with teenagers. The book is told in third person and you get to know the main characters very well, their thoughts, feelings and their form of being. It may be difficult for some readers because they can get lost in the shifting between the two stories of the Bouchard brothers and Nina. The book is very related to today difficulties that happen to teenagers with family and economic problems. As the Bouchards, their dad died and try to find money in any way to maintain their family. In the other shift, Nina doesn't have a mom and his dad is not there most of the time. We see how his brother gets mad at his old boss as he doesn't get his job back.

[太一 邱 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book talks about robbing a bank and the conflict from it. The story talks a lot about how each character's own problem and how they interact with each other. I think this book is really interesting and getting to see what will people do in extreme situations and forced movements are really interesting. The book mostly involved with 4 characters, 2 robbers and 2 witnesses. Their interactions are pretty realistic and interesting. If you are into crime stories or horror plots, this book will be a good choice for you. The ending was kinda confusing and weird but it has the vibe of mistory in it.

[Zach Ross]

I think that Michael Cadnum wanted to bring awareness to a topic. He wanted to show how life is becoming more influential and crime related among teenagers. The book portrayed the thought process behind two teenagers as they performed a robbery. They just wanted to fit in with their friends and be "cool." This is also true with many teenagers in the real world. Although they may not go out and rob a place, they can get influenced to do something they know is wrong. The author wanted to show the kind of dilemmas that high school students can face.

The title showed what the theme of the book was. Life, especially as a teenager, goes by in a flash. There are so many decisions to make that can affect the rest of your life, and not enough time to think about them. The two teenagers made a bad decision that will haunt them for the rest of their lives. If they would have sat down and thought about their decisions, they would have made a much better one. Before you know it, the weekend can be over and you did something you regret. This is why the name of the book is Flash. The decision they made and the way in played out went by so fast, there was not any time to react before it was done.

The author's style was a mix between a description and an exposition. The author wanted to make the reader feel like they were experiencing it with the other characters. That is why it was written in third person, like the reader was another character in the book. He used this descriptive style as a way to bring awareness to the life of a teenager. This was a very effective way to write because it combined the two best styles into one good story. The details from the descriptive style made it exciting to read because you were in the story, and the objective behind the exposition showed that the author had a clear, set idea for the book.

This book was exhilarating from start to end. The topic was one that always catches readers eyes because there will be a lot of action. I knew that it was about a robbery and this meant that I would have to be thinking throughout the book. I like reading books like these because they keep me intrigued until the end. If you do not have to think throughout the book, then it is not a very exciting book. The ending was a little dry compared to the rest of the book because I had to tie a couple loose ends up myself without the book telling me, but I wanted to think throughout the book and that is what happened even at the end.

[Cornmaven · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointing book. There's only one character who is truly a sympathetic one, and Cadnum did not make him the focus of the book. Frankly, I wasn't sure what the focus of the book was. Most of the characters are pretty much psychopaths. The story is told in a really detached, psychopathic way and you don't really know what the story is supposed to be about. It could have been a tragic epic with a horrible climactic end or a tense thriller or something else. I got the feeling Cadnum really didn't know what to do with it, but kept on writing.

I kept on reading mostly because it wasn't that long a book and I kept hoping something would gel, but it didn't. Many of the sentences uttered by the characters were kind of strange. I couldn't even figure out how old most of the people were supposed to be.

I would doubt highly that teens would like this book very much. The cover's cool, though.

[Abigail · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehh... not feeling it. I'm sorry, but there was something too odd about this book to me. Everyone felt creepy and entirely hatable. I'm supposed to feel bad for the semi-blind kid because he brags about the fact that he's becoming blind? I'm supposed to feel badly for the murder-inclined brother because he was at war?

In a good book, yes, I should have felt badly for those characters anyway. But this book entirely - and when I say entirely, I mean entirely - failed at delivering any compassion. It was an interesting premise I suppose, and the parallel of money struggles was interesting, but otherwise... completely missed its mark. The storytelling was interesting I suppose, as was the brothers' relationship, but seeing the characters come together was anti-climactic and rather silly.

I could go through the rest of the things I hated about this book (there were many others!), but I have better things to do.

[Sherri · Rating 2 out of 5]

This YA novel focuses on one destructive day in the life of several characters: the war hero freshly back from Iraq, his sister who carries the financial worries of their family, her nearly blind boyfriend who hears about a crime and the two brothers who commit the crime and are willing to do whatever it takes to avoid getting caught. Flash is just one matchstick away from total combustion...however, I felt it was weak in many places. It was interesting to read a novel that occurred just during one day, but there was not enough fleshing out of all of the characters so that we really cared about them. Some characters' actions/words seemed too unbelievable or real. This book had the potential to be a true powder keg, but I think it fizzled.

[Jonah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book Flash by Michael Candum was not one of my favorites for sure. It was a book about two brothers that were planing on robbing a bank for money to help out their mother, their side of the book is more interesting than the other characters.this part is about a family of a brother who is coming home from the war to his sister and father. his father isnt home because he works all around the world. this book didnt appeal to me because of the constant back and forth between stories but in the end they tie in together. I dont want to give too much away but the two brothers wind up robbing the bank but the cashier puts a dye bomb that explods all over the money and is usless. i didnt understand much of the other part a whole lot.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story has a great set-up, and maintains the suspense...most of the way through. Two brothers plan a bank robbery, and it's all going well until the dye pack explodes during getaway. A girl and her older brother witness a bank robber fleeing the scene, but he is masked. The girl's boyfriend sees two brothers burying something. The brothers might be willing to kill to protect themselves, but the witness is legally blind. Maybe he didn't "see" anything incriminating; then again, maybe he did. All the pieces gradually come together in a climactic stand-off. The ending fizzled a bit, but not in a way I can easily explain. Maybe it's just me.

[Jody Bachelder · Rating 2 out of 5]

Milton and Bruce are brothers who have an idea -- a very bad idea. They're going to rob a bank. But they haven't thought this through very well, and of course everything goes wrong. Not to mention there's a witness. This could have been a tightly crafted thriller, but instead it's a jumble of characters who might have been interesting given a chance, and a plot full of dead ends. It felt like the author included every random thought he had without bothering to complete them. And this was a National Book Award finalist!

[Abigail · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise and plot of this book are pretty good, but it's not very well executed. The characters are clunky, and there are to many of them being treated as main characters for the plot at hand. It creates to many side plots and to many other things going on, while also not giving any of them a chance to develop. The prose is also really stiff and makes it difficult to read, the book stumbles onward instead of progressing.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn to this story because of the amazing cover. A bank robbery gone wrong, a blind witness, and a gun. Multiple stories converge in an event that will change lives. Started out slow with the back story. Reluctant readers may be confused by the multiple points of view and ambiguous conclusion.

[Judy]

When two teenage brothers bungle a bank robbery, their attempt to hide the evidence is witnessed—aurally—by Terrence, a legally blind neighbor. Terrence tells his girlfriend, Nina, and her brother, who then disappears with a handgun. Nina is afraid of what he might do to the brothers. But she also has every reason to fear what the brothers will
Nail-biting thriller FIC Cadnum 334334

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very different teen novel for me. Lately I either read realistic fiction where the main subject is a romantic relationship or a fantasy novel where it's completely new territory. So this is realistic fiction but it has a crime novel with a variety of different real life situations so it should be an easy sell to teens, especially boys.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've finally given up, it was due back at the library anyway. I probably would have made it the whole way through this if it weren't for the pile of more appealing books constantly growing on my desk.
It was simply not interesting enough for me to bother to pick up and finish. Maybe the next two-thirds would have been amazing but now I'll never know...

[Josephine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel is a grim story about how far people would go for the sake of money. It starts out with multiple plots, and it is interesting to read and see how they tie together as the story progresses. It was especially intriguing to see how every character was affected by others’ acts of desperation.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cadnum is one of the best authors writing for young adults these days. He's got a talent for historical and realistic fiction. This story is a taut, fast-moving suspenseful story with great characters and sharp insight into the criminal mind. Stunning cover art.

[Jamie]

I think this book was striving for minimalism, but what it achieved was just superficial confusion. Multiple points of view, which don't converge in a realistic way, just add to the confusion. I was almost finished with the book and still couldn't remember who and why characters were.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very enigmatic...