Fell Back

Fell #2

by M.E. Kerr

Doctor Lasher, who has given his son everything he ever wanted, naturally suspects that the boy was pushed rather than jumped from the top of a building, but only a troublesome classmate really knows what happened

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Mystery, Teen

181 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1989

About the author

M. E. Kerr was born Marijane Meaker in Auburn, New York. Her interest in writing began with her father, who loved to read, and her mother, who loved to tell stories of neighborhood gossip. Unable to find an agent to represent her work, Meaker became her own agent, and wrote articles and books under a series of pseudonyms: Vin Packer, Ann Aldrich, Laura Winston, M.E. Kerr, and Mary James. As M.E. Kerr, Meaker has produced over twenty novels for young adults and won multiple awards, including the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her lifetime contribution to young adult literature.

Reviews

[Lawrence FitzGerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marijane Meaker has written the exact same story back to back.

There are 32 plots, but only one story. Nothing is as it seems.
- Jim Thompson

Really? Yes, really. Of course I didn't know she was going to do it until it happened. And there were interesting things along the way.

There were many detailed descriptions of clothing some lengthy, some short, but all with with that telling detail.

She had on white sling-back shoes that made winter seem like June, and made her look like a bride.

What are sling-back shoes? Finally, I thought I caught a glimpse of Marijane, pounding furiously on her typewriter, beneath the John Fell costume. (I bet all her friends call her Meaker.) And it all started to make a bit more sense. Hey, I like girls too (hey, it's not the same! we'll get to that), but I don't know the names of the things they wear. First person John fell does.

Meaker's great strength is characterization. (One of the Goodreads reviewers of Fell #1 wrote "I learned everything I know about beguiling men from Delia Tremble." Indeed.) You can beguile women that way too. No matter where a relationship is on that vast LGBTQ+ spectrum, it is still a relationship between human beings. Yeah, trust and betrayal. Deem is different from Pingree and Nina was different from Delia, but they served the same purpose in the story.

Will Meaker go for the hat trick in Fell #3? Can she clothe the paper doll one last time beneath my all powerful (i.e., useless) scrutiny and bring it to life? I just gotta know.

[Greg Kerestan · Rating 4 out of 5]

M. E. Kerr's second prep school neo-noir novel in the "Fell" series is a little less dreamlike and surreal than the first installation, but it plants itself more firmly in reality to embrace noir completely. No wonder this novel was honored at the Edgar awards: it's twisty-turny, compelling and full of payoffs from much earlier, plus the characters are easy to latch onto and wonder about. Any fans of "Riverdale" or Rian Johnson's "Brick" should give this a go.

[Roderick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really a detective story, since (once again) he doesn't figure it out: it falls into his lap. Nor is there any romance: once more, girls are used by males, while the protagonist harbors some sexist ideas about the female sex.

[Ermy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly a great thriller, Kept me craving for more. The biggest downside: the suspense had a bit of a snag during the "chase" for the truth. The ending, though rather bland-ish, was justifiable so readers can wrap their heads around the finale as it transitions to the final book in the series.

[Melanie Schweiger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although these books are a little dated, I think my students would enjoy reading them...teen drama mixed with a little mystery.

[Ellen Thielen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 2nd in the series was better than the 1st. Now on to the 3rd...

[Kathleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

TCL

[Holly Deakyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

YA

[Devi · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me not as good as the first one - plot seemed much more forced. Follows the same formula with single first person narrator with a big twist at the end. Set up for the third book in series it appears as well.