Nickel plated by Aric Davis

If you need something done, and you need it done quiet, one of the best people to ask is Nickel - if he can't get it done then it isn't worth doing.  For years he has been building up his reputation, working quietly to stay under the radar so the cops don't catch on to what he is doing, and he defintely tries not to get noticed.  He has a nice little reputation, he can catch the cheating husbamds, he can track down your stolen goods - he can also sell some high quality pot to raise funds and do all kinds of dodgy thigns to make a living.  What Nickel really excels at though is catching the people who hurt children, the people who trade in the misery of children - not bad for someone who is just a kid himself.

When Arrow comes looking for help, Nickel accepts the job almost straight away - who wouldn't with a little sister missing and a client who makes his heart do all kinds of funny things.  Too bad the case is serious and nasty, leaving very little time for Nickel to hang out with Arrow and planty of time for things to go wrong.  Living a busy life is a challenge, especially when he is balancing several cases and some interesting personal missions on the side, but Nickel quickly realises that this case is going to get very personal very quickly and he may just be in over his head.

Nickel plated was a surprising deep and intense book, despite the relatively small size of the novel.  I was hooked on the story from the start, and while the writing was not very polished (it was a debut novel after all) it was a book that read as very real - Nickel was both easy and hard to connect to, his backstory one that would make most adults squirm more than a little.  Arrow was an interesting character and provided some rather amusing "boy" moments, and the other chracters in the "cast" helped to round out Nickel's world and make it more believable.  

This is a book that I would peg as more one for the guys than for mixed company reading, just because the voice of the book is so amazing - I seriously hope that Davis either writes more in this series (please please please) or writes more books fullstop because he has an amazing "raw" voice that comes across as very genuine for his young male character.  The subject matter wont appeal to everyone as it does include some pretty serious child abuse, but older teens should be able to cope with the subject matter - they may even know someone who has been through something similar.

If you like this book then try:

• Agent 21 by Chris Ryan
• I hunt killers by Barry Lyga
• Trafficked by Kim Purcell
• Living dead girl by Elizabeth Scott
• Street dreams by Tama Wise
• Such a pretty girl by Laura Wiess

Reviewed by Brilla