The Rag and Bone Shop

The Rag and Bone Shop by Robert Cormier, 2001. 176 pages.  Published by Laurel Leaf. Source: Bought.

Terse and terrifying, this final book from Cormier will leave a lasting impression. Jason, almost 13, is a shy, ineffectual child, who takes being bullied as a matter of course--but if he sees someone else being pushed around, he may strike back. When the seven-year-old girl who lives next door is murdered, Jason is horrified. He was the last one to see her alive. He wants to do everything he can to help find the killer, so when the police come calling, he tells them all he knows. What he doesn't know is that Trent, a detective adept at extracting confessions, has been called into the case--and Trent has Jason in his sights as the murderer. Cormier presents a cat-and-mouse game so tense that readers will feel they must escape the pages just as Jason wants to extricate himself from the stuffy, cell-like room where his interrogation is taking place.

First Sentence:

"Feeling Better?"

The main reason I bought The Rag and Bone Shop was that it sounded like an interesting read, and boy was I right. I could NOT put this book down and was literally holding my breath throughout the entire book as Robert Cormier left me reeling with such a suspenseful read.

I think The Rag and Bone Shop is just one of those books were you either love it or don't. I loved the Mr. Cormier's writing in it because it was just simply amazing; and the fact that the book was so short yet so gripping also (in my opinion) makes it that so much better.
I fear I'll be rambling for the rest of the review, so I'll just say here that The Rag and Bone Shop is brilliant and just read the rest of my review and you'll see what I thought.

I think the character I felt for the most in The Rag and Bone Shop was Jason with what he went through concerning the murder of Alicia the little girl he was friends with. But what really gets me is what happens to him at the end of the book, and how the constant pressure that Trent put on him to confess that he was Alicia's killer, basically left him broken. I would go further into it, but then I'd totally give away the end.
I absolutely loathed Trent. He was a foul loathsome beast who only wanted to further his career and cared nothing for the psyches of those he interrogated, even IF they were innocent. I could understand the tactics he used to get some one to confess, but when they're innocent and you just keep pushing till they confess to what ever crime they are being accused of, now that is just wrong. While I didn't like him in the least, his character definitely cranked up the sense of desperation and suspense in the book which made it nearly impossible to put down.

I am finding it hard to put into words just why I liked The Rag and Bone Shop so much, but it might just have to do with the fact that it had me on edge for the entire book. I never once believed that Jason had killed the little girl, but you I kept wondering if maybe I had read him wrong. So I sepnt th entire book think did he or didn't he (I NEED to know).
   The Rag and Bone Shop is one of the rare books where I don't have any complaints about it because it was just simply amazing.

Final Verdict: The Rag and Bone Shop just absolutely blew my mind with how good it was. It will leave you breathless.

The Rag and Bone Shop earns 5 out of 5 pineapples.