Romancing The Rock

From the Back Cover:

When practically everyone you know hated your Dad, where do you start your search for his murderer?

Phil Roland is sure his dad’s death wasn’t an accident. Thousands of adults had hated him for designing a popular, but controversial, first–person shooter. Thousands of kids had hated him because he’d walked away with the rights to the game, before a sequel could be made. Now Phil’s got a plan to prove his dad didn’t just fall down a set of stairs. But getting that proof means getting in at Motive Games, getting Dad’s eccentric detective friend to help him investigate, and getting past his own grief.

In this fast-paced thriller, inspired by The Song of Roland, real-world technology collides head on with real-life dilemmas. The result is a high-tech murder mystery with heart, soul… and ultimately, hope.

Amanda’s Review:

High-tech murder mystery is exactly what this book is. Although aimed for younger readers, I thoroughly enjoyed following Phil’s journey as he tried to find out what really happened to his dad.

I probably only understood about half of the computer/gaming lingo, but it was enough to keep me on track with what was happening. And happily, if you don’t understand it all, there is a glossary at the end of each chapter. A true gaming enthusiast would have fun following all the links to more information — unless of course, they already know it all.

Lisa Taylor did a great job at portraying teen characters as well as some interesting adult characters as well. Motive Games kept me turning pages, particularly as it built to the climax. Recommended for teens and lovers of the gaming world.

About the Author:

After graduating from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada with a BA in English Literature and History, LD Taylor began a career in marketing for the 3D graphics and animation software industry. A few years before her family’s immigration to New Zealand in 2010, she decided to spearhead a family project that would combine one of her teenage sons’ interests (video games) with one of her own (mystery novels). In 2011 the resulting manuscript, Motive Games, won the Caleb Prize in the Young Adult category. Today, Taylor and her family live like pioneers in New Zealand’s Northland, taunting their family back in Canada with photos of exotic locally grown fruits and snowless winters.