Eye of the Sh*t Storm

January 25, 2021
Ford’s third Frost Files entry is hindered by its simplistic plot and underdeveloped secondary characters. Psychokinetic Teagan Frost has abandoned her dreams of becoming a chef to work as a government operative in a Los Angeles still recovering from the massive earthquake that occurred in Random Sh*t Flying Through the Air. After a run-in with a drug-dealing biker gang, Teagan and her team stumble upon Leo Nguyen, a powerful young boy with the ability to command electricity. Teagan wants to protect this child from her own government program, but her partners, Africa and Annie Cruz, feel otherwise. As Teagan and Leo are pursued by both Teagan’s team and a gifted menace known as the Zigzag Man, Ford works in many opportunities for Teagan to employ her telekinesis in altercations that often feel contrived. Despite frequent action scenes, there is relatively little tension as Teagan and Leo march through a broken L.A. Series fans will be pleased to see Jackson’s edgy and irreverent tone intact, but the predictable plot disappoints. Agent: Ed Wilson, Johnson & Alcock (U.K.).

March 15, 2021
In a post-quake Los Angeles, a psychokinetic government agent is on the run from...pretty much everyone. Seeing as Teagan was already in the middle of a high-speed chase with a murderous biker gang, not much could have made her day worse. Except maybe getting an accidental face full of the meth she stole from said biker gang. Now she'll have to deal with the next crisis while coming down from her unintended high. Because if there's one thing we know about psychokinetic government operative Teagan after two frenetically fast-paced adventures--most recently Random Sh*t Flying Through the Air (2020)--it's that there's always another crisis on the way. Sure enough, no sooner is the high-speed car chase situation resolved (with maximum destruction) than someone electrifies an entire building, which should be impossible, and Teagan's team is dispatched to figure out if this impossible situation might have been caused by another kid from the mysterious School, a kid with extranormal powers. Unfortunately, that means they're all a little too busy to worry about why their comms have been disrupted or who tipped off the biker gang that they were coming. Fans who've been along for the ride on Teagan's previous two outings know what to expect by now, and this third installment fully delivers, with a breakneck pace, high stakes, and plenty of wisecracks. This adventure sees Teagan separated from her team, on the run from the government, the aforementioned biker gang, and a truly terrifying adversary known as the Zigzag Man--in other words, pushed to her absolute limits both physically and emotionally. The result is gripping, suspenseful, and thoroughly enjoyable. An un-put-down-able, action-packed adventure that packs an emotional punch.

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May 14, 2021
In the third installment of the Frost Files (which began with The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t with Her Mind, 2019), Southern California is still reeling in the aftermath of a series of cataclysmic earthquakes. Psychokinetic superhuman Teagan Frost and her crew, China Shop, are on a mission to expose the shady dealings of a motorcycle club doing more than just biking. When Teagan accidentally spills the meth the club has been dealing, she gets a whiff of it, and her PK goes crazy. The action spirals out from there as Teagan struggles with her amped powers and a sudden, intense desire for more drugs. The team discovers a young boy trapped in an abandoned, electrified warehouse, and he also seems to have powers. He is scared of someone called the Zigzag Man, and Teagan must uncover the new antagonist's identity before he rips China Shop--and L.A.--apart. After the explosive events of Random Sh*t Flying through the Air (2020), Ford develops Teagan and her friends' characters further, setting up a big reveal for the next book. A solid entry promising more adventure to come.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 2, 2021

Psychokinetic wannabe-chef and sort-of government agent Teagan Frost is having a hell of a day. She and her fellow sort-of agents from China Shop Movers, an off-the-books CIA black-bag ops group, have been thrown off a 30-story balcony, stolen 40 pounds of meth, crashed into and collapsed the supports of a Los Angeles freeway bridge, and eaten the world's best fried chicken--all before noon. When yet another child escapee from the mysterious and elusive School makes his presence and his devastating electrical power known in Los Angeles, Teagan is determined to save Leo from being a lab rat at the hands of the government, as she once was. But L.A. has yet to recover from the devastation caused by the last School escapee, and impulsive Teagan will have to get her sh*t together if she wants to get little Leo to a safe place. VERDICT The third installment in Ford's "Frost Files" series, this novel is a non-stop adrenaline high. Fans of the series will be eagerly awaiting the further adventures of Teagan and her cohorts, and newcomers will quickly fall in love with Jackson's quirky cast of characters, imaginative storytelling, and wry wit.--Elisabeth Clark, West Florida P.L., Pensacola

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