Who Are You? by Joan Lowery Nixon

From the Publisher

From one of the foremost mystery writers for young adults comes a gripping double mystery about a high school student who finds out that a stranger has kept a secret file on her entire life.

Kristi Evans and her parents can't understand why police detectives are telling them that a man named Douglas Merson has been shot. They've never heard of him. But it becomes important when they learn that Mr. Merson has kept a secret file on Kristi for her entire life. Suddenly Kristi finds herself investigating who this man is and why he has intruded on her privacy.

When Kristi goes to see Mr. Merson in the hospital, she discovers he is a professional artist; he even offers to help her pursue her own dream of being an artist. Kristi has always wanted someone with whom she could share her passion for art. Her parents not only don't understand it, they want her to do something more practical. Now this stranger seems to be offering Kristi the piece that has been missing from her life all along, but at what cost to her relationship with her parents? Who is this man who seems too good to be true?

Cathy Young

Don't you hate it when your parents remind you over and over again to be more practical? Kristi Evans has that problem. Try as she might, she can't seem to convince her parents to allow her to attend a special art school over the summer. Even though she's won awards for her watercolors and her teacher tells her often that she has considerable talent, Kristi's parents want her to pursue a more responsible career (accounting, of course, because they are accountants) and take more practical classes.

Then, just as they are arguing about the summer art school for the 29th or 67th time, the doorbell startles Kristi and her parents and breaks up their shouting match. In walk two detectives with very serious expressions on their faces. How did Kristi and her parents know a wealthy man named Douglas Merson, who was shot in his home the night before? The detectives are surprised when each member of the Evans clan shakes his or her head in confusion. Kristi and her parents have never heard of this man. Why, then, the detectives ask, did they find a secret file in Douglas Merson's possession that contains photos of Kristi over the years, including pictures of her as a young child and newspaper clippings about her art awards?

Is Kristi being stalked? Why? Who is this stranger, Mr. Merson? What makes him so interested in Kristi?

Author Joan Lowery Nixon does it again! School Library Journal calls her the "grande dame of mysteries for young readers," and Who Are You? , her new page-turner, won't disappoint fans. In fact, as literature for teens grows more gritty and jaded by the season, it's refreshing to read about a nosy teen who's miles ahead of the adults in her life. Brave and determined, Kristi takes it upon herself to get to the bottom of this perplexing mystery. She goes directly to Merson himself, recovering in the hospital, for answers to the questions filling her mind. Readers will giggle as Kristi rescues people from murder attempts, uncovers art fraud, jumps out of burning buildings, and yet somehow manages to make it home in time to fix a meatloaf for her overworked parents.

Who Are You? is much more than a lively romp through the charmed life of a teenager, however. In trying to find out why Douglas Merson has kept such a detailed file on her over the years, Kristi comes to ask herself some very tough questions. Have her parents been keeping secrets from her? Why does Merson seem to appreciate Kristi's artistic talent even more than her parents do? Each clue she discovers creates yet another wrinkle in the mystery about Merson, the art world they both love, and the circumstances that have brought them together. At several points, Kristi must examine herself up close. Who is she? Who is her real family? Why is Kristi so different from the people she loves? And what does it mean when a stranger offers her the sort of understanding of which her parents seem incapable?

As we've come to expect from this author, the resolution of these curious threads will leave readers surprised, satisfied, and itching for Nixon's next fast-paced thriller!

--Cathy Young

Publishers Weekly

Edgar-winning author Nixon combines test tube babies, art dealers and forged masterpieces with the usual teen concerns like boyfriends and uncooperative parents to cook up her most recent fast-paced mystery. As the novel opens, 16-year-old Kristi Evans and her parents are puzzled when police show up at the house to inform them that a wealthy man, Douglas Merson, has been shot, and has been keeping a secret file on Kristi. Her parents, both accountants, are concerned but preoccupied (its tax season) and too busy to play private eyeor to notice that their daughters on the case. As she delves into the mystery, Kristi uncovers facts that prompt her to start questioning her past. She wants to be an artist, but her practical parents think its a foolish dream. On the other hand, Mr. Merson, whom she visits while he recovers from the shooting, respects her plans, is a painter himself, and offers to send her to art school. But why his interest in Kristi? Add to that a mysterious connection between Mersons son (under an alias) and Kristis mother, and the ingredients are here to hook and hold readers until all is resolved at the finish. Ages 12-up. (May)

KLIATT

The police arrive at Kristi Evans' door to question her about Douglas Merson, a wealthy art collector found shot in his home. The only problem is that Kristi, a high school student, doesn't know who Douglas is or why he has kept a folder on her. Kristi has artistic talent but her two pragmatic, accountant parents wish she would pursue a more stable and profitable career. She visits the injured man in the hospital because she wants to know why he is so interested in her. The 16-year-old Kristi wants to believe that Merson is her long-lost grandfather, via in vitro fertilization, and that he will finance her career in art. In her usual clever style, Nixon keeps the reader turning the pages. We find out a little bit about the art world. Fans of the author will certainly delight in this story, as well as newcomers to the mystery genre. KLIATT Codes: JS—Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 1999, Random House/Dell, 184p, 18cm, $4.99. Ages 13 to 18. Reviewer: Sherri Forgash Ginsberg; Chapel Hill, NC, May 2001 (Vol. 35 No. 3)

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9When a wealthy man is shot and seriously wounded, the police search his house and discover that he has been keeping a file on teenager Kristi Evanss life since her birth. Kristi and her parents do not know Douglas Merson, and he is unable to speak with them due to his injuries. Kristi goes to the hospital to confront him and arrives just in time to stop another attempt on his life. As she begins to investigate, she uncovers more mysteries. She also begins to question her place within her own family. A talented artist, Kristi is misunderstood by her accountant parents and finds herself attracted to Mersons interest in art. Then she learns that her mother and Mersons son, who used an assumed name, attended college together around the time she was born. Is there a connection between Merson and Kristi? Although filled with numerous twists and turns, the plot never attains anything more than a placid pace. Clues drop into Kristis lap and she is often in exactly the right place at the right time despite having to attend school, do homework, and cook meals for her family. Still, theres lots of action and Kristi is a likable heroine. A solid offering for mystery fans.Jane Halsall, McHenry Public Library District, IL Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

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