Who Are You? [Mass Market Paperback]

Joan Lowery Nixon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 13, 2001

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?

Editorial Reviews

From 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.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 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 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf (February 13, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440227577
• ISBN-13: 978-0440227571
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,093,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For all those Joan Lowery Nixon fans-one is great!, November 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Who are You? (Hardcover)

I've been reading Nixon's books for about four years and this was another winner for her. I wouldn't recommend this book for first time readers but if you've read a few of her books and are looking for another one "Who Are You?" is what I would choose. For first time readers I suggest the book "Whispers From the Dead" that is my personal favorite. Still, if you like suspense this is a thriller, it starts out slow but picks up pace really fast!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Joan Lowery Nixon Book Yet, June 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Who are You? (Hardcover)

I have been a fan of Joan Lowery Nixon for a long time, and have read almost all of her YA suspense. This is the best one yet. She takes many different plots and weaves them together to create a rollercoaster of a story. This is a must read for anyone who enjoys mysteries. JLN fans will not be disapointed. I hope she wins another Edgar for this one.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but Nixon's done better, June 23, 2005

By 

DancinAngel "Ash" (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Who Are You? (Mass Market Paperback)

Ok, i bought this book b/c it had soo many good reviews and it was a part of LOTS of those "get this book and buy Who Are You? at a discount!" thingys, so i figured it was supposedly some sort of featured item, that was really good. Plus, from what i had read in the reviews, the idea of a man "stalking" her sounded interesting. (i know, really creepy feeling, but i don't care) Well, i read it with high hopes. I enjoyed it none the less but i've definately read better Nixon books.

In the book, Kristi Evens and her family are told that a man named Douglas Merson has been shot. It doesn't meen anything to them until they found out that he has had a secret file with everything about Kristi since her birth. She suddenly finds the urge to know who he is and why he has a secret file on her. Unfortunately, the attempted murderer (who no one knows who or why they did this, Mr. Merson seemed to be kept to himself a lot) isn't satisfied with the fact that he didn't die, they still want to finish him off. But once Kristi finds a little too much about him and his aquantances, it doesn't only become a fight to save his life, but also, her own. Who is this person who is trying to kill Mr. Merson, and why does Mr. Merson have so much money, without an obvious job? And most important of all, why does he have such a strong interest in Kristi?

The ONLY problem i have with this book, is the ending. It seems, as someone has mentioned in other reviews, that someone forgot, or merely didn't want to finish the ending, so instead some editor or someone just stuck a rather BAD paragraph, compared to the rest of the book, and Nixon's writing as a whole, on the end and said "there, done!" Overall, though, it was a pleasurable book.