SuitabookFoul Play
Tom Palmer
- Reading
- If kidnapping or threatened violence may be difficult, read the opening together and pause before the most suspenseful sections. Afterwards, separate the football mystery from the emotional impact of the danger.
- Themes
- Sport and crime: Danny’s love of City FC is connected to his investigation into the disappearance of a favourite player and the actions of a football chairman. The book leaves its stance open to more than one reading.
- Young people facing danger: Fourteen-year-old Danny investigates a serious crime and becomes exposed to pursuit, shooting, abduction and a threatened execution. The plot places a young protagonist in danger, but there is insufficient information to judge whether his actions are presented as admirable, reckless or something more complicated.
- Suspense and threat: The mystery begins when Danny witnesses Sam Roberts being taken and develops into threats against Danny himself. The premise clearly aims to create suspense through escalating danger, though the emotional balance between excitement and distress cannot be determined.
- Worth knowing
- Consider whether the suspense feels exciting or unsettling, particularly around the kidnapping, pursuit and threatened execution. Check in afterwards about which dangers felt most serious and how Danny responded.