Book Review: The Traz

The Traz (Book 1 of the Back Tracker series)

By: Eileen Schuh

Published By: Kastle Harbour Publishing
Release Date: May 16, 2011
Buy it at Amazon

Source: Provided by Author

Audience: Young Adult

My Thoughts:

The Traz is well written and beautifully set up. The author definitely has a plan for the whole series, and its gonna be good. That’s the impression that grabbed me immediately.  The author is not afraid to go “there” with it – I would imagine most writers would shy away from a darker, less Disneyfied version of the life of a 13 year old girl who’s beautiful and wealthy. (Yes, I’m making up words again.) And hey! Guess what? Not a vamp or shifter in sight, which is always a nice break.

What we do have is a young girl, Katrina, with a chronically depressed alcoholic for a mother, and a loving father who is also a police officer. She's brilliant, gorgeous and horribly out of place in school and life in general and acts out by sneaking out late at night to hang out in the streets. And that’s before the bottom drops out of her world when her parents are killed in a car accident. Deeply grieving and lost, she gets tangled up with the Traz, a motorcycle gang that make cocaine deals and all sorts of unsavory goings-on, and Shrug wants her mad hacking skills on his team. (Think Sons of Anarchy meets iCarly) Her only protection and solace is Shrug, the man who says little and is built like a mountain. And don’t worry, it isn’t a creepy situation between the two of them. Growing pains and immaturity are heightened in the pressure cooker of the compound as Katrina desperately tries to figure herself out and keep her skin intact.

So here’s the bottom line: I enjoyed The Traz very much. The only thing that kept me from giving it more birdies was I felt there was too much left unanswered – But it’s the first book in a series, and its suppose to be that way. That’s a personal thing with me, and I can’t wait to see Katrina grow up and become a kick-ass woman. Poor Chad of the big brown eyes won’t stand a chance, since she’s already decided they’re soul mates. And I want to know if Shrug lived. Will Katrina apologize to him for her wild and erratic, if a bit immature, and undoubtedly dangerous behavior?  These are things I want to know! Also the whole tone of the book is fast-paced and edgy, just like riding a motorcycle. The talent for story telling and emotion is all up front and in your face from the first page and I just love that.

Phrase I’m Now Hooked on After Reading The Traz: Shit-all. (I just can’t help myself. I love a good curse and if my husband keeps rolling his eyes every time I shove it into conversation, his eyes are going to get stuck that way. Just saying.)

Synopsis:

Katrina is thirteen, wealthy, grieving, and alone. But she is more than that. She's intelligent, beautiful, and intrigued by the dangers of street life.

Shrug's a giant of a man with a voice of thunder and eyes of granite. He has tattoos, The Traz gang patch, and a motorbike. When he asks Katrina if she wants a ride, she makes a decision that will change her life forever.

Katrina quickly discovers the violent side of life on The Traz compound. However, there is no way for her to escape until she meets Chad—an undercover cop with rich brown eyes, a gentle chuckle, and a plan to rescue Katrina from the clutches of the gang. However, there's a problem.

Somebody is keeping dangerous secrets from them both.

The Traz Book Trailer