Mojo

By Tim Tharp

All Dylan wants is mojo. What is mojo? It's power. The ability to command respect. It's everything Dylan doesn't have. He gets no respect at school, and when he finds the dead body of a classmate, even the police push him around. All the thanks he gets for trying to help the investigation with his crime drama skills is a new nickname at school: Body Bag. So when Dylan hears about a missing rich girl from the other side of town, he jumps at the chance to dive into this mystery. Surely if he cracks a case involving a girl this beautiful and this rich, he'll get not only a hefty cash reward, but the mojo he's looking for. 

His investigation takes him into the world of an elite private high school and an underground club called Gangland. As Dylan—along with his loyal friends Audrey and Randy—falls down the rabbit hole, lured by the power of privilege, he begins to lose himself. And the stakes of the game keep getting higher.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Apr 9, 2013
• ISBN: 9780375895807

Tim Tharp

Tim Tharp lives in Oklahoma, where he writes novels and teaches in the Humanities Department at Rose State College. In addition to earning a master’s degree in creative writing from Brown University, he has also spent time as a factory hand, construction laborer, psychiatric aide, record store clerk, and long-distance hitchhiker. Tharp is the author of three other highly acclaimed novels for young adults: Knights of the Hill Country, Badd, and Mojo.

Reviews for Mojo

[destinyisntfree · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had applied a while back for the Ambuzzador Program through RandomBuzzers, a division of Random House, not expecting anything and not even knowing what book would be coming if I was selected. So when Mojo showed up in my mailbox, I had to do some serious backtracking to figure out where it had come from.

I really had no idea what to expect when I read the book. It didn't seem like my usual kind of book, but I entered into it with a very open mind. I had a few false starts, having started reading the book when I first got it, and then setting it aside for some books with more pressing deadlines. I picked the book up again a few days ago and read through it completely. It was nothing like what I expected and yet, completely and totally blew me away.

I am giving it four stars only because there were a few scenes that are just a little too far fetched for me. I mean, realistically, what would you do if you landed in a dumpster next to a dead body? Would you be able to remain calm and stay there trying to hide from the dudes chasing you? Because let me tell you, I would have completely crapped my pants and screamed like the girl I am.

The characters, though, for the most part were believable and well rounded, fitting in with the story line well. With one notable exception. Randy really bugged me and I am not sure why. Something about him just seemed. Irritating and annoying. Maybe I have a bias against characters who serve no purpose other than to run their mouths and cause drama. Maybe that is my issue and I should not take it out on authors. But lets be honest, if we have a character in a book that bugs us, it is going to affect how we feel about the book, right? I am not alone in this, am I?

But the storyline was awesome. The rich kids versus the "wrong side of the tracks" concept? I could totally see it going down like that. Fair warning to those faint of heart, however, is that this book does get a bit violent. There is death and drugs and illegal activity, and if your sensibilities are offended by such things, you should not read this book.

Amazon bills this book as suitable for 12 and up, but I am not sure I agree with that. I would not feel comfortable recommending this one to someone under 15 unless they had a very solid maturity level and were able to clearly and securely separate fiction from reality, but that is just my "mom" point of view on that one.

[lilibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dylan wants some mojo. Every since he found Hector Maldonado's body in a dumpster, people are calling him body bag. When a rich girl from another high school goes missing, Dylan decides to use his investigative reporting skills to help find her.

[sincethedawnoftime · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mojo by Tim Tharp is an amazing story. I loved it. I have to admit though that before I began it I wasn’t all that intrigued, I thought it would be one of those mysteries where you could guess the ending, but with Mojo you couldn’t. Tim jumps right into the plot. He writes very detailed descriptions but not with ones you don’t care about. They are the ones that ultimately lead to the outcome or ones that make it so we can feel sympathy or animosity towards the separate characters.He also, right from the beginning explains where the title came from. Dylan is tired of being called “Body Bag” and tells Audrey that he needs mojo or power and then he will get the respect he deserves. Then he comes up with a plan to get mojo with Audrey’s help. The whole novel is weaved together with care. Shocking discoveries are made at the right moments. Even Dylan gets shocked by the outcomes of his search. We, along with Dylan are mislead as to who the culprit is. His search leads him to many rash conclusions and decisions. Along the way he learns that he is not only solving one mystery but two and that they are interconnected. We are lead to believe that innocent people are guilty of heinous crimes and the wrong people are perceived to be the good ones. This is what leads to the shocking conclusion.His characters are complex and believable. They are people that I know. Randy and Dylan set the whole story into motion. Randy is a smart mouthed person. He’s not afraid of anyone or anything and that gets them into trouble with two big guys and when they run away from them. Dylan jumps into a dumpster and finds a dead body. Dylan is the opposite of Randy, he cares what people think and doesn’t like to get into trouble. He is a calculating character who chooses his words carefully. This burger loving, crime show watching character doesn’t like to be put in danger. Audrey, Dylan’s best friend is sweet and loving.. She doesn’t care what people think and she sticks up for the people she cares about and for what she believes in. Then there are the Hollisterites, the rich kids that Dylan befriends. Ashton went to school with them and Dylan thinks that they my be able to help him solve the mystery. Nash and Brett are nice to Dylan at first but we quickly learn that they aren’t as nice as they’d want you ti believe. They think that anybody that they believe to be beneath them, they can control. Rowan who is one of the main suspects seems flamboyant and idiosyncratic but he’s really just trying to keep up appearences. Then there’s Trix, Audrey’s newfound lve and although she attends Hollister, shes nothing like the reat of the kids that og there. She’s the one that remains loyal and honest to Dylan and she even helps in his investigation. Shes an intelligent girl, only there for those that she cares for. Tres and Ashton are siblings. We know right away that Tres is up to something. Ashton is missing and he doesn’t seem to care enough. We are lead to believe that Ashton is a person who went from being stuck up to sweet when she really didn’t. these two characters perform some evil actions that I wont go into because it would give away the whole story. The dialouge is realistic and each character has their own unique voice. They speak and act like real teenagers that live in the conditions that they placed in. I think that one of the major themes is friendship and trust. Also theres bulling involved and a persons true personality. If I were to put Mojo on a scale of 1 t 10 it would be a nine, 10 is reserved for my very favorite books and Mojo would have to be my favorite mystery book and pretty close to the rest. I recommend this book for all those ya mystery fans and even for those that like ya in general and are willing to go out of their comfort zones because I don’t generally like mysteries too much but I did this one.