Joe Clifford writes with a ton of grit, pace, and style. Skunk Train adds a good dose of heart and soul to the mix. Told primarily from the perspective of fifteen-year-old Kyle Gill, Clifford delivers a bildungsroman of sorts that manages to keep the reader's heart pounding while at the same time tugging at its strings. Clifford handles Kyle (and Kyle's seventeen-year-old love interest, Lizzie Decker) with a deft touch, managing to capture the protagonists' raw teenage emotions without in any way sacrificing his signature touch: delivering a compelling crime drama. More than anything, I was impressed by how quickly this book got its claws in me. Mystery and crime novels aren't normally my cup of tea, but I've read and enjoyed Clifford in the past, and I really liked the title and cover of this one. By the end of Chapter Two I was hooked. Kudos to Clifford. This book covers a decent bit of plot in a short amount of time, but it never loses sight of the teenage themes that speak to us all.

the title was funny and it really will divide people, I found this story to be a interesting thriller but I did feel it was a little bit busy. It wasn't a bad read and I enjoyed reading this.

There is much action and adventure in this page turning thriller. Teenage fugitives, police, Mexican cartel….all elements for an interesting read.
Many thanks to Down & Out Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

So I guess I should have guessed by the title that this book was about weed. I wish I knew because it’s not my cup of tea. Sorry did not finish.

This book was sent to me as an ARC on NetGalley. However all opinions are of my own.
I don’t know why the title ‘skunk’ didn’t flag to me that this book would solely relate around weed. It only clicked once I started to read and I realised where the story line was going. This definitely wasn’t a book I enjoyed, however, I read it all because I was intrigued - but disappointed by the end.

Thanks to #netgalley for copy of #skunktrain. I'm afraid I didn't enjoy it very much. The plot and characters seemed like many I've read before. The writing was good but I'd have liked something that wasn't so derivative.