Best friends Chris and Winston take a cross-country bicycle ride from West Virginia to Washington State the summer after high school graduation. What is supposed to be one last adventure before they leave for different colleges turns into a mystery when only Chris returns home.

Chapters alternate between recounting the events of the trip and the investigation into Winston's disappearance. Chris soon realizes he is the prime supect and must do everything he can to find his friend.

Shift is an easy and predictable book. Readers will identify with the main characters and the realistic events of the journey. The chapters that describe the trip are filled with interesting scenery, remarkable locals and believable anecdotes. The chapters devoted to the investigation often seem contrived and silly. The author would have been better served by simply writing about the changing friendship revealed by the journey. The mystery aspect of the book just ruins it.