Adam Parker and the Radioactive Scout

Michael D. Field (Goodreads Author)

3.60 · Rating details · 5 ratings · 3 reviews

In the small town of Hilldale, crime feared the name of eleven year-old, Adam Parker and his friends at The Parker Detective Agency. No job too small, no crime too large. Then Adam became a teenager. Being a kid detective was all Adam knew until he hit High School and he wanted to be cool more than he wanted to solve crime. He turned his back on the agency and his best fri ...more

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Paperback, 256 pages

Published February 5th 2013 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

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Apr 11, 2014 Patrick rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2014

Adam Parker and the Radioactive Scout is a very fun read. It is a completely enjoyable spin on the kid detective novels many of us grew up on, whether that be the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, or even Cam Jansen added with a little bit of the early seasons of USA's Psych. If you ever wondered what happened to those characters here is your answer - they grow up, grow apart, but there is still a part of them yearning for that sense of adventure.

In this case that sense of adventure reads like a Spielber Adam Parker and the Radioactive Scout is a very fun read. It is a completely enjoyable spin on the kid detective novels many of us grew up on, whether that be the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, or even Cam Jansen added with a little bit of the early seasons of USA's Psych. If you ever wondered what happened to those characters here is your answer - they grow up, grow apart, but there is still a part of them yearning for that sense of adventure.

In this case that sense of adventure reads like a Spielberg plot. The setting is filled with the Spielbergian archetypes - wisecracking lead, overweight friend, cranky small town sheriff, and the whip smart girl-next-door. There is a mystery and there are referenced underlying issues with parents. These allow us to easily access the world Field has built and then as the story unfolds so do the characters as fully realized people not simple plot movers. While the plot and villain get a little outlandish the core of the story is held together by its three leads and the myriad of characters that inhabit the world.

Humor is a key aspect of Adam Parker. As a story it knows what it wants to be. It’s laugh out loud funny at times, morbidly funny at others; but still it finds time to show off real heart and human connection especially as the trio of Adam, Kevin, and Becky revive and reconstruct their friendship while saving Hilldale from...well, you’ll just have to read to find out.

It is remarkably technically sound for a self-published novel. And though the eagle-eyed reader may notice a few spelling/grammatical errors it is nothing to distract from the complete story.

Field, as mentioned in his About the Author section, has a film background which helps with the pacing of his novel. Without going into too much spoiler territory the book isn't so much a whodunit but rather a "let's outsmart and beat the villain to the finish line" and the pacing helps add an appropriate amount of franticness to the story. It is a quick read for all of the right reasons - it pulls you in and doesn't let you go (as cliche as that sounds, its true).

In the end The Radioactive Scout leaves the reader wanting more from the Adam Parker Detective Agency. And hopefully in the vain of those previously mentioned series the Adam Parker novels will be filling my bookshelf.
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May 15, 2016 Underground Book Reviews rated it liked it

Adam Parker and the Radioactive Scout is tempting for any adult who grew up on a steady diet of Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, and also Scooby Doo and especially Encyclopedia Brown. The book is infused with Michael Field’s affection for the kid detective genre. The concept is great, but the delivery left me wishing for something different.

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Colin rated it it was amazing
May 30, 2017

Sep 24, 2018 Gregory A rated it it was amazing

What a great read! Mike’s first book hits all the marks – great characters, exciting story and action movies! What more could you want?! Adam Parker is like Encyclopedia Brown all grown up – replete with failed romances, enduring friendships and terrorist plots. The writing is clear and concise, the story is entertaining, and the characters are varied and real. If you like humor, plot twists, and the movies, then this is the book for you. I can’t wait for the next one!

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