Property of the State

The Legend of Joey #1

by Bill Cameron

Joey Getchie has been property of the state longer than he was in parental custody. But he's a survivor, and he has a Plan: graduate high school and get out of the foster care system before it eats him alive. He bonds with Trisha, another foster, who seems to have lucked out when it comes to foster parents. A false accusation leads to a physical clash with his foster father, so Joey flees to Huntzel Manor, where he works part time. He takes up unauthorized residence and keeps a low profile, hoping to avoid attention. But attention arrives in the worst possible way: a classmate is seriously injured in a hit and run accident, and Joey becomes the focus of the investigation. Why shouldn't he be? He had a violent confrontation with the same classmate just last year. And of course, he's a kid with a criminal record. Except of course, he isn't. Property of the State, first in The Legend of Joey series, is an edgy teen mystery featuring a world-wise protagonist struggling to grow up in a world where parents are the bad guys.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult, Fostering, Teen, Realistic Fiction, Mystery Thriller

288 pages, Paperback

First published June 7, 2016

About the author

Bill Cameron is also known as W.H. Cameron.

Crossroad author W.H. Cameron raises backyard chickens in Oregon, and shapes unruly words into captivating people caught in harrowing situations in his writing room. As Bill Cameron, he’s the critically-acclaimed author of the edgy and stirring Skin Kadash mysteries, including County Line. His young adult mystery Property of the State, introducing troubled yet resourceful Joey Getchie, was named one of Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2016.

In a starred review, Kirkus described Property of the State as, “An eminently satisfying series opener for mystery fans who want their downtrodden detectives to be appealing, clever, and unafraid of action.” Booklist said, “Joey’s intense, gripping narration of his heartbreaking life will haunt readers.” Publishers Weekly said of County Line, “Contemporary sharp-edged noir doesn’t get much better than Cameron’s mournful novel featuring ex-cop Skin Kadash.” New York Times bestselling author Chelsea Cain described Day One as “an utterly engrossing page-turner.” In the Vancouver Voice, Carolyn Schultz-Rathbun said, “The body count is positively Shakespearean, but in Cameron’s vision of P-town’s dark underbelly, love really is strong as death. Maybe stronger.” Chasing Smoke received a starred review from Library Journal, and Booklist declared, “it engages the reader on an emotional as well as literary level.”

In 2012, County Line won the Spotted Owl Award for Best Northwest Mystery. Lost Dog was nominated for the 2008 Rocky Award and was a finalist for the 2008 Spotted Owl Award. Cameron’s short story, “The Princess of Felony Flats,” was nominated for a 2011 CWA Short Story Dagger Award. His short fiction has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Portland Noir, Murder at the Beach, Killer Year, First Thrills, and A Beast Without A Name: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Steely Dan.

Reviews

[Patty Blount · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so excited about Bill Cameron's YA debut. Joey Getchie is a hero you'll root for!

[Sean Franco-Norris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was provided by Poisoned Pencil through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This novel was the first book I've read written by Bill Cameron. I really liked his writing style. It took me a while to be really invested into the story plots. It started out pretty slow, but it had a great character development. It was told by a young man who was sixteen years old and he was an orphan. Something happened at his foster home, forcing him to find another place to stay in secret. What he didn't realize the house he stayed in had a dark secret that no one was supposed to find out.

The mystery and suspense were slowly developed, but in my opinion, it was at an appropriate pace. It gave me a time to understand what was happening. Philip was an odd character, but I wanted to learn more about whom he was and what was his background. What made who he was? I wished there was more details about Philip, but it didn't make me feel like I was missing out on him in the novel. After all, it was told in Joey's point of view. What Joey knew will be what we, the readers, would know. I understood well enough why Philip was being like that. If it wasn't for his older sister, I probably wouldn't know Philip at all. I was glad there was enough information for me to be able to not pondering who he truly was. What was done was done.

The ending seemed to have ended pretty quickly, but after learning this book was the first book of the new series the author started; I was more than okay with how the book ended. I was actually looking forward to a relationship development between Joey and Trista. They both were orphans and they understood the real struggle. I hoped there would be something going on between them both in the next book of the series.

I could hardly find anything that I didn't like because it was well written mystery novel. All of the questions have been answered. I didn't have any confusion when I finish it. Length wasn't an issue as well. There were no plot holes either. The main characters were well developed.

I highly recommended you to check this book out if you enjoy a mystery novel featuring sixteen years old boy that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Joey was a likable character as well.

[LUCYANNE · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the story of Joey's life--foster care, friends, etc. All of that was handled well, in my opinion...The premise of the mystery was intriguing enough: A classmate's been injured in a hit-and-run and Joey is a potential suspect. However, it kind of fell of the rails a bit for me. I rolled my eyes when Joey visits the victim and asks "who hit you?" only for him to start coding and die (what timing!) And the final conclusion was pretty convoluted and unbelievable--drug addicts, washed up TV stars, gunplay, arson. It was a LOT and not in a great way...And some of Joey's biological family backstory also felt too much. Paired with the foster parents all being terrible or meeting untimely deaths, it was too much...A shame, because I really did enjoy the first third/almost half of the book.

[Victoria Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books of the year. Troubled teens are not normally my thing, but the voice of this smart, wry foster kid on the run was spot on. I understood his rebellion and his vulnerability completely. Loved it.

[Jacqueline Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG this book had me rutting for Misty so hard. I think I even cried a little.

[Teenreadsdotcom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bill Cameron’s novel, PROPERTY OF THE STATE, follows Joey Getchie, a 16-year-old runaway who doesn’t trust anyone --- and has never been given any reason to. A foster child since a young age, Joey goes through life knowing the odds are stacked against him and feeling as though he is going at it alone. Teachers, counselors, foster parents, classmates and the state of Oregon are all seen as obstacles that stand in his way from escaping the system and breaking free on his own. Joey develops a plan to graduate high school early and leave his solitary, neglected childhood behind him, but the modern-day Oliver Twist’s life becomes complicated by circumstances he could never have imagined. He deals with the stressors inherent with teenage life, like infatuation with a cute classmate and late homework assignments, but he also stumbles into a tangled web of deception and crime that he can’t escape from --- arson, duffle bags full of cash, guns and double lives. Seeking to free himself from implications of murder and having no one he can trust, Joey does he has always done: he runs.

In PROPERTY OF THE STATE, Bill Cameron neatly ties together a fast-moving, intricate plot that continues to accelerate from the first page to the last. Cameron successfully writes in the cuss-filled, computer slang-influenced language of the twenty-first century’s youth to make the novel accessible and real to today’s young readers without sacrificing the richness of the dialogue. Joey’s angst is palpable in every chapter --- the reader can feel his palms break into a sweat and his cheeks redden whenever he encounters his crush, Trisha, and can sense the knot forming in his stomach when he gets called into the principal’s office.

Any teen or young adult can find a bit of him- or herself in Joey. He suffers the same pains and anxieties that everyone deals with in high school, only more acutely and closely examined under Cameron’s microscope. Joey begins the novel feeling alone in his state-mandated foster life and doesn’t believe anyone can understand what he is going through. As his journey progresses, he finds that everyone in his life is dealing with their own personal struggles and many of those tribulations are not too different from his own. Even across different social classes, races and ages, Joey begins to find commonality between people where he once only saw barriers. This is a valuable lesson for any young person --- even when things at school or at home make you feel like you’re all alone and no one gets you, trust that there are people out there who understand and can be there for you if you reach out. Joey learns that no matter how fast he runs, he always runs into more problems when he tries to go it alone.

PROPERTY OF THE STATE, the first book in The Legend of Joey series, is a valuable read for any teen. Always entertaining and constantly filled with suspense, PROPERTY OF THE STATE will captivate its young audience. As they join Joey in his high school odyssey, readers will sympathize every time he agonizes over simple social interactions and widen their eyes when unthinkable danger befalls him. Cameron weaves together an artfully-crafted plot and makes PROPERTY OF THE STATE a lens young readers can use to better see and understand their own adolescent ordeals.

Reviewed by Rob Bentlyewski

[Stephanie A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm surprised that a 2010s book I got at the library has such a tiny Goodreads footprint, but I guess that accounts for why despite being labeled "book 1 of The Legend of Joey," there are no further installments and the Kindle version has changed its subtitle to "The Myth of Joey Getchie." A pity, because it held my interest very well and more to the point, I liked Joey so much that I would have read more books just to see more of him. Imagine a virginal Ryan Atwood who has spent way more time in the system, and consequently has way less trust in said system and any other authority figures, and it's pretty close.

I love that Joey is a skilled woodworker, focused on trying to graduate early so he can emancipate himself and get on with his life, even though he keeps getting accused of things he didn't do. I love his little crush on Trish, even though he's very "no girl-shaped distractions! must graduate and be free!" I also enjoyed the details of his housekeeping job, and the scraggly mutt he befriends there. This bills itself as a mystery, and I suppose it is, between the central question of who was behind the hit-and-run of a classmate and the fact that the rich family he works for rapidly starts seeming weird as hell...but really, its strength lies in characterization.

Drawbacks: wavering between 3 and 4 stars because it gets a bit dicey on the sexuality, even though it's not graphic and ultimately nothing happens, and I was confused by two things. Specifically, I remain unclear why Phillip was so, um..."attracted" to the sound of his own violin music, an aspect that is crucial to the oh-god-no-pun-intended climax of the story, but WHY? Also unclear how Duncan went from talking, albeit in a confused manner, to dead. When his brother broke the news, I honestly thought he was being metaphorical, like "yeah, he's talking, but permanently brain-damaged so the brother I knew is basically dead."

But in light of the aforementioned tiny footprint, and the fact that quality male protagonists remain hard to come by in YA, benefit of the doubt it is.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in a handful of days over lunches, waiting for pizza, and while I was getting my hair cut. I literally couldn't put it down! I'd read some of Bill's earlier books - very intense thrillers - but was very excited about his journey into the young adult genre. I'm a huge fan of YA and am always looking for a new series to read. Well, let me tell you, this is it. I can't WAIT for the next installment and will likely hound Bill mercilessly on Twitter until I have it in my hands.

The voices Bill gave to his characters were so real that I felt the gamut of emotions from page to page. I was equal parts angry and sad and confused and scared, while cheering for the hero I was certain was going to emerge. There were several unexpected twists and turns that made me question everything about the foster system - though I know many who have fostered children and I have to believe the "parents" in this novel are not the norm. They are, in a word, horrible, making Miss Hannigan from Annie look like Mother Superior. *shivers*

Bill's writing is strong and he is clearly well-researched on the foster system, alternative education environments and, of course, coffee. I mean he is from the Northwest after all. I highly recommend this book to fans of young adult novels, as well as fans of great writing. There's a little thriller, a tiny bit of romance, and a whole host of drama, but at the end of the day it's about the story, and the story most definitely shines.

Joey may be Property of the State, but he is a hero to many and most definitely a legend.

[D. B.]

I read a review that made this book sound very interesting. I made it to page 30 before giving up. I just got tired of the teenage narrator's trying-too-hard-to-be-clever youthful cynicism. To Cameron's credit, I remember being a trying-too-hard-to-be-clever youthful cynic; I think the way he writes it is very good at capturing that particular voice. That doesn't mean I want to read anything in that voice. Your mileage may vary.

Note: I don't give star ratings for partial reads.

[Dorinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful story! I cannot wait for the second book in the adventures of Joey. Well written to the point I believed every word Joey thought or said. Not ever having been a teen age boy that is a feat in itself. Full of grit and reality this book blew me away. A window into the heartbreaking world of foster kids and their struggle. I was rooting for Joey from the first sentence!

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh! How did I miss the fact that this book was YA and since when does Bill Cameron write YA books?