Danger Road

Danger Road by A.L. Tait. Scholastic 2025. MG paperback 266 pages. RRP $17.99. ISBN 9781761646270.

Reviewed by Debra Williams.

Alex Hawkins is thirteen; his brother Leo is fifteen months older. In their hometown, everybody knows each other or is related. The two brothers are opposites: Leo is the all-round sports star, whilst Alex is the arty type. Both boys excel in their different fields, but the two brothers constantly bicker with each other, and Mum is fed up with it.

Their mother, a local librarian, is following with deep interest a local podcast. Twenty-five years earlier, 17-year-old popular footballer Corey Armstrong was left to die by a hit-and-run driver on Danger Road. Corey’s mysterious death is now the subject of the podcast, and the series is drawing to an end. The case is still unsolved, and the podcast has not come any closer to finding out the truth.

The boys’ mother issues them with a unifying challenge to work together and try to find out exactly what happened on that fatal night to Corey. As they delve into Corey’s world, with the assistance of Alex’s close friend Harriet (Harry), they uncover much more than they could ever have imagined. Everyone is talking about Corey, but the question remains as to whether anyone really knew him deep down.

Old secrets are brought to the fore, and the boys realise that somebody in town must know something about that night. It also means that someone they know could possibly be the killer. There is a lot at stake, including their own futures, if they revive too much of the past, and the solution to the cold case could possibly prove to be fatal.

The author has woven a fast-paced, tight, attention-gripping tale, involving several families, friends and acquaintances. Of course, there is an unexpected twist toward the end, keeping the reader tuned as to what the final outcome will be.  

Set as an upper middle-grade novel, it is also suitable for the tweenage readership of 13-15 years.