Amazon Jim Devitt- The Card Category:  Young Adult/Teen Publisher: Createspace ISBN-10:  1461030706 Type: Fiction Pages: 235 Copyright: April 1, 2011 ISBN-13: 9781461030706 Van Stone has it all, the perfect family, friends and the best job in the world. Suddenly, Van is thrust into a deadly plot masterminded by unknown enemies. Van is in a race against time to save those closest to him. As fresh as today’s headlines, Jim Devitt, weaves a suspenseful ride that blows the lid off scientific advancement, in a story of breathtaking action and suspense. Van Stone has it all, the perfect family, great friends and the best job in the world. Then, his life falls apart. Thrust into a deadly plot masterminded by unknown enemies, Van is in a race against time to save those closest to him.   When Van wins an essay contest to become the new batboy for a Major League baseball team, he finds himself in a foreign world of million dollar athletes and fame. Forced into the spotlight, Van is uncomfortable in his new role. His instant fame at South Seattle High School has turned all eyes toward him, including unknown adversaries that want something he has.   Jack Stone works for Biotrust, a large and secretive biotechnology company. Van’s father is on the verge of making one of the most stunning discoveries in over a century, a technology that could change the world forever. While finishing the project, Biotrust forces Van’s father into a leave of absence. In an effort to protect his secrets, Jack may have endangered his family.   As The Card barrels forward, Van slams headfirst into a plot that threatens the people near to him. Working through adversity, Van finds an inner strength. He draws on his deductive powers and an unstoppable attitude, to battle the corrupt forces. Not knowing who to trust, Van sets out with his two best friends to solve the secrets behind an innocent gift, a Moe Berg baseball card. Set in Seattle, Washington, this fast-paced mystery takes you behind the scenes in professional baseball and into a world of cutting-edge science and technology. Full of unexpected twists and high stakes drama, this first in a series adventure will keep you guessing until the final scene.   As fresh as today’s headlines, Jim Devitt, in his debut novel, weaves a suspenseful ride that blows the lid off scientific advancement, in a story of breathtaking action and suspense.

Adventure Books of Seattle
I read a feature article about this book in our local newspaper here, the Auburn Reporter, so I checked out the Kindle Edition. This story grabs you right from the start and doesn't let go until the very end. We did not publish it, but if it had crossed my desk, I would have done so. Crisp story, good prose, highly entertaining...and highly recommended.

Adventure at its Best
Winning an essay contest definitely turned out to be excellent for Van or so he thought. His prize was the opportunity to be a bat boy in the dugout of a major league baseball team and rub shoulders with all the big names. His dad was thrilled, and so was he. On his first day with the team, his dad gave him a special baseball card that he described as magic. But.....was the card really magic or was it bad news?

Bad news happened not too long after the card appeared, and what was to be magic turned out to be something Van wished he had not even heard of. What would have been the reason he won the contest in the first place, and what was so important about a Moe Berg baseball card to cause all this trouble? Did either have anything to do with the things starting to happen in his life?

Baseball fans will definitely enjoy the book because of the details about the behind-the-scenes activities that happen in a locker room of a baseball team. Mystery fans will enjoy the book as well....the ending was filled with action. :)

I enjoyed the book....it is a Young Adult read. It is fast moving, and the added interest of the mysterious men in black suits keeps you going. The author had good development of the plot and the characters and definitely had you guessing until the end. 5/5

A Home Run
The Card is a fast-paced, entertaining action-adventure story both fathers and sons can read and enjoy together. Devitt's experience working in a major league baseball clubhouse adds a really nice element of realism to the story as well. Baseball fans will be drawn to this book, and be even further pleased with the mystery surrounding the "card."

You never know what you might get when agreeing to review an author's first novel, but I enjoyed reading The Card. Not only does it feature an exciting and fast-moving plot, but I also appreciated seeing the positive relationship between Van and his parents.

There is one part of the story I'd like to discuss a little bit, but I must give you a *spoiler alert* here first. One of the major themes and subplots in The Card is the death of Van's father about a third of the way into the novel. His death is definitely an important element of the story and helps drive the plot and adds even further suspense to the novel. Van's father's death also adds another element of realism to the novel as death is obviously, part of our lives. Parents can decide for themselves if this is something which might need to be shared with their son or daughter before they read the novel, especially if it's something they may have already experienced.

All in all, a terrific first effort by Jim Devitt. The Card is the first of what looks like a series of Van Stone novels. I'm really looking forward to seeing where the author is going to take this series. I'm especially interested in seeing if there is further development around some of the themes discussed above. I think many other readers will be looking forward to this as well.