The second book in Gilly Macmillan's excellent DI Jim Clemo series finds Jim back in similar circumstances from the first--working against time to save a child. Jim has returned from leave after the Ben Finch case, and he's ready to redeem himself in the eyes DCI Fraser and his peers. He's assigned what looks to be a terrible accident: best pals Noah Sadler and Abdi Mahad are out late one evening when teenage Noah falls into a local canal, rendering him unconscious. Abdi refuses to speak about w...

This one is quite a slow burner yet complex and mysterious. As I expected, some of the themes are quite dark and sad in this novel. There are a few twists and the ending - WOW. I got very emotional. The characters are interesting and realistic. Plus, I like the multiple viewpoints but the characters' audio narration could have been better. Look forward to what Macmillan will do next.

Enter the giveaway and check out all of my reviews at Lit·Wit·Wine·Dine. Giveaway ends 10/31/17 11:59pm EST. This is another book that first caught my attention at Book Expo 2017. Though I hadn’t read What She Knew, the first DI Jim Clemo book, I had absolutely no problem at all reading this book as a stand-alone.Odd Child Out drew me in straightaway. It is a very steady page-turner. There are several reasons for this but the first is that this is the “smartest” mystery/thriller I’ve read in a v...

Gilly Macmillan returns following What She Knew and The Perfect Girl with her latest, ODD CHILD OUT —her third highly-charged compelling psychological (literary fiction) suspense.Set in Bristol, meet two teen boys from different backgrounds: Noah Sadler— a native-born British boy, and Abdi Mahad — a refugee from Somalia. An opening scene. One boy jumps near a canal at the edge of the water . . . He lands, gets up and begins running. One pleading with the other. A suicide attempt? What happe...

Favorite Quotes:I felt like a mongrel dog, compared to them. Unwanted, strange-looking, and kicked so many times I didn’t know how to do anything apart from cower.Noah’s Bucket List Item No. 12: Be cremated. I can’t stand the thought of being buried. I want to be turned into smoke and air so I can be everywhere all at once.My Review:Odd Child Out was my first experience with both the complex and guarded DI Jim Clemo and his talented creator Gilly Macmillan, I want to make a habit of this pair. B...

This is the 2nd book in the Jim Clemo series by author Gilly Macmillan. I read the previous book in the series and was disappointed and sorry to say this was much the same story for me. Never really got going and I was glad to see the end. Slightly better than the first one but only just.Noah Sandler and Abdi Mahad are best friends but when Noah is found floating unconscious in Bristol’s Feeder Canal, Abdi remains silent. Detective Jim Clemo is investigating what appears to be an unfortunate acc...

3.5 Compelling, but don't go into this book expecting a suspenseful read, I found this book to be much more and less than that. Two young teen boys, friends because of their difference, one white, Noah, struggling with cancer and the long effects of hospitalizations, the other Somali, Abdi, here with his family after his family spent years in a camp. They bond because they are basically two outcasts. Become best friends, do everything together until one day one boy almost drowned and the other c...

Odd Child Out by Gilly McMillian is a 2017 William Morrow publication. Deeply absorbing literary suspense.Inspector Jim Clemo is back at work, after having completed his requisite counseling. His first assignment, on the surface, is a low priority case, a probable accident. However, the circumstances are murky and the incident did leave a terminally ill boy in a coma and another boy so traumatized he can’t – or won’t- speak. The question Clemo and his partner much determine is if foul play was i...

"The atoms of my soul are fading, dissolving, disappearing."What exactly is the tinder that sparks one to be drawn to the flame of another individual's life? Sometimes we go willingly, and more often than not, our paths cross and intersect by chance. The ending result can't but leave a deeply indelible mark on that very soul.Gilly Macmillan presents a tale of people acting and reacting to the simple humanity in all of us. Her characters reflect the heavy-duty mileage clocked on internal odometer...

Noah's family consists of his father, a world traveling photographer, and his mother, who is 100% invested in Noah's health and longevity. Noah is 15, was diagnosed with cancer at a young age, and has just learned that he does not have much longer to live. Abdi was an infant when his family arrived in Bristol as Somalian refugees. His father drives a taxi for a living, but Abdi attends the same prestigious school as Noah because he received a full scholarship. The language barrier makes communic...

3.5 Stars.Enjoyed this quick, easy read. It was missing some much needed tension and it was not enough of a riveting mystery, but it still kept my interest throughout.The story is about 2 best friends, Noah and Abdi- both 15 yrs old. One night something happens and one of them ends up in the canal. Accident or intentional?We have a witness with a conflicting statement.We have a journalist who wants to make this a race issue and an anti police issue.Our detective, Jim Clemo, is just returning bac...

This is my first read of author Gilly Macmillan and I was really impressed at this novel that speaks to us of the social and political issues that are permeating and dividing our world. It is a multilayered emotive, atmospheric and character driven mystery featuring the recent return of Detective Jim Clemo after undergoing counselling with Dr Manelli on his mandatory leave. Set in Bristol, Fifteen year old friends, Noah Sandler and Abdi Mahdi are the odd couple, Noah is white and from a privileg...

4.5 stars, rounded upThis is not your standard mystery. Among other things, it deals with racism and discrimination, exclusion and privilege, not to mention rabid dog journalism, making it all seem especially current. It’s really more of a character study and a very well done one at that. It’s a beautifully written book. “When she swallows, all she tastes is fear”. The book is told from multiple POV, including Noah’s, who is in a medically induced coma. It serves to keep you off kilter, unsure o...

I absolutely enjoyed this book. I read the first book in this series and it was “okay” but the author completely redeemed herself with this book. FANTASTIC!!

Best friends sometimes do unexpected things. Abdi and Noah were best friends and did something that no one would expect.The unexpected incident obviously brought the police in along with the two silent friends. Noah was put into a coma because of his injuries, and Abdi wasn't talking.ODD CHILD OUT was definitely a study of personalities and human emotions. Each character seemed to not fit with each other, and I thought it was odd that they were family members as well as friends. I did like the "...

Noah Sadler and Abdi Mahad are best friends. They are both fifteen years old, very clever, and if truth be told, more than a bit 'nerdy'. They couldn't be more different, but that doesn't matter to them. Ostracized by many of their peers, their relationship is strong and as complex as the chess moves they play. Noah Sadler has terminal cancer and comes from a privileged white family. Abdi is a black Muslim Somalian refugee. They both attend a prestigious school, Noah because his parents pay the

Two teenage boys. Inseparable. From day one. Abdi's on scholarship to attend Bristol's elite private school. Noah attends the same school, at least when he's in between rounds of treatment to fight cancer. They met on the first day that Noah returned to school after yet another treatment. They've been best friends ever since. Neither one cares that Abdi is black, his family escaped from a Somialan refugee camp when Abdi was an infant. Noah is white, from a prestigious family. Abdi is healthy. No...

3.5 stars The awkward moment when you insist that you love an author and that you've read many of their books, only to discover that you mixed said author up with another one. For the record, I plead that book publishers all tend to like the same type of covers. So, "Odd Child Out" is my *ahem* first Gilly Macmillan read and it certainly will not be my last. Once I started to read, I just couldn't put the book down. Told from the perspective of multiple characters, Odd Child Out isn't just about...

Four and a half stars.Noah Sadler and Abdi Mahal have been best friends ever since they met at school. Noah has had cancer ever since Abdi has known him. Abdi, who is from Somalia, does his best to try and support Noah. But then a horrific incident occurs. DI Jim Clemo is back after and enforced leave of absence. At first he wonders why he has been assigned to what appears to be an accident but as the truth emerges a lot more details from that night, as well as from the past, are brought to ligh...