The Night Tourist by Katherine Marsh

This book, again like everything I have read in December, this is a re-try for me. I got this book YEAARRS ago and never really picked it up after I read the first chapter. So it was time for a re-try.

This book is about 14 year old Jack Purdue, who has no friends, and basically no life. His mother died mysteriously 8 years ago and his Dad still cries every night. One day while Jack is reading a book, he crosses the street and gets hit by a car. He wakes up[ in the hospital seeing a nurse and a patient having a weird conversation about a mysterious 9th floor that lurks in the depths of New York City.

Soon after his accident Jack's father sends him to New York City to see a special doctor. When he gets to the doctor, the doctor gives him an unusual inspection, and then sends him on his way.

While waiting for his train home jack decides it would be a good idea to hang around Grand Central Station near the whispering gallery. There he meets Euri, a pale girl his age who asks him is he wants to see a secret. Jack does and Euri takes him through a labyrinth of tunnels to get to track 61 in Grand Central Station, and soon they emerge in...the underworld! That is where the real adventure begins.

This book has a good concept but also has some weird aspects. Such as unnecessary references to Greek Mythology that the book could have done without. Also some characters were just plain weird and undeveloped like Clubber, the only thing we knew throughout the entire book was that he was a bad guy...and that's it. We never learn why...and its like we don't even want to know why. If your going to make a threat in the book through a character you have to give some real evil and give a reason to fear him.

Even though there were some bad things in this book, I did end up enjoying it. And after finishing it I will need to read the second, because the ending had a MAJOR cliff-hanger. Hopefully the next book will solve some unfinished plots in the book.