The Car Thief

A Boy's Perilous Journey through the Juvenile Justice System

Fiction - Thriller - Legal
407 Pages
Reviewed on 12/12/2021
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

Author Biography

Vicki Reed lives in Lexington, Ky, the proclaimed "horse capitol of the world" and combined her love of horses and kids in trouble to write her debut novel. She relied on decades spent in the field of juvenile justice and child welfare to take readers into a world most never know. And that was one of the reasons for writing The Car Thief...to open up readers' eyes and bring sunlight to the youth in the shadows. Buckle up for the ride!

    Book Review

Reviewed by Frank Stephen for Readers' Favorite

The Car Thief is a tale about a twelve-year-old orphan, Kelly Morgan, and his ordeals at the hand of child services and the juvenile justice system. The best he was offered after his father's death was a cold and abusive grandfather, a child home that subjected him to the point system, a juvenile detention facility, and a correction facility for adults. After a couple of failed promises and childish mistakes, he is left at the mercy of an ill-prepared justice infrastructure, a gutsy public defendant, and a veteran correctional officer. All Kelly wants is to get back to his home in Wyoming, but he may have to settle for a minimum-security forestry camp.

Author Vicki Reed addresses the flaws in the juvenile justice system and child services from the witty and innocent perspective of a child — one for who the system was not designed. As his lawyer puts it, "The law set a trap for a tiger. It caught a kitten." His story offers a mix of delight and sadness, inspiring and empathetic. Vicki Reed draws from her wealth of experience working in the juvenile justice system to deliver a fast-paced and straightforward plot, perfectly scripted with powerful diction that is easy to read and a thrilling delight. From the first scene, I was hooked and intrigued. Kelly's wit and innocence are very endearing and entertaining. Kelly is a compelling character, and his story will definitely resonate with anyone who has suffered unfairly at the hands of a failed system.