Product Description

Brook High is a great grey concrete ants' nest of a school. John Malarkey is the new kid, thrown in at the deep end of Year 11. He's the wrong person in the wrong place at the wrong time. Through what at first appears to be a random meeting, he helps a girl called Mary Chase out of tricky situation, but is subsequently accused of stealing report cards to sell to students so they can write their own bogus reports. He quickly realises it was all a set-up, and that he's been used to take the fall. The teacher who accuses him of the crime gives him one day to prove his innocence. Malarkey tries to track down Mary Chase, but it's difficult in such a huge school. He does, however, discover strange goings-on beneath the surface of the school. There's the fixed football matches, with threats of violence to the team's star player. There's the homework club where money changes hands. There are teachers willing to take bribes. The more questions he asks, the deeper he becomes involved in the corrupt under-belly of the school. He's noticed the peculiar fact that so many kids at Brook wear Adidas trainers - black with the three white stripes. He realises that these are the badge of membership worn by those involved in the school's 'mafia', and that there's a hierarchy. The more stripes someone has blacked-out, the higher up the ranks they are. He discovers that the name of the organisation's leader is Freddie Cloth, and Mary Chase turns out to be Cloth's girlfriend. Malarkey is soon noticed for asking so many questions, and receives warnings and then threats to back down. But, with time quickly running out for him, he still has to prove his innocence. And, the only way to do this is to get to Freddie Cloth.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #266180 in Books
• Published on: 2003-06-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

About the Author
Keith was born and brought up in Grimsby and knew from an early age that he wanted to be a writer. When he got 0 percent in his accountancy exams he decided it was time for a career change and decided to make his writing dream a reality. His first book, Creepers, was published in 1996 when he was only 24. The novel was highly acclaimed and shortlisted for the Guardian Fiction Award. Keith is now a full-time writer. He lives in Edinburgh with his cockatiel, Baxter.

Customer Reviews

a perfect thriller
John Malarkey is the new boy at Brook High, just trying to keep his head down, take his exams, and move on. But the Tailors have other plans; as the gang who run the school, an anonymous new kid is the perfect scapegoat for the biggest scam of the year - blank report cards.
From the exhilirating opening chase sequence, through the expertly drawn scenes familiar to anyone who has stepped in a school, and climaxing in a tense rooftop finale, this is another work of spot on observation and description from Keith Gray. Malarkey is a teenage Philip Marlowe; lead by his conscience, his respect for his mother, and his attraction to a pretty girl, he finds himself caught up in a variety of awkward situations.
My heart was racing as I read this book. The deviousness of the Tailors, the inadequacy of the teachers, and the tenacity of Malarkey, combine to produce an excellent thriller. Raymond Chandler for kids!

Good Read
Malarkey is an exciting book that can grip right from start to finish. The book will certainly relate to teenagers as it gives them a large amount of what really goes on in a school, none of the nice Harry Potter stuff where the worst things you could do would be to call someone by a bad name. It deals with many matters that occur during normal teen's lives, bullying, teachers never believing your side of the story and other smaller issues. The idea of such a well organised gang as there is in Malarkey is a bit too far out of the ordinary to apply to real life, but the fact that the teachers are totally oblivious to what really goes on in the school is no surprise. Keith Gray's writing is all on suspense. Two highschool kids, one on his own (Malarkey) new to the school, without anyone really caring about him. One, with the rest of the school fearing him. These two fight with quick minds and each have something on the line. One - innocence. The other - money.

A good, fast paced, exciting book that all teens will love.

Malarkey is Great...
This is one of my favourite books ever. It is about a 15 year old going to a new school, one with thousands of pupils, and suddenly finding that he is getting into trouble that's not his fault. He is being framed by what turns out to be a school mafia. He has to expose this organization to avoid being expelled from his school...

The reason this book is so goo is that it is realistic. The characters, the way they behave, the whole setup is somehow so convincing and gripping that you have to read on. This is one of those books that you will finish in one night because you can't sleep for wondering what will happen.