Book Review: Caught in the Act (Peter Moore)

by Abby R.

Contained within the pages of Peter Moore’s book Caught in the Act are a school play, a jealous girlfriend, the mysterious new girl, and a blackmailed teacher. At first glance Ethan, the protagonist, seems to have the perfect family, girlfriend, and life. As time goes on he gets to know the new girl in school, Lydia Krane, and a different side of him is consequently revealed. Ethan and Lydia are cast as leads in the upcoming school play, and soon begin to develop feelings for each other. Throughout the book we get glimpses into Lydia’s life and realize that she also isn’t the person one may have presumed her to be. Toward the end of the book, readers should realize that Ethan and Lydia’s relationship is comparable to that of a broken mirror…A many faceted image, where every glance reveals to you how distorted it really is.

Ah, where to begin? When I began the book, I was a bit bored as it started somewhat slowly, but in the end it proved to be a pretty quick read, only taking me two or three hours to finish. Deceivingly, the book seemed to be a satisfying read, but upon finishing it I felt strangely dissatisfied. Caught in the Act left something to be desired although as to what that something is, I have no idea. In my opinion, the characters seemed to be undeveloped, one-dimensional, and stereotypical. The plot also lacked originality…I believe I’ve read a book in the past with a plot strikingly similar to this one. Is it too much to ask for a book with breathtaking characters, a completely original story line, or, heaven forbid, both? I think not!

Right about this time I was going to touch on the book’s redeeming qualities, but, come to think of it, there really aren’t any. I will say though that I particularly enjoyed the ending (and not simply because it meant the book was over) as there is a bit of a plot twist at the end that I didn’t foresee, which appeased me somewhat.

All in all, I’d say this book was just okay. It certainly wasn’t great, but it wasn’t awful either. This is a good book to read if you just want something that is a fluffy read, something without a lot of substance. It’s one of those books that sink into the masses of unspectacular books I’ve read. I most likely won’t remember what the book was about in a month or so. It provided something to do when there was nothing else to occupy my time, which isn’t really a credit to the book.