Dangerously Placed

Title: Dangerously Placed

Author: Nansi Kunze
Published: 2011
Genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure, Crime, Mystery
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Alex Thaler can't wait to start her dream work experience placement at Virk, where staff from all over the world mingle in an astonishing virtual office. But when an employee is found murdered, the dream becomes a nightmare - because Alex is the prime suspect. Fortunately, Alex's friends are willing to brave shark tanks, disgusting pathology specimens and even a nude beach in order to clear her name . . . 

Can a hippy chick, a goth girl in a lab coat and two guys with a taste for blowing things up really help solve the mystery - before Alex becomes the next victim?

From Random House Australia

The moment I discovered that there's a new YA by Nansi Kunze, I knew I would love it (cheesy, but true). The blurb suggesting such a mix of characters, an awesome plot and a unique setting had my hopes raised high. Were they met: hell yes!

The characters were great to read about. Although some dialogue didn't sound like a group of teenagers would (i.e: there wasn't any swearing, meme language and the language was bit too formal sometimes), the uniqueness and contrasting personalities of each character (teenage and adult) was clearly visible. In my opinion, they meshed together very well, for plot development and for making the story a bit more different and fun than the usual YA. Also, I absolutely loved the fact that were are a variety of nationalities throughout the novel (and from prior reviews, one would've picked up that I appreciate diversity and multiculturalism, especially in Aussie YA).

There was also some romance in Dangerously Placed, which was nice to read about (since Alex, the protagonist is a female teenager). It was very innocent and not the main focus of the novel, which I must say, is hard to find in current YA. But the plot was so strong, fast paced and intriguing that I still would've enjoyed the story if the romance wasn't there.

Dangerously Placed is a classic 'whodunnit' set in a not-too-futuristic setting with ubercool technology. I liked how a normal high school requirement turned from a learning experience into a crime investigation (yes, I would love that to happen to me, how exciting!). I was constantly trying to second guess the culprit but was always proven wrong. The world created by Kunze is extremely well thought out, realistic and indeed, very possible in the future.

I would recommend Dangerously Placed to anyone who likes to read crime/mystery and adventure novels. The novel also acts as a springboard for thoughts regarding the advancement of technology, its consequences and the possible exploitations of such a technology (as seen at the end of the novel).

Note: I was provided a copy of Dangerously Placed by Random House Australia for review. This has in no way at all affected my opinion reagrding the book (especially since I kind of knew it would be awesome).