Chasing the Skip by Janci Patterson

Ricki’s dad has never been there for her. He’s a bounty hunter who spends his time chasing parole evaders—also known as “skips”—all over the country. But now since Ricki’s mom ran off, Ricki finds herself an unwilling passenger in a front-row seat to her father’s dangerous lifestyle.
            Ricki’s feelings get even more confused when her dad starts chasing seventeen-year-old Ian Burnham. She finds herself unavoidably attracted to the dark-eyed felon who seems eager to get acquainted. But Ricki thinks she’s ever in control—the perfect manipulator. Little does she know that Ian isn’t playing their game by her rules.

Goodreads Summary

Ricki's family is broken.  Her dad is a bounty hunter who never seems to have enough time for her while her mom ran off and has since ignored her.  Ricki isn't happy and feels like no one cares about her.  She is at that critical age where she cares if someone isn't caring about her.  When she meets Ian, as teen that her dad is hunting, she finds herself drawn to him, but is she mature enough to know Ian's true intentions?

Ricki is a different character than what I was used to.  Half the time I felt bad for her, but the other half I thought she was acting selfishly.  Her dad had buried himself in his work out of grief from losing his wife, and though this is not an excuse to ignore his daughter, it seemed like Ricki didn't give him a break.  Ian is easy to see through.  The reader will know that he isn't a "good kid" right away.  Motivated by purely selfish reasons, he takes advantage of anyone to get ahead.  The other characters were not overly significant, they moved the plot along, but were not focused upon.

The plot was very unique.  This was one of the only books I have read for young adult fiction that involved bounty hunting, it was a very interesting topic.  The characters took a little getting used to, but the reader will find that it is worth it in the end.  The ending was incredibly satisfying, focusing more on Ricki's relationship with her father than on the terrible Ian.  This book is recommended to young adult/teen readers.

4 Stars


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