Kevin is missing, his parents are dead and there is nothing left to help find him other than a cryptic note.  “Their journey takes them to the coast of Panama, where they must confront unfriendly locals, and a surfer who seems bent on destroying them…” Are Luca and Esme in way over their heads and diving towards the same fate as Kevin?

The novel “Dawn Patrol” by Jeff Ross is set in Panama and opens with the two main characters arriving in Bocas Del Mar, a small island off Panama.  Sounds like the perfect summer holiday after finishing high school?    Not quite.  Six months ago Esme’s boyfriend, Kevin lost both his parents in a tragic plane crash then Kevin disappeared.  Aware of Kevin’s love for surfing and obsession about chasing the next large wave, they figure he’ll show up in Bocas famous for its enormous waves.  From the moment Esme and Luca arrive in Bocas odd things begin to happen.  Luca and Esme start their search by asking fellow surfers if they have seen Kevin.  Luca notices a suspicious looking surfer named Jose, who bolts away as soon as he sees him.  Their next meeting finds Luca being forced onto deadly rocks.  Was this just an accident or something more sinister?

Luca befriends a female surfer, who he fancies.  Is she really friendly or does she have other motives for tagging alongside them in their search?  The plot continues with Esme and Luca piecing together the clues they find in an attempt to track down Kevin.  Danger lurks everywhere.

Jeff Ross is a keen surfer himself and this is obvious by the way he describes some of the action scenes throughout the book.  I found it difficult to engage with the characters because I am not a surfer nor do I find surfing all that interesting.  The novel would definitely appeal to readers who enjoy this sport or other extreme sports, as it is full of technical jargon which surfing enthusiasts would understand and appreciate.  “The water was choppy.  I struggled to hold on.  If I bailed, I was done for.  The coming wave would suck me in and spit me out the back after it had raked me across the reef”.  Due to these types of references, I tended to lose interest in the plot.

The storyline involves mystery and some drama but I felt that the outcome was predictable.  I found the characters to be shallow and most lacked ‘The X Factor’.  Esme was committed and determined to find Kevin but for some reason, I couldn’t relate to her.  I felt she was in some way a little self-centered and controlling.  Luca, even though at times he provided some comic relief, lacked credibility.

I would recommend this book to young adolescents aged between 12 and 15 who have an interest in the surfing culture or are sports enthusiasts.  However, if you are like me and are not into sport or surfing then you would agree with me that the novel seemed to drag and the end was obvious.  I would rate this novel “Dawn Patrol” 1 out of 5 stars.

Mackenzie, Year 9

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“Guys I need to get out of here. Nothing is making sense at the moment. I don’t know if I’ll come back.”

This book called Dawn Patrol by Jeff Ross is about Kevin, Luca, Esme who love catching big waves and having a good time with each other. However halfway through surfing they can’t seem to find Kevin and they search around to try and find him.

The story is set in Panama Bocas Del Mar on the beach where all the big waves happen.  Kevin was a really good surfer. After his parents died in a plane crash, he used to catch really big waves.  At the beginning of novel, they were surfing together still thinking about where Kevin is and all he left behind was a note. I like this book a lot because I like surfing too and that it feels like a survival book.

Luca and Kevin have been best friends since they were young children. Luca is a loyal boy.  Esme and Luca meet a girl named Alana. They all get lost trying to find Kevin.

Why is Kevin avoiding his friends?

Where is he hiding?

There is a adult named Delgado who is half mean and good.

They find Kevin in an unfinished hotel and Alana gets kidnapped and the teens have to try and save her then they are all wondering if Kevin’s parents are alive or not. There also in danger because they catch huge waves that can come down and smash you and they could die. I would recommend this book to any age really it’s a book for adults and kids like telling kids what they do when surfing and it’s good for adult surfers.

Cameron, Year 9