Mojo by Tim Tharp

Why would Dylan head off to the wealthy part of town to search for a missing girl that he has never met? Good question. Dylan is tired of being a nobody that people call 'Bodybag.' He wants mojo - what better way to get it than finding a rich missing high school girl.

So let me clear a few things up. Dylan got his nickname after finding a body in a dumpster behind his school. He ended up in the dumpster after being chased by some bullies (after his friend Randy said something stupid to them). His good friend Audrey convinces him to put his investigative journalist skills to find the girl (Ashton). It won't hurt Audrey either because she is a budding photojournalist.

And the mojo thing - mojo is a magic, a little bit of something that gives a person an edge. It's kind of hard to put into words, but Dylan knows he wants it.

So off Dylan and Audrey go to the rich side of town to help search for clues in the park where Ashton was last seen. Dylan finds himself in the company of Ashton's friends, students and at a fancy private school. From that point on, every person is a suspect and no one can truly be trusted. Even though Dylan wants to be liked by these kids, he finds their behavior excessive. They have so much money that they do things just for the thrill.

I do not read a lot of mysteries, so I did not see the end coming. We follow Dylan through his analysis of evidence and questioning of suspects, and I was interested in where the clues would lead.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.