Reality Check by Peter Abrahams

Cody Laredo only really cares about two things- playing football and his gorgeous girlfriend, Clea.  He’s an amazing quarterback with a great chance at getting a football scholarship and his relationship with Clea seems perfect.  All is going well until Clea’s dad sends her away to a prestigious boarding school across the country, partially to keep her from getting too serious with Cody.  Clea’s wealthy family doesn’t approve of low-income Cody and his alcoholic father. Cody is heartbroken and channels his frustration into football until he tears his ACL and can’t play anymore.  Lost and aimless, he drops out of school because he feels like there is nothing left worth living for.  Then one day, he sees a news report that Clea is missing from her Vermont boarding school.   Worry for her pulls him out of his depressed stupor and Cody rushes to Vermont to try to find her.  He must decide who to trust and find clues to find and rescue Clea before it’s too late.

Reality Check is an intriguing story that kept me guessing.  I sort of guessed the culprit, but was still surprised by the way that everything came together in the end.  Cody is a great character and you can see him grow into a more confident person as he realizes that he is good for something beyond playing football.  This is a great, suspenseful book if you’re in the mood for a mystery!