[In The Lothian Run, sixteen]-year-old Sandy Maxwell, a bored and restless apprentice in a law office in Edinburgh, Scotland in the early 18th Century, is afforded an opportunity to escape the stifling confines of his employer's deed room when he is asked to help a customs agent track down a smuggler who managed to escape from captivity just seconds before he was scheduled to be hanged…. Lush with an abundance of gun-battles, escapes, murders and near-murders, this fast-paced story gathers momentum like a freight train and hurls readers into a climax involving no less than a full-scale riot in the streets of Edinburgh. The author's prose is consistently excellent, her characterizations vivid, and her familiarity with the Scottish landscape evident. This exciting, well-written novel will prove a welcome addition to any collection.

John Signoriello, "Junior High Up: 'The Lothian Run'," in School Library Journal (reprinted from the...