Emily Anne Valente recently reviewed Joaquin's book for School Library Journal. Here's only some of what she had to say:
"Joseph Oliver Kuhl, a college freshman studying to become a private investigator, submits a term paper (in the form of this book) for his criminal-justice class in which he details, down to the footnotes, how he solved the mystery of who is setting a string of fires in his hometown of Balona, CA. Joseph unravels the mystery, mostly by spying on family, friends, and townspeople... the characters are fascinating, especially Joseph, a determined, cocky, annoying, and often-offensive young man. Auxiliary characters are colorful as well, each wildly entertaining and playing a part in the mystery. Peralta's style of dry, sarcastic humor will definitely pique the interest of more sophisticated teens. This title is for mature readers who are ready to embrace a complex blend of humor and mystery."
Here's a review recently received from reader Sheila Ruth Portney, 16, California. (She gives us permission to use her name, but not her specific location. OK, Sheila, here it is:)
"I thought An Almost Private Eye was going to be a mystery, and it was, sort of. Except that narrator Joey Kuhl strays a lot from the mystery part to talk about school (which classes he cuts regularly), girls (about which he isn't particularly suave), cars (where his choice is really uncool), Balona customs, and his weird family members. He finally gets around to solving the mystery of the fires of Balona, and in fact it's a pretty funny book. Only I wish it had a lot more sex in it, and maybe a good fight or two, which it has neither. Joey Kuhl is a cute guy, wants us to think he's one of the Jonas Brothers, but he's no Brad Pitt either. However, when you get right down to it, if Joey was real, I'd date him (and make some changes there)."
