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Teen hobby detective extraordinaire, Jason Hunter, has seemingly conquered it all. With help from his best friend Daniel, he has solved major crimes and founded a nonprofit organization, which together ultimately saved many young lives, emotionally and physically. Even so, Jason continues to thrive in Jason’s Network as he sets up an online social site to prevent crime with community involvement, after becoming entwined in yet another detective case during a casual vacation. Although the tables soon turn as Jason is haunted by a ghost of his past, one that threatens his life, emotional stability, and distinguished confident aura. Jason is redefined as a character as Jason’s Network humanizes and develops him in unexpected ways throughout the thought-provoking yet still adventurous Hunter & Holmes installment.
Jason’s detective skills steadily fine-tune through the series, but reach a modern day level when he applies his detective knowledge to an online social webpage called “Jason’s Network.” Through the webpage, community members join in on solving crimes by reporting suspicious behavior, asking for legal and emotional help, or simply keeping their eyes open for known suspects. Readers witness a change of focus in Jason’s work from solving crimes to actually preventing crimes from first occurring. Just like he has in the past with his professional connections, Jason now expands his resources to the community and proves that anyone can be a hero by looking out for each other’s safety. The new platform is up for the test when trouble arises and Jason needs a helping hand.
Jason’s Network is especially nostalgic of past books. All past victims and characters are revisited as they make appearance in promotion for the “Jason’s Network” webpage. Stories are recounted, but in a positive manner that brings closure by tying up all loose ends. While Jason typically led the recovery of victims, this time Jason’s emotional vulnerability hits a high point when he is personally terrorized. His friends have a chance to repay him for all he’s done by jumping into action to save their own hero. With the playing field leveling between Jason and his friends, he is no longer held on a pedestal but is truly just a regular teen.
Jason’s Network is still full of action and adventure. Kidnapping and revenge run high, and readers eagerly flip the pages until the crime is solved. Excitement especially builds around Daniel and his band, who have accepted a six-concert tour with a popular boy band. Daniel’s dreams start becoming a reality based purely on the hard work and dedication he’s shown through the entire Hunter & Holmes series, motivating any reader to follow his/her dreams.
Throughout the adventure, nostalgia, and emotional healing, the Jason and Daniel admit that they will never forget their roots. Looking back to the first installment, the duo has grown tremendously and has set a fantastic example of friendship, selflessness and personal perseverance. We don’t know where Jason and Daniel will appear next, but we can rest assured that they are always following their dreams and spreading positive vibes.
— Taylor Bathel
Jason’s Network may be one of the most disturbing additions to the series. After laying out the background information out for newcomers to the series (per usual), Aiden Vaughan hits young readers with two extremely heavy and relatable plot pieces. First, on a seemingly normal spring break vacation in the Sierra Valley, the protagonists Jason and Daniel get tied up in helping find two children gone missing. Not shortly after, the author goes into vivid detail describing the plot and execution of an old villain’s plans to bring harm to Jason Hunter. Things are higher risk than ever, with the lives of many of Jason’s close friends and family thrown into the chaos, seemingly everybody is in danger. Readers will be left tensely gripping each page and flipping through the book with great speed to uncover the outcome of the unsuspecting plot against Jason.
Although the story can become quite dark at times, positive themes can still be recognized throughout the story. The greatest example would be the idea of strength in numbers, and creating a solid, trusting network of colleagues, friends and family. Jason and his team at his Whatever Foundation begin working fiercely to create such a network of young people in their own community. Constructing such a network is essential to building a strong community, and can also be a vital tool in the fight against crime and child predators. If everybody supports each other, and each individual can actively do their part, then it could be that much easier to make the community a safer place to live. That is the message Jason and his close friends pitch, and with luck, sticks in the minds of the children and teenagers of their hometown. Such glimpses of alacrity help shine through the heaviness and anxiousness of the stories action.
The book also attempts to drum up support for children to participate in music and the arts, as well as in organized sports. Jason is quick to praise the positive effects of taking part in creating music with bandmates or playing sports with teammates. In this story specifically, Daniel Holmes and the Second Chance All Stars (Daniel’s band’s new name) are one step closer to making it big as professional musicians, and work hard to achieve their goals.
One interesting theme to note also is the significance of Jason and the gang’s signature Chuck Taylor All Star sneakers. Each character gets to show their own individuality with their own color and style, and succeeds in giving the characters a bit of extra identity. Sherlock Holmes had his signature pipe, Jason Hunter and Daniel Holmes have their signature chucks. And overall, it is the mystery solving team’s signature style and work ethic that helps them succeed in all of their endeavors, and what gives Jason a fighting chance against the evil-doers in this edition of the Hunter & Holmes series.
— Louis Pratt
Jason’s Network, the seventh novel in the Hunter & Holmes series, brings a little mystery and revenge to the mix. As Jason and Daniel begin to settle into a more relaxed way of life with school, their girlfriends, and normal high school activities, Spring Break arrives and is anything but a typical break. On a trip to the Sierras, the Hunter and Holmes families intend to connect with nature and take advantage of the tranquil setting. But when their young neighbors Jamie and Olivia go missing, Jason and Daniel waste no time searching for the innocent children. What they find is twisted and upsetting, making everyone question what a person scorned is really capable of doing.
The story then becomes uplifting when Jason and his Whatever Foundation organize Jason’s Network, a web of tweens and teens meant to provide support and refuge for young crime victims. To promote this network, the foundation organizes several assemblies for middle and high school students. During the very first assembly, Jason and members of Daniel’s band encourage other young people to take responsibility and action when it comes to saving their own lives and the lives of others who might be in danger. Once again, they employ the power of personal testimony and music to reach out to and connect with kids just like them.
With a bright side comes a dark side, of course, and it’s not long until a member of Jason’s past comes out from the shadows to haunt him. Unhappy with Jason’s success and his own ill-fated demise, this criminal is out to ruin Jason completely—his reputation, all he and his network have worked for, and even the life of his beloved Laura. Used as bait, Laura is attacked and hidden away in hopes of luring Jason into a deadly switcheroo, his freedom for Laura’s. Will Jason’s devotion to Laura outweigh the importance of own life? Will Jason’s Network be there for him when he needs it the most?
Having survived till summer, Daniel and the Second Chance All Stars catch their big break at a six-date concert tour with the tween- and teen-adored Biloxi Brothers. As it turns out, Jason is not the only one to receive a blast from the past, although Daniel’s is more helpful than harmful. Even with a few minor bumps along the way, the tour ends under the band’s belt as an undeniable success, and the Second Chance All Stars look toward what is sure to be a very bright future.
As the novel comes to an end, the reader is reminded of the lessons learned throughout the tumultuous journeys of these two young detectives. A deep and thoughtful connection to others, the willingness to put others before yourself, following your dreams, and the drive to persevere are all key points to take away from this final novel. Of course the reader is also made aware of the negatives to such a life, seen particularly in Jason’s experiences. While he is brave and selfless, Jason is also forced to learn about balancing his personal and work life, the power of manipulation and the truth, and realizing how his actions affect others, especially those in his personal network. Most teenagers are not detectives like Jason and Daniel, but they can certainly learn from the lives and mistakes and triumphs of these two young men.
— Claire Fyvolent
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