Book Title- Framed
Author- James Ponti
Rating: 5/5
Recommended Age- 10+ years
Framed by James Ponti is the first book I have read which was written by him. Being a book I was recommended to read, I was compelled to read it the moment I saw it. And well after few days, I have finished the book. So here’s an overview consisting of my opinion on this book.
The author begins the book by introducing Florian Bates and the FBI. Yes, the FBI. But its just not the one you know about. Instead, it is the Florian Bates Investigations.
Well, it might seem like a normal detective agency but there is one thing that stands out in this agency. And that is the technique employed by Florian Bates, the chief detective.
And that is TOAST, but it is not your breakfast toast. Instead it is the Theory of All Small Things. This is the technique according to Florian’s belief that small details can help paint to the bigger picture. However like they say “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” Florian lacks friends especially due to the fact that Florian’s parents work in museums which means he has to keep travelling, which is also why he knows three different languages.
After moving to the United States, he meets Margaret Campbell who will soon become his best friend and fellow investigator in the Florian Bates Investigations.
Margaret Campbell has her own interesting story which includes her being dropped off at the Cal. Fire department by her birth parents which meant that she had to be adopted by a couple who are both lawyers, with whom she lives with when she met Florian.
When their talents are recognized by the FBI (The actual one), they are soon called to be covert assets to the organization. They are assigned to a handler named Marcus Rivers who along with Special Agent Kayla Cross prepare Florian through FBI training courses. But here’s where the book gets spicier and the real mystery begins to evolve.
The National Art Museum in Washington reports an art theft. And guess what. This is also the museum where Florian’s mom and dad work as an art conservator and security specialist respectively which also means Florian has an added responsibility to ensure his parents do not face any trouble due to their occupational closeness to this theft.
As Marcus Rivers teams up with the two crime fighting duo to catch the art thief, they also attract the attention of EEL, a European crime syndicate with whom you definitely do not want to mess with. I am sure you will be wondering what happens next. Well, that’s all in the book.
This book was an absolute thrill for me, fuelled by the curiosity piquing scenes painted in the reader’s mind by the author.
This book is full of joy for readers above the age of 10 and for those who really miss out on the thrill from the Alex Rider series then this would be a good book to check out due to their similarities.
While I would rate this book a 5 on 5, I just feel it would have been a bit better to include another chapter covering some of the unanswered tiny details mentioned in the book.
However this is not where Florian and Margaret’s journey ends. To know about the two other books in this series, check out my goodreads review given below.
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Know more about TOAST and other books by James Ponti: https://www.jamesponti.com/
Cover Image Credits: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Framed!/James-Ponti/Framed!/9781481436311#:~:text=About%20The%20Book&text=Twelve%2Dyear%2Dold%20Florian%20Bates,the%20National%20Gallery%20of%20Art.
Inside Image Credits: https://www.jamesponti.com/framed
Goodreads Reviews:
- Vanished: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7463558738?book_show_action=false
- Trapped: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7463559029?book_show_action=false
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