STUDENT WRITER JACK BLISS RECOMMENDS NYPD RED 8
NYPD Red 8 is written by Marshall Karp and was published in 2025. This book is a fictional novel about a mad man going rogue and bombing New York City. Detectives Kylie Macdonald and Zack Jordan are eating lunch when they hear a big explosion off in the distance. They bolt out of the restaurant to the subway station, where the explosion takes place. They run down the crowded staircase along with a bunch of EMT workers. Macdonald and Jordan are in shock at what they see: smoke, destruction, and death. It takes a minute to register what they see, but both of them immediately spring into action to help people and to get a sense of what happened.
Once the bomb squad arrives and searches the area, they realize it was no accident; it was deliberately done.
I feel that this book is really well written, and the characters are portrayed well. The book has two main characters, Zack Jordan and Kylie Macdonald. The story is mostly told from Zack’s perspective, which allows readers to learn more about him, including his opinions. Even though the story is told from Zack’s perspective, readers still learn a lot about Kylie and the challenges she faces. Having both Zack and Kylie as major characters makes the story more interesting because their partnership adds different ideas and opinions throughout the investigation.
The book’s characters have plenty of problems to face, which I enjoyed because it created a longer book with more content. I do admit, it takes a while for the “problems” to emerge. I would also say there are many topics, and one main theme. The main theme would be justice because throughout the whole book they’re trying to bring the bad guy to justice.
I feel like it is hard to narrow down one topic for this story, because there are so many, but the main one would have to be keeping people safe because the whole point of the investigation is trying to prevent more people from dying.
NYPD Red 8 is by far my favourite book of 2026. Because of the dialogue and how it is written, I’d recommend this book for ages 15 and up. Some themes are more mature, which I personally liked, and I think those who enjoy crime fiction would enjoy this book too.
Jack Bliss is a Grade 10 student at Fredericton High School who enjoys staying active through sports and the outdoors. In addition to playing baseball and basketball, Jack referees basketball and umpires baseball, experiences he is especially proud of. When he is not on a field or court, he can often be found fishing, biking, hunting, or walking with his dog.