Review Detail

John Feinstein scores a literary touchdown with his YA novel, Cover-Up: Mystery at the Super Bowl. After stumbling upon and solving mysteries at the Final Four and U.S. Open (see previous Feinstein novels), teenage reporters Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson are handed the opportunity to become TV stars as co-hosts of a teen sports show. The show is well-received, and the pair is looking forward to reporting from the Super Bowl. Suddenly, Stevie is replaced in the co-anchor seat by an up-and-coming rock star who doesnt know the first thing about sports. Stevie is upset that he wont be attending the Super Bowl, and devastated that the opportunity to see Susan Carol is lost. But Stevie doesnt despair for too long. Both the Washington Herald newspaper and CBS Sports ask him to report on footballs biggest sporting event, giving him the opportunity to hone his writing talent, meet some of the biggest sports stars, and spend time with Susan Carol.

It isnt long before the teen sleuths find themselves tangled up in a mystery involving steroid use in the NFL and a wide-spread cover up. With the help of their friends and veteran newspaper reporters, Bobby Kelleher, and his wife, Tamara Mearns, Stevie and Susan Carol solve the mystery and help a famous quarterback do the right thing. A subplot focusing on the budding romance between Stevie and Susan Carol adds a dose of reality and humor. Feinstein does a fantastic job setting up the mystery and includes enough action, sports figure cameos, and romance to keep readers engaged.