Rose, Malcolm 1953-

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ROSE, Malcolm 1953-

PERSONAL: Born January 31, 1953, in Coventry, England; son of Reg (a machine tool fitter) and Kathleen (a receptionist; maiden name, Robinson) Rose; married August 2, 1975; wife's name Barbara Anne (a teacher); children: Colin Mark. Education: University of York, B.A., 1974; D.Phil., 1978. Hobbies and other interests: Science, sports, music, walking.

ADDRESSES: Agent—Juvenilia, Avington, Winchester, Hampshire S021 1DB, England.

CAREER: Author. University of Liverpool, Liverpool England, postdoctoral research fellow, 1977-81, senior experimental officer, department of biochemistry, 1981-83; Sheffield City Polytechnic, Sheffield, England, lecturer in analytical chemistry, 1983-86, senior lecturer, 1986-87; Open University, England, lecturer in chemistry, 1988-96; freelance writer, 1996—.

AWARDS, HONORS: Angus Book Award, 1997, for Tunnel Vision; Lancashire Children's Book of the Year Award, 2001, for Plague.

WRITINGS:

young-adult fiction

Rift, Collins (London, England), 1985.

The Highest Form of Killing, Andre Deutsch (London, England), 1990, published with an additional chapter, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1992.

Son of Pete Flude, Andre Deutsch (London, England), 1991.

The Obtuse Experiment, Scholastic (London, England), 1993.

The Smoking Gun, Scholastic (London, England), 1993, published as Formula for Murder, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1994.

Concrete Evidence, Scholastic (London, England), 1995.

The Alibi, Scholastic (London, England), 1996.

Tunnel Vision, Scholastic (London, England), 1996.

The Malcolm Rose Collection: Three Degrees of Murder (contains The Smoking Gun, Concrete Evidence, and The Alibi), Scholastic (London, England), 1997.

Circle of Nightmares, Scholastic (London, England), 1997.

Flying upside Down, Scholastic (London, England), 1998.

Breathing Fear (sequel to Son of Pete Flude), Scholastic (London, England), 1999.

Plague, Scholastic (London, England), 2000.

Bloodline, Scholastic (London, England), 2002.

Clone, Scholastic (London, England), 2002.

"lawless and tilley" series

The Secrets of the Dead, Scholastic (London, England), 1997.

Deep Waters, Scholastic (London, England), 1997.

Magic Eye, Scholastic (London, England), 1998.

Still Life, Scholastic (London, England), 1998.

Fire and Water, Scholastic (London, England), 1998.

Lethal Harvest, Scholastic (London, England), 1999.

Flying Blind, Scholastic (London, England), 1999.

other

Author of short stories for young adults; Rose's novels have been translated and published internationally.

SIDELIGHTS: Malcolm Rose began writing young-adult novels while pursuing his doctorate in chemistry; indeed, he wrote a long list of successful books while pursuing his academic career, and then he became a full-time freelance writer. Rose's knowledge of, and interest in, the sciences is evident in many of his plots.

Rose's first novel, Rift, called "wholly gripping" by Jane Woodley in School Librarian, is about Neil, a young teen who discovers, while his parents are away from home for a few days, that he has supernatural powers. During this time, he more deeply develops friendships during a seance, finds romance, and is called upon to avert a disaster. A Growing Point contributor wrote that Rose "has conceived a metaphor for youth which has considerable, sometimes uncertain power."

The issues that are dealt with in The Highest Form of Killing concern the development of chemical weapons and animal testing. A couple finds a dog's mutilated body on a beach and then are hustled off in separate vans. The woman has time to call her brother, a chemistry professor, who in turn enlists the aid of a student intern who works at a top-secret chemical weapons development facility. The story climaxes with the shattering of a vial that contains a deadly biological substance being secretly developed by the government. The student ultimately protests chemical and biological warfare by publishing articles that alter public opinion. A Kirkus Reviews contributor wrote that the novel contains "A vital message, but delivered in a story that wanders between romance and thriller." A contributor to the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books concluded that while Rose's "writing isn't subtle, the story is taut in all the right places, the pace is terrific, and the Andromeda Strain-like paranoia makes for spooky fun."

School Librarian reviewer Maureen A. Porter felt Rose's Son of Pete Flude contains elements of J. D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, concluding that it would thus "provoke considerable discussion in the classroom." In the novel, Seb, the son of a rock star, is kidnapped because his father is helping the CIA infiltrate a drug ring. Times Educational Supplement contributor Brian Keaney commented that Rose "is at his best when dealing with the hero's angst at having a sex symbol for a father."

Breathing Fear is the sequel to Son of Pete Flude. In this novel Seb follows in his father's footsteps and founds the band Sail. He seeks revenge for the murders of his parents by the father of his girlfriend, Lisa, and learns that his new bass guitarist is the daughter of an arms dealer who is also involved in the intrigue. The band comes under fire and in danger because one of the members is in a gay relationship, and because they use their music to expose corruption. "What distinguishes this book is its utterly convincing setting in the world of indie music and its highly politicized stance against what the Thatcherite eighties stood for, particularly the arms trade," wrote Norton Hodges in School Librarian. A Books for Keeps reviewer described Breathing Fear as "Part topical thriller . . . part love story, part behind-the-scenes tale of rock music, this is a pacy, page-turning tall story with a sharp edge of truth."

In The Obtuse Experiment an ultra-conservative government plans to dispose of a group of delinquent teens by literally shipping them out to sea on a supposedly educational cruise, and causing them to hit an iceberg in the North Sea, thus ridding society of the troublemakers. The disaster is prevented by a group of aliens, whose mission is to travel back in time to prevent certain detrimental events from happening. In a Books for Keeps review, Adrian Jackson called the story "tense and very moving."

The police tell three teens in Concrete Evidence that their missing mother has run off with a lover, but the teens discover this isn't the case when a car slams into a cement wall near their home and the mummified remains of their mother tumble out. Kliatt reviewer Dean E. Lyons noted that the British terminology may pose some problems for American young-adult readers, but overall felt that "they will be rewarded with a story that spins itself out to a rewarding conclusion."

Tunnel Vision is the story of a cult called the Fellowship—led by a man named Pat—which brings into its fold white people who have been rejected by society. Among them is Joel, a young man who has been disfigured by leprosy, but who is also an outstanding runner. Pat, who plays lead guitar in a rock group and appears to be a model citizen, is not beyond using extreme measures to crush the black-dominated teams with which the Fellowship competes. Central to this story is Joel's frowned-upon relationship with Marie, a Ugandan girl who has suffered the horrors of war. Helen Allen of School Librarian felt that the handling of recruitment and manipulation by the Fellowship "are only too credible and the reader is made aware of how vulnerable people are seduced, sometimes literally, by such organizations." Joanna Porter wrote in the Times Educational Supplement that "issues of race and racing become issues of race and racism in an ultimately exuberant novel that places a deft finger on the mid-teenage pulse." Meanwhile, a Junior Bookshelf contributor wrote, "Although aimed at the young adult Tunnel Vision makes a better read than many a book found on the shelves for adult fiction."

In Plague a deadly virus strikes down the people of Milton Keynes after being brought back from Zaire by a British midwife. The town is sealed off as the characters attempt to isolate the virus and find an antidote. School Librarian's Sheila Allen called it "a gripping story."

Rose has also written several titles for a series featuring detectives Brett Lawless and Clare Tilley, who are stationed near Sheffield, England. Kay F. Ecclestone, who reviewed Flying Blind for School Librarian, felt that "the level will suit most teenagers and engage good readers of all ages. A series to be thoroughly recommended."

Rose once told an interviewer how music inspired him. "When I write, I always listen to music—the louder, the better. A line from a lyric can give me the inspiration for a whole book." Rose also commented on how his interest in science plays out in his stories: "The use of chemistry to kill people in warfare, racist attacks, suicide after bullying, and new weapon development have been perverse inspiration. I am not sufficiently naive that I believe I can solve big problems by writing about them in a novel, but at least I can raise awareness. That is one of my main aims: to make a reader think while he or she is being entertained. And that is why I write for teenagers. Young people have open minds that are receptive to new ideas—probably more so than us boring old adults!"

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

periodicals

Book Report, May-June, 1993, Daniel Harvey, review of The Highest Form of Killing, p. 44.

Books for Keeps, July, 1993, Adrian Jackson, review of The Obtuse Experiment, p. 28; May, 1996, review of Tunnel Vision, p. 17; July, 1996, review of The Alibi, p. 13; September, 1998, review of Flying upside Down, pp. 23-24; September, 1999, review of Son of Pete Flude, p. 4; January, 2000, review of Breathing Fear,

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, October, 1992, review of The Highest Form of Killing, p. 52.

Growing Point, July, 1985, review of Rift, p. 4471.

Junior Bookshelf, October, 1985, review of Rift, pp. 234-235; April, 1996, review of Tunnel Vision, p. 89.

Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 1992, review of The Highest Form of Killing, p. 1260.

Kliatt, September, 1995, Dean E. Lyons, review of Concrete Evidence, p. 14.

Publishers Weekly, October 12, 1992, review of The Highest Form of Killing, p. 81.

School Librarian, December, 1985, Jane Woodley, review of Rift, p. 359; November, 1991, Maureen A. Porter, review of Son of Pete Flude, p. 154; August, 1993, Mike Hayhoe, review of The Obtuse Experiment, p. 123; May, 1996, Helen Allen, review of Tunnel Vision, p. 76; autumn, 1998, Helen Allen, review of Magic Eye, p. 159; summer, 1999, Patricia Peacock, review of Fire and Water, p. 101; winter, 1999, Norton Hodges, review of Breathing Fear, p. 214; spring, 2000, Kay F. Ecclestone, review of Flying Blind, p. 46; autumn, 2000, Sheila Allen, review of Plague, p. 159.

School Library Journal, October, 1992, Lyle Blake Smythers, review of The Highest Form of Killing, p. 146.

Times Educational Supplement, October 11, 1985, Jessica Yates, review of Rift, p. 26; November 9, 1990, Jan Mark, review of The Highest Form of Killing, p. R11; November 8, 1991, Brian Keaney, review of Son of Pete Flude, p. 41; July 16, 1993, David Self, review of The Obtuse Experiment, p. 22; May 10, 1996, Johanna Porter, review of Tunnel Vision, p. 8.

Voice of Youth Advocates, December, 1992, Catherine M. Dwyer, review of The Highest Form of Killing, p. 285; April, 1995, Julie Hudson, review of Formula for Murder, p. 26; October, 1995, Beth E. Anderson, review of Concrete Evidence, p.224.