I don't know what happened with this last book, but I am not happy about it. The fifth book gave me pause, since the main character Dom gets drunk and no moral lesson is taught about the evils of drinking when you are only 15 years old. In this book, the drinking issue comes up again, this time with Dom drinking alongside his father and grandfather with their permission. No mention is made of his being under-age, or about what a bad idea it is to put poison in your body, even though in the same scene his grandfather admits to being an alcoholic! What kind of stupid message is that for a children's book?!?

Dom is dealing with the moral and philosophical implications of his latest task from the Debt. He is told to murder someone, anyone, and give them proof that he did it. He looks for guidance in many places (poetry, history, literature, teachers, friends, family, etc...), and when he begins a discussion in his classroom about whether or not it is ever acceptable to take someone's life, another student says that God does not condone murder. That student is then ridiculed and mocked, saying that he isn't over his "born-again phase".
You'd think that when you're facing a massive decision, like whether or not to murder some innocent person, you'd look to the Highest authority for some wisdom. Maybe even be afraid for your immortal soul. But Dom, like his grandfather, is an atheist apparently.
In this book, Dom comes to realize that he is the "captain of his own soul", and no one can tell him what is right and wrong. He doesn't need God. He can be in charge of his own life. This is presented like a triumph of the human spirit. Of course, he is the "hero" of the story, so he doesn't actually commit murder. He's the "good guy" so he can't do it, but he toys with the idea a little too long for my liking.

Again and again in this book, I read messages that I didn't like, and that have no place in a book for children. For instance, Dom is digging up some dirt on his enemies to get them thrown into prison, and he finds that one of them is gay and "spends thousands of dollars on male escorts". Dom then says that he wouldn't "make a judgement either way", but posts the evidence online for the world to see, ruining his enemy's reputation. What was the point of including that in the story? Dom already had enough criminal evidence to send the guy to jail. Why throw in the gay part for extra measure? The words "male escort" have no place in a book for kids!! I'm beyond disgusted by this.

At the beginning of the book, Dom decides that he has too many adventures on his plate, completing his tasks for the Debt, and so he quits school. Despite all his teacher telling him what a bad idea it is to abandon your education, despite his parents telling him how he won't go far in life without a basic high school degree, he quits anyway, and the narrator applauds his decision. "Some people just aren't meant for school" is the message. Dom basically blackmails his parents into agreeing, and leaves home to live with his grandfather. He starts to work for a sleazy private detective, and continues all his adventures, enjoying his freedom to do whatever he pleases. How is this a good example to kids? Dom is only 15 years old! He's leaving school after the 9th grade. Do you know how great a life you're going to have with a 9th grade education?!? What is wrong with this author? You'd think that someone who writes books would have a healthy respect for the people who teach writing and reading and arithmetic.

The adventure, the plot, the characters are all still good. I enjoyed reading it until I got to those parts I hated. Dom is (usually) a character that I loved cheering for. I loved his family and his friends and all the mystery surrounding the Debt. I loved the fast-paced writing and the interesting supporting characters. But this ending... There are some loose threads and I did NOT like the unresolved ending. I like lots of closure, not fade-into-the-sunset endings.

And I kept expecting more development for certain characters. Tristan dropped off the face of the planet with no explanation. He's just not in the story anymore. The girl who cheered for Dom while he was racing in Rome is still a non-entity. Why bother setting up her character, all elusive and enigmatic, and then never show her face again? I still have questions about her, who was she? Why was she cheering so madly for Dom to win that race? So many side characters who never got developed properly! I. Have. Questions.

I am utterly disappointed in this series ending. The first couple of books were so good.