Overview
The first young adult novel from legendary New York Times- bestselling author Jack Higgins.
For thirty years, Jack Higgins has enraptured adult readers with his thrilling tales of spies and intrigue. Now, for the first time he brings his bestselling touch to the world of teens with an adventure to remember.
For fifteen-year-old twins Rich and Jade, their lives have just been turned upside down. When their mother is tragically killed in a car crash, their long- lost father John Chance appears to collect them at the funeral. He's a bachelor who lives on his own, and it's clear that Rich and Jade aren't welcome. But when Chance suddenly disappears, Rich and Jade uncover the truth: He's a spy. And now, whoever kidnapped their father is after them, too.
Dangerous, fast-paced, and packed with action, Sure Fire is a gripping adventure from the master of the modern thriller.
Synopsis
The first young adult novel from legendary New York Times- bestselling author Jack Higgins.
For thirty years, Jack Higgins has enraptured adult readers with his thrilling tales of spies and intrigue. Now, for the first time he brings his bestselling touch to the world of teens with an adventure to remember.
For fifteen-year-old twins Rich and Jade, their lives have just been turned upside down. When their mother is tragically killed in a car crash, their long- lost father John Chance appears to collect them at the funeral. He's a bachelor who lives on his own, and it's clear that Rich and Jade aren't welcome. But when Chance suddenly disappears, Rich and Jade uncover the truth: He's a spy. And now, whoever kidnapped their father is after them, too.
Dangerous, fast-paced, and packed with action, Sure Fire is a gripping adventure from the master of the modern thriller.
Publishers Weekly
The internationally bestselling author of The Eagle Has Landedpartners with Richards (the Invisible Detective series) to write this standout YA spy novel. Following the unexpected death of their mother, teenage twins Jade and Rich Chance are shipped off to London to live with John Chance, the father they never knew of. Right from the beginning it's clear he has secrets, and when the twins witness his kidnapping by men with guns, they are propelled into a world where no one can be trusted and everyone shoots to kill. The mystery thickens as they discover their father works for the British government and was investigating a powerful businessman, Viktor Vishinsky from Krejikistan, who plans to introduce a virus that would cripple the world's oil supply. As with many mystery thrillers, plausibility isn't on the agenda. The authors need neither gimmicks nor high-tech machinery, instead tailoring their vocabulary and style to keep the action at breakneck speed. Each chapter ends with a cliff-hanger, maintaining the high level of suspense. With readers looking for an Alex Rider-type adventure, this will be a sure-fire hit. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information\Editorials
Publishers Weekly
The internationally bestselling author of The Eagle Has Landedpartners with Richards (the Invisible Detective series) to write this standout YA spy novel. Following the unexpected death of their mother, teenage twins Jade and Rich Chance are shipped off to London to live with John Chance, the father they never knew of. Right from the beginning it's clear he has secrets, and when the twins witness his kidnapping by men with guns, they are propelled into a world where no one can be trusted and everyone shoots to kill. The mystery thickens as they discover their father works for the British government and was investigating a powerful businessman, Viktor Vishinsky from Krejikistan, who plans to introduce a virus that would cripple the world's oil supply. As with many mystery thrillers, plausibility isn't on the agenda. The authors need neither gimmicks nor high-tech machinery, instead tailoring their vocabulary and style to keep the action at breakneck speed. Each chapter ends with a cliff-hanger, maintaining the high level of suspense. With readers looking for an Alex Rider-type adventure, this will be a sure-fire hit. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information\Children's Literature -
Rich and Jade are fifteen-year-old twins who have lost their mother and must live with the father they have never met. When he disappears, they discover that he has been working as a secret agent. They eventually find out that a Russian oil baron who is seeking a valuable fluid has their father in custody. Unable to get the information they need from him, the Russians try to capture Rich and Jade. In a series of adventures, spies are shot and wounded, Rich and Jade escape from some unlikely situations, and they find their father where he is imprisoned. More explosions, chases, and escape plots continue until the Russians villains are put in their place and the family is together again. Unable to make an emotional connection when they first met, they now are united as a family. The story has lots of action that keeps the adventure going, but much of it is unrealistic and contrived. Young readers who are interested in the spy genre may find it entertaining.\School Library Journal
Gr 8 Up- Rich and Jade Chance, 15, find their world turned upside down when their mother dies in an accident. They believe that they are orphans until they meet a man at the funeral who claims to be their father. Suddenly, and unhappily for them, they move to London with him. Then he disappears, and they soon discover that he leads the exciting life of a British secret agent. He has been assigned to infiltrate a Russian oil company that suspects that he has the only remaining sample of a valuable fuel that they developed. The twins are thrust into a world of oil barons, secret meetings in fancy hotels, violence, and tension-filled rescues. Fans of Alex Rider and Tom Clancy books will revel in the oil-refinery explosions and secret writing on ice cubes. The spy lingo and the equipment detail will hold teens' interest, and the nonstop excitement will give reluctant readers something to cheer about.-Lynn Evarts, Sauk Prairie High School, Prairie du Sac, WI
Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.\