Blood Sun

October 1, 2011
The third installment in the adventures of British teen Max Gordon, who continues his quest to learn more about his family's past. Continuing the non-stop action from Devil's Breath (2008) and Ice Claw (2010), Max slips away from Dartmoor High School (with a little help from his friend Sayid) only slightly ahead of a corporate hit team. Why? Another friend has sent him a message, just before collapsing on the rails of London's Underground. Max is able to decipher enough of the message to know that the answer to his mother's death--and his father's mental collapse--lies in the jungles of Central America. An agent from MI5 is hot on his trail, hoping to help, but Max is on the run from drug smugglers, plant thieves, the U.S. Coast Guard and a dedicated assassin who won't quit, no matter what. Add in the threat of poisonous insects, giant snakes and murderous Mayan priests, and the challenges have never been higher for our dauntless hero. Max Gordon is a likable character who faces tough challenges with determination, physical strength and a positive attitude (and perhaps a little magic), and he's developed as well as his essentially James Bond–esque character will allow. While not as believable or as enjoyable as Max's last adventure, this is still a solid read from start to breathless finish. (Thriller. 11-15)

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January 1, 2012

Gr 6-10-Fans of The Devil's Breath (2008) and Ice Claw (2010, both Delacorte) will welcome the third installment in this British import. Max Gordon, 15, sends out a cryptic request for information about his mother's recent death in Central America. A former student from Max's boarding school responds but is killed before the two can meet. While Danny's death is initially ruled a suicide, the appearance of an ominous-looking agent raises Max's suspicions. Unsure why the death of his environmental scientist mother should be shrouded in such secrecy, he slips away from Dartmoor High to learn more. Meanwhile, MI5 wants to find out why Riga, an international hit man, has Max in his sights, and they send one of their operatives to get to the teen before the killer does. As he travels to London and then to the U.S., Max manages to elude his pursuers with enough inventiveness and narrow escapes to leave readers breathless. In Florida, he tangles with drug smugglers and finds himself heading for Central America in their speedboat, with the Coast Guard now adding to the chase. Once Max has reached the area where his mother died, he must avoid not only the various groups who are after him, but also the predators of the jungle. Max is an engaging and fully developed protagonist whose ambivalent relationship with his father adds extra depth. This title has enough backstory to fill in the gaps for newcomers to the series, and plenty of nonstop action to satisfy adventure aficionados who have exhausted all of Anthony Horowitz's "Alex Rider" titles (Philomel).-Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2011
Grades 7-12 Max Gordon, the 15-year-old adventurer from The Devil's Breath (2008) and Ice Claw (2010), is a 007 type, with fewer gadgets and more bruises, but here he wanders straight into Indiana Jones territory. When he receives a khipu, a Mayan artifact containing a secret message regarding his mother's long-ago death, off he goes, from England to Miami to the jungles of Central America, with the action crosscutting between Max, his best friend, a MI5 agent pursuing him, and a ruthless assassin. Gilman remains a top-tier author of books like thisbasically, intelligent, extended chase scenesand the smart action never lets up.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)