cover image The Ultimate Truth

The Ultimate Truth

Kevin Brooks. Pan Macmillan (IPG/Trafalgar Sq., dist.), $11.99 trade paper (416p) ISBN 978-1-4472-3896-6

Thirteen-year-old Travis Delaney is certain that the car crash that claimed the lives of his private investigator parents was no accident, and he is determined to uncover the truth. First, he has to look into their unsolved final case: the disappearance of a teenage boxer named Bashir. The more Travis learns, the more danger he's in: MI5, the CIA, and a mysterious agency called Omega are also interested in Bashir, who may have ties to a terrorist organization. Assembling an unconventional team of allies, including his retired military intelligence grandfather and a local gang, Travis is propelled by his relentless pursuit of information and his desire to avenge his parents. First released in England in 2014, this thriller marks a solid opener for the Travis Delaney Investigates series, setting up the resourceful hero and his myriad friends. Brooks (The Bunker Diaries) never forgets that his protagonist is a relatively inexperienced teenage boy up against ruthless adults, and delivers a fast-paced, entertaining adventure that keeps the odds relatively even and the stakes high. Available simultaneously: The Danger Game. Ages 10%E2%80%9314. (Apr.)