Blue Voyage

Zan and her mother flee Massachusetts for Turkey after Zan’s father, a gubernatorial candidate, is engulfed by a sex scandal, and her aunt loses her husband in a suspicious accident. To comfort Aunt Jackie and escape the scandal at home, Zan and her mother join her on a Mediterranean cruise and later help out by working at her boutique hotel. Things turn scary when Zan meets a girl named Sage, who plants antiquities on her; after Zan is caught with them by police, she is pulled into a vast smuggling conspiracy. Renn (Latitude Zero) spins a complicated narrative, crowded with details that can seem extraneous (giving Zan vitiligo, for example, or a shoplifting episode, in order to make the police’s accusations of thievery more believable). With all the twists, as well as the effort required to make these two girls seem like reasonable targets for an elaborate Turkish smuggling ring, the plot can be more jumbled than suspenseful. Travel seekers, however, will enjoy the tour of some of Turkey’s most famous sites. Ages 12–up. Agent: Kirby Kim, Janklow & Nesbit. (Oct.)