Contagion (Dark Matter #1)

At the Shetland Institute in Scotland, Subject 369X is sick and in desperate need of a cure. She is not allowed to speak, but if she were, she would say that her name is Callie and that she is 12 years old. Hundreds of miles away, in Killin, Scotland, 16-year-old Sharona (Shay) sees a flyer for a missing girl, Callista. Shay has a photographic memory and can pinpoint exactly where and when she last saw the girl: on the day she was abducted. Meanwhile, a “cure” given to Callie for her disease manages to kill her, but her spirit remains and wants revenge. Feeling responsible for not realizing that the missing girl was in trouble a year earlier, Shay reaches out to Callie’s family and meets her brother, Kai. Sparks fly between the two, but as they fall in love, a deadly, contagious flu takes hold of Scotland. In this first volume in a new series, Terry (the Slated trilogy) tackles the science of antimatter and what happens when human experimentation turns into deadly disease. This page-turning near-future paranormal thriller requires some suspension of disbelief, but the love story and mystery will keep readers engaged till the cliffhanger end. Ages 12–up. Agent: Caroline Sheldon, Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency. (July[em]) [/em]