Rat Runners

Crime and intrigue flourish in this surveillance-dominated, slightly futuristic version of London; the perpetrators have evolved along with the technology. One of the city’s crime lords assembles a teenage crew to track down a valuable item that has gone missing in the wake of a scientist’s murder. Manikin handles deception, her brother FX does tech, Scope is into forensics and analysis, and their nominal leader, Nimmo, is a consummate con artist and infiltrator. As the job leads the group down some strange, duplicitous paths, the question becomes: what’s so important about their target? Soon everyone is in on the chase, including rival criminals, mercenaries, and the authorities. Irish author McGann offers up a twisty, unpredictable thriller, augmenting the heist atmosphere with science fiction elements and keen characterizations. Once the true scope of the problem is revealed, those speculative elements make a significant jump forward, technologically speaking, but it’s still a tense, entertaining story. The real fun comes in watching these heroes work when all the odds are against them, in a city where someone is always watching and nowhere is safe. Ages 12–up. (Jan.)