UNCAGED

Can a 16-year-old foster kid save her brother from an evil corporation? Can she even find him? 

When Shay’s nearly-18-year-old brother, Odin, goes missing after the animal rights group he belongs to frees animals and steals data from a Singular research facility, Shay leaves her relatively acceptable foster home to find him. In LA, she’s saved from attack by a former street kid and now trendy, rich artist named Twist. She agrees to help Twist with one of his politically motivated actions, and he lets her stay in his hotel for street kids. Shay finds Odin—but after giving her a mysterious dog named X, Odin’s abducted. Twist and his crew of street kids agree to help Shay find her brother, but Singular’s security division won’t think twice about lying to authorities and killing to protect their illegal operations. Can Shay and her new friends survive their search for Odin even with help on the inside? Best-selling writer for adults Sandford co-authors this surprisingly languid thriller, which stuffs most of its action into the final 50 pages—presumably saving material for the next book in the series. The interesting-enough story is further hobbled by generic characters and patches of lazy, florid prose.

The author’s name will gain this book attention, but far better books are available for genre fans.