BLADE

Pain, silence and darkness greet Blade as he wakes up in the hospital with no recollection of how he got there. He doesn’t have time to figure out this mystery because he’s still on the run from a slew of enemies. Wanted for a variety of crimes, he has to keep a low profile. Moving from one safe place to another, he reconnects with the gang he encountered in the first book (Blade: Playing Dead, 2009). He also develops his relationship with Mary, a senior woman he was falsely accused of injuring. Mary’s story, that she is also on the run from her past, allows an unusual bond to form with Blade. As in the first book in the series, Blade addresses the reader directly with the name “Bigeyes” and peppers his speech with British slang. Bowler combines the slow unveiling of Blade’s past with short chapters and nonstop action to create tension and suspense. Some major plot twists at the end set the stage for book three. (Thriller. YA)