‘Consuela couldn’t take her eyes off the cabinet. Her
pulse was hammering furiously, nausea rising in her throat. What was going on
out of sight in the trunk? Was Max okay? The spectators were still waiting
patiently, but they wouldn’t wait for ever. She couldn’t delay any longer, she
just had to have faith in Max, trust him to get it right. Taking a deep breath
she pressed a red button on the console.
Out on the platform, the shallow, petrol filled metal
troughs that surrounded the cabinet suddenly ignited, sending a wall of fire
shooting up into the air. A gasp of surprise reverberated around the crowd,
people recoiling from the explosion.’
Max is a 14 fourteen year escapologist, following in his
fathers footsteps, and already making his mark as one of Britain’s most
exciting performers. Since the disappearance of his father Max lives with
Consuela, his father’s faithful assistant. His mother is serving time for
murdering his father, a crime Max knows she did not commit.
Since his escape from Shadow Island with Consuela and his
friend Chris, he has been plagued with nightmares and fears for his father’s
life.
Waiting for Julius Clark, the mastermind behind the Shadow
Island operation, to make his move, Max tries to be on his guard at all times.
In a wrongful search of his house by an old enemy, Rupert Penhall, Max loses
the only evidence he has that his father is alive. Determined not to give up,
Max continues his search for survivors who returned from Shadow Island and in the
process learns about the Cedar Alliance, an environmental organisation his
father helped lead. Max travels far and wide hoping to find answers from his
father’s colleagues who are spread across the globe.
Despite this being the second time that I have read this
book, I found it very exciting and adventurous. I enjoyed how Chris, Consuela
and Max all stuck together despite the challenges they faced. It is fast-paced,
full of adventure and intrigue!
Paul Adams has a very descriptive style of writing which
made it easy for me, as the reader, to ‘see’ the story in my head.
Recommended reader age: 10+
This is the second book in the three book series, the first one being ‘Escape from Shadow Island’ and the third one is ‘Attack at Dead Man’s Bay’.
